Nonverbal communication

Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 52. Chapters: Writing, Chronemics, Posture, Haptic communication, Dress code, Regulatory focus theory, Eye contact, Body language, International maritime signal flags, Language acquisition through motor planning, Discrimination testing, Proxemics, Flag semaphore, Microexpression, Joe Navarro, Personal boundaries, Paralanguage, Open outcry, Mind-blindness, Sensory analysis, Kinesics, Metacommunicative competence, Territoriality, Message stick, Calypsis, Subtle expressions, Facepalm, Body to Body Communication, Silent service code, Reply, Day shapes. Excerpt: Nonverbal communication is usually understood as the process of communication through sending and receiving wordless (mostly visual) messages - i.e., language is not the only source of communication, there are other means also. Messages can be communicated through gestures and touch (Haptic communication), by body language or posture, by facial expression and eye contact. Meaning can also be communicated through object or artifacts (such as clothing, hairstyles or architecture). Speech contains nonverbal elements known as paralanguage, including voice quality, rate, pitch, volume, and speaking style, as well as prosodic features such as rhythm, intonation and stress. Dance is also regarded as a form of nonverbal communication. Likewise, written texts have nonverbal elements such as handwriting style, spatial arrangement of words, or the physical layout of a page. However, much of the study of nonverbal communication has focused on face-to-face interaction, where it can be classified into three principal areas: environmental conditions where communication takes place, the physical characteristics of the communicators, and behaviors of communicators during interaction. Scholars in this field usually use a strict sense of the term "verbal", meaning "of or concerned with words", and do not use "verbal communication" as a synonym for oral or spoken communication. Sign languages and writing are generally understood as forms of verbal communication, as both make use of words - although like speech, both may contain paralinguistic elements and often occur alongside nonverbal messages. Nonverbal communication (and learning based on such communication) can occur through any sensory channel - sight, sound, smell, touch, proprioceptive or kinesthetic channel or taste. Nonverbal communication is important as: "When we speak (or listen), our attention is focused on words rather than body language. But our judgment includes both. An audience is simultaneously processing both verba