Summary
Highlights
Verbal and nonverbal communication are observed simultaneously and complement each other. Verbal communication consists of spoken words, while nonverbal communication encompasses gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, pacing, and pauses.
Mary Daphne explains two types of nonverbal cues: emblems and illustrators. Emblems have universal meanings within a specific culture, like a thumbs-up for 'good job' in American culture, but their meaning can vary significantly across cultures. Illustrators are automatic and subconscious gestures that illuminate spoken words and are unique to the person, timing, and situation.
There are six ways verbal and nonverbal communication interact: repeating messages (e.g., saying 'nice job' with a thumbs-up), substituting words with gestures (e.g., a high-five instead of 'awesome'), turn-taking (nonverbal cues to signal who speaks next), complementing (enhancing a verbal message, like gesturing an upward chart for growth), emphasizing points (using strong gestures or paralinguistics), and contradicting (nonverbals don't match spoken words, like smiling while saying you're in pain).
Nonverbal leakage occurs when nonverbal cues reveal true feelings despite verbal statements. This can be seen in 'tells' during a poker game or in everyday interactions. Research shows 98% of people exhibit nonverbal leakage when trying to hide charged emotions. This often manifests through tone of voice, body gestures, and microexpressions – fleeting facial expressions (happiness, surprise, fear, anger, sadness, disgust, contempt) that are universal and last only a fraction of a second.