Transcript Kinesics
Body movement and gestures
Talk to the hand
“Oh no you dint!”
The snap (in Z
formation)
Expressions related
to posture, gait
“grow a spine”
walking with a “spring
in your step”
“stand up for yourself”
“stand up straight”
“hold your head high”
“don’t slouch.”
“stand still”
In Western culture, an
upright, yet relaxed body
posture, is associated with
confidence, positivity, high
self esteem (Guerrero &
Floyd, 2006).
Power walk
Shuffling
Runway model
walk
Sashay
Swagger
Arms swinging vs.
not swinging
“Light in the
loafers”
Gait, posture and
victimization
“A weak walking style
sends a cue of
vulnerability to a wouldbe mugger or attacker.”
(Gunn,s Johnson, &
Hudson, 2002)
“Confident walkers rank
near the bottom of
potential targets of
crime”(Ivy & Wahl, 2009).
Nonverbal indicators of Liking
Forward lean
Body and head orientation
facing the other person
Open body positions
Affirmative head nods
Moderate gesturing and
animation
Close interpersonal distances
Moderate body relaxation
Touching
Initiating and maintaining eye
contact
Smiling
Mirroring (congruent posture)
Nonverbal indicators of
dislike
Indirect, oblique body
orientation
No eye contact, or eye
contact of short duration
Averted eyes
Unpleasant facial
expressions
Relative absence of
gestures
Body rigidity, bodily
tension
Incongruent postures
1.
inclusiveness/noninclusiveness
The degree to which one’s body
position includes or excludes
someone else.
Inclusiveness indicates liking,
interest in the other person.
2.
face to face/parallel
The degree to which people face
each other, square on, versus at
an angle or side by side.
A square on position indicates
mutual involvement, some level
of intimacy.
3.
congruence/incongruence
The degree of mirroring,
matching, mimicry
Posture and
Dominance
Taking up space
Arms akimbo
Maintaining gaze
Pointing at someone
Violating another’s
personal space
Studies on “Gaydar”
demonstrate that
people can
distinguish another’s
sexual orientation at
better than chance
odds.
This does not mean
“Gaydar” is infallible.
When speaking before a
group:
Stand straight, yet relaxed
Don’t slouch
Don’t lean on or hide
behind a podium
Don’t look frozen, wooden
Avoid nervous pacing
Movement should be
purposeful
Movement should
complement or punctuate
the verbal message
What are
these people
conveying
with their
bodies?
Are these couples
getting along?
Humans have
uniquely expressive
hands.
The meaning of a
gesture depends on
its context
flipping someone the
“bird” could be serious
or playful.
Gestures may be
conflicting
Yawning while saying
you are not tired.
Looking involved but
saying, “I don’t care,”
Emblems are used
intentionally.
They have verbal
equivalents
They have a clear,
consistent meaning
within a particular
culture
Cross my heart
Shame on you
Peace sign
I’m crazy
Illustrators are used
intentionally.
Illustrators are tied to
speech.
They reinforce or
supplement what is being
said.
Illustrators are most
common in face-to-face
interaction
Illustrators are so habitual,
people use them when
talking on the phone
Examples of illustrators
Two palms held up signify “I
don’t know.
Wagging a finger while making
a point
Rolling one’s eyes in disbelief
“For example” gesture
Just a pinch
Hitting one’s fist for emphasis
A double head nod
Pointing when giving
directions
I caught a fish this big.
After you
Affect displays may or
may not be intentional
Affect displays convey
feeling and emotion
They are often
communicated via
facial expressions
They can be difficult to
interpret
Interpreting affect
displays:
Look at the face to
determine the emotion
Look at body cues to
determine the strength
or intensity of the
emotion.
Are these people expressing
the same emotion, in differing
degrees, or different emotions
altogether?
Regulators are primarily
unintentional
They regulate turn-taking
behavior
Conversational give and
take depends on
regulators
Types of turn-taking
Turn-requesting cues
Turn maintaining cues
Turn yielding cues
Turn denying cues
Regulate the ebb and
flow of conversation
Adaptors are usually
unintentional.
Adaptors include
self-touching
behaviors
Adapters signal
nervousness,
anxiousness,
boredom
Generally speaking,
adapters are
perceived negatively
However, adaptors
may be perceived as
more genuine,
authentic
Examples of adaptors
Fiddling with one’s hair
Chewing one’s fingernails
Tapping one’s foot or leg
Biting one’s lips
Scratching one’s arm
Wringing one’s hands
Clenching one’s jaw
Hair twirling is
an adaptor, but
does it always
mean the same
thing?
Object adaptors
include:
Tapping a pencil
Drumming one’s
fingers
Adjusting one’s
clothing
Playing with jewelry
Adaptors when
students take tests
Hair twirling
Scratching
Ear pulling
Forehead rubbing
What do people do
when
they are ending an
interpersonal
conversation?
they are getting ready
to leave class?
they are ending a
phone conversation?
Does it depend on:
the communication
context?
the nature of the
relationship?
cultural
considerations?