Writing nonverbal communication

 

Nonverbal communication involves conveying information without using spoken language. It includes a range of behaviors and signals. These cues can express emotions, attitudes, and intentions, and they play a crucial role in social interactions. (Britannica)

TEN TYPES OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION ACTS:

• gestures - movements of the hands, fingers, legs, head, and torso
• facial expressions
• touch and physical contact
• physical appearance
• paralinguistic sounds - sighs, grunts, gasps, laughter, hums such as "uh"
• vocal channel - intonation, accent, tone of voice, rhythm
• gaze - eye contact
• physical distance
• body position during conversation
• environmental organization - e.g., furniture, fences, interior design
• the way we use time and space in communicating

KINESETICS (body language) is largely learned. Gestures are passed down from generation to generation. Individual cultures are united more by similarities in body language than in verbal language. Any differences in body language can lead to many misunderstandings.

PROXEMICS = spatial distance

• public - for example with a priest or with a professor
• social - still too far for psychical touch, for strangers or people we don't like
• private - you can reach the person when you stretch out your arm; for people we know and like
• intimate - only for our closest people

Adaptors = behaviors meant to achieve a comfortable conversational position by adopting an appropriate body position, maintaining an appropriate distance, etc

Autoadaptors = intended to regulate psychological tension; these include all forms of touching oneself or playing with objects.

Nonverbal signals may be used for emphasis, to express emotion, and to regulate the coordination of interpersonal behaviours, such as whose turn it is to speak. Nonverbal communication signals can also reveal attitudes or opinions, build general impressions of one’s self, express a present condition, or exert dominance and influence. (Britannica)

Some disorders are associated with limitations in nonverbal communication abilities, for example autism spectrum disorder.

"In the 1950s, researcher Albert Mehrabian performed a study to better understand how individuals assemble meaning from conversations. His study found that only 7% of participants, when receiving a spoken message, primarily focused on the speaker’s words; 38% focused on the verbal tone; and 55%, by far the largest group, focused on body language" - Todd James Pierce

So how do we use that knowledge in writing?

→ good, old show not tell. You don't have to name the emotion; show it instead, using nonverbal communication 

→ remember the same gesture can mean different things in different settings. A character avoiding eye contact might be shy in one scene and deceitful in another. Always pair body language with context, stakes, and relationship dynamics so it feels intentional

→ some of the most revealing character moments happen when words and body language contradict each other; a forced smile during bad news, or a calm tone paired with white-knuckled fists. It signals inner conflict or hidden motives

→ personal body language vocabulary for each character can reflects their personality, upbringing, and emotional control

→ pacing - quick, clipped gestures (snapping, tapping, darting eyes) suit tension or urgency. Slow, deliberate movements convey calm, fatigue, or menace. Let body language mirror pacing to reinforce the emotional rhythm of the scene

DID YOU KNOW?

In the communication process, nonverbal signals have five times more impact than the words a person uses.

When the two types of messages are inconsistent, the verbal ones are generally considered false.

SIGN LANGUAGE

→ languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words

Sign languages are typically used:

→ by deaf people

→ by nonverbal or partially nonverbal people