Purposive Communication

Verbal vs Non-Verbal
Communication

CEI@NTC
July 2020
What is Communication?
Communication is transmission of information (e.g. concepts, emotions, data, etc).

The goal of any communicative process is “understanding”, or the successful conveyance of the message
(skillsyouneed.com)

This can happen through various medium (e.g. written, spoken, face-to-face, digitally-aided)

The Communication Process is typically broken down into 3 parts: the Sender; Message; and Recipient

What is the Communication Process?

Feedback

Message &
Sender Encoding Decoding Receiver
Channel

Noise

At a surface level, the Communication Process is rather straightforward:

1. The Sender has information that he/she wishes to convey.

2. They encode this, or decide HOW to relay the information. This includes deciding the
best way to state the message, and the most optimal channel to use.
a. Stating the message is impacted by factors such as word choice, phrasing,
thought organization, etc.
b. Channels are the medium by which the message is communicated. Samples
include face-to-face, phone call, email etc.
3. The receiver then decodes, or attempts to understand the message.
4. The receiver may also ask clarifying questions, or request for reiteration. This is called
Feedback.
5. Factors negatively affecting message delivery are referred to as Noise. Some examples of
noise include:

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 a. Sender’s diction or thought organization; e.g. Sender uses incorrect or inaccurate
words to represent their thought or message, or uses confusing, overly-lengthy
phrasing
b. Reliability and clarity of tech used; e.g. Choppy reception or signal hindering
clear receipt of message
c. Comprehension of Receiver; e.g. Barriers such as limited language capability, or
strong, emotional feelings against message

What are Verbal & Non-Verbal Communication?

Generally speaking, Verbal Communication refers to communication through words or language.
Contrary to common beliefs, this includes both written AND spoken forms of communication as both rely
on the use of words to send and receive information. Non-verbal communication, on the other hand, is
communication WITHOUT the use of words or language. This includes gestures and body language.

A Deeper Look at Verbal Communication

Communication experts Scott T. Paynton, and Laura K. Hahn define Verbal Communication as an
“agreed-upon, and rule-governed system of symbols used to share meaning”. To better understand this,
let’s break it down into its component parts:

1. A System of Symbols: Words act as symbols that are arbitrary, ambiguous, and abstract. Simply
put, depending on the context, words may change what meaning they represent. It is us, the users
of the language, that dictate what meaning we attach to the words we use. And these meanings
may change due to time, social values, norms, and technology. For example, the word “text” was
not used as verb/action prior to the popularity of mobile phones and SMS. The word “apple” may
now mean something else other than a fruit.
2. Governed by Agreed Upon Rules: Because words as symbols can be confusing, there are rules to
be followed to maintain sense and ensure communication happens effectively. In general, there
are 4 groups of rules that governs language use:
a. Phonology: What sound should letters (individually and in groups) take? For example,
the letter A in “cat” does not sound the same as the A in “cake”.
b. Semantics: How does meaning assigned to words change? For example, “cool” can mean
different things based on how it’s used. This is where denotative and connotative
meanings come in.
i. Denotative refers to the standard definition of the word (e.g. cool = low
temperature)
ii. Connotative refers to the assigned meaning (dependent on context, experience,
beliefs; e.g. cool = great, outstanding, awesome)

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 c. Syntax: What words can be combined, and how do we arrange them to form meaningful
statements? For example, “Swims the dog” is difficult to understand, but a simple
rearrangement of the words can fix it.
d. Pragmatics: How does context affect the application of rules? For example, how would
you borrow a pen from your principal? From your friend? Switching the two may be
deemed inappropriate for each instance.

Verbal Communication in general serves 3 important functions in our lives:

1. It provides definition: We use verbal communication to assign meaning to everything - our

thoughts, feelings, concepts, objects, and people. For example, think about the ff questions: Who
are you? How would you describe yourself? What do you like to do? We will likely rely on
verbal communication to provide answers to all of these.
2. It allows organization and categorization: We use verbal communication to “label” what we
encounter. For example, your Facebook friends can be organized in groups of acquaintances,
family, or close friends. There are items you categorize as food, as toys, as tools. These labels
help us make sense of the world around us.
3. It helps us think: When we try to remember the past, or describe what’s happening in the present,
or plan what we will do in the future - we use language. This enables the formation of concrete
thought vs abstract objects in our heads.

A Deeper Look at Non-Verbal Communication

Remember that Non-verbal Communication refers to communication without the use of words or
language. A lot, but not all, of it is spontaneous and unintentional. It’s easier to understand what this
means by looking at how it differs from Verbal Communication:

1. It can use multiple channels simultaneously: In each communicative event, words cannot overlap
one another. Doing so will cause communication to fail (e.g. try saying 2 words at the same time).
However, multiple non-verbal cues can be done at the same time (e.g. smiling while waving your
hand).
2. It is continuous: Verbal communication has a defined beginning and end. Non-verbal
communication does not share this characteristic so clearly. For example, you know when a
sentence begins and ends. Non-verbal cues such as body language happens continuously, even
after a statement is completed.
3. It can be both conscious and unconscious: There are forms of non-verbal communication that
happens without us controlling them (e.g. smiling when we hear positive news), and there are
others that we intentionally do (e.g. appearing serious and focused in a job interview). While we
sometimes blurt words out unintentionally, verbal communication is typically something we do
consciously.
4. Many non-verbals are universal: A number of non-verbal actions are understood the world over
(e.g. laughing, smiling, frowning). Some gestures are also commonly used (e.g. waving, shaking

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 hands, etc). This is in contrast to words, which are typically exclusive to those familiar with the
language. Note though that the appropriateness of some gestures may vary from one culture to the
next.

There are said to be 8 types of Non-verbal Communication:

1. Kinesics: What do body movement, and facial expressions mean? While it may be impossible to
accurately interpret these all of the time, we rely on it heavily to inform us of others perceptions
and emotions among others.
2. Haptics: The study of touch. This often carries emotional and relational meanings. Note that the
language of touch varies greatly in many cultural and social settings.
3. Appearance, Objects, and Artifacts: What does your “look” convey? The decisions we make
regarding our hair, clothing, accessories, etc. express a certain image we wish to communicate.
As with many things, interpretation of these will vary between different contexts and cultures.
4. Proxemics: How does our use of space communicate how we relate to others? Our physical
distance from others usually communicates our relationship, or engagement with them. An easy
way to think about this is to look at a crowd. You can easily make assumptions about who’s
travelling as an individual, who’s with friends, or family.
5. Environment: What does our surrounding communicate? For example, what color would you
want your room walls to be? Why? The same considerations are used for deciding, say, how a
restaurant or a coffee shop should look, depending on who they wish to connect with.
6. Chronemics: What does your treatment of time communicate? How would you feel if your
teacher, for example, is always late? What does that tell you? This differs though between context
and cultures. For example, you might want to be early for class. But it might be awkward to be
early for a party.
7. Paralanguage: In spoken communication, what does your “sound” communicate that your words
do not? This is impacted by your tone, volume, stress, and pace - all of which can indicate
meaning outside of the words that are used. To illustrate, try saying “I’m happy” while frowning.
How does the meaning change?
8. Silence: Sometimes, not saying anything can convey meaning. Ever had somebody not talk to
you? Have you avoided talking to anyone? Silence can mean a lot.

Non-verbal communication serves multiple important purposes:

1. It communicates emotions: We often rely more on non-verbal communication to assess how

others feel. At the same length, we often express how we feel more through our actions than our
words.
2. It can emphasize verbal communication: We can clap and grin, while exclaiming “I’m so glad”.
We can hold our hand up while we say “Stop!”. These are ways by which non-verbals can
duplicate or enhance the words we say.

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3. It can substitute for verbal communication: Sometimes we simply nod our heads to communicate
understanding, without saying anything. Or wave instead of saying “Hi”. In both instances, we’re
replacing words with non-verbal forms of communication.
4. It can highlight important parts of your message and affect or alter meaning: Saying “SHE didn’t
go there” is different from saying “She didn’t go THERE”. The first one says another person
went, not the “she” being referred to. The second one means “she” went somewhere else, but not
“there”. Moreover, think about the following statements: “Our teacher is very mean” versus “Our
teacher is VERY mean”. Both use the exact same words, but which teacher would you rather
have?
5. It regulates verbal communication: How would you act if you were eager to end a conversation?
Act uneasy and restless perhaps? How would you act if you want a person to tell you more? Lean
in closer, while looking attentive? Your actions can help control the conversation.
6. It can contradict verbal communication: Have you ever asked a friend how he/she is doing, to
hear the word “Fine”, but see a completely opposite facial expression or body language? Have
you encountered sarcastic tones? Non-verbals can affect how the words being said will be
received and understood.

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Resources:
● The Process of Communication. Authored by: Freedom Learning Group. Provided by: Lumen
Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
● Survey of Communication Study. Authored by: Scott T Paynton and Linda K Hahn. Provided by:
Humboldt State University. Located at:
https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Survey_of_Communication_Study. License: CC BY-SA:
Attribution-ShareAlike
● Skills You Need (2017) https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/what-is-communication.html