Because more than half the information in any face-to-face exchange is conveyed by nonverbal means, body language is a significant factor in any interpersonal communication. Consider, for example, the impact of a yawn or a frown (never mind a shaken fist). At the same time, however, most people pay relatively little conscious attention to the nonverbal elements of an exchange, especially the more subtle ones. And if you misread the complete set of signals that someone is sending you, you’re not likely to receive that person’s message in the way that’s intended.

In this exercise, you’ll examine some interactions between two people from which we’ve eliminated sound; in other words, you’ll have only visual clues to help you decipher the meaning of the messages being sent and received. Then you’ll be asked to examine those same interactions with both visual and verbal clues intact. 

Exercise Task 

1. Observe the silent video segments that your professor shows to the class. For each segment, describe the nature of the relationship and interaction between the two people. What nonverbal clues did you rely on in reaching your conclusions? 

2. Next, observe the same video segments with audio included. Describe the interaction again, this time indicating any verbal clues that you relied on. 

3. How accurate were your assessments when you had only visual information? Explain why you were or were not accurate in your assessment of the situation. 

4. What does this exercise show you about the role of nonverbal factors in interpersonal communication? What advice would you now give managers about the importance of these factors?