Nonverbal communication

Basic issues in the study of nonverbal communication (NVC) are identified and briefly reviewed. These include: (1) the modes of NVC and how they are used; (2) definition and number of nonverbal units; (3) "channels" of NVC; (4) the significance of multichannel usage; and (5) the correlates of NVC. Forty-three items of literature, most published between 1968 and 1972, are relevant to these topics. In the theory of communication, a "channel" is supposed to unite sender and receiver, but most writers apply the term to the outlet through which communication is emitted; thus the channel refers mainly to the sender and in this form does not fulfill its theoretical purpose. Multichannel communication can have the following functions: (1) By redundancy, message reliability is increased or message force is heightened; (2) Via incompatible signals, a contradictory message or more than one message may be transmitted; (3) Alternative ways of being able to communicate the same message facilitates human adaptability; (4) Combinations such as a cue in one channel serving as context for a signal in another channel permit a larger variety of information to be transmitted; and (5) The signal in one channel may be interaction-regulating while a substantive message is being conveyed in another channel. AA