Beebe & Masterson's Communicating in Small Groups: Chapter Six

Communicating in Small Groups: Principles and Practices

Chapter Six: Nonverbal Group Dynamics OBJECTIVES:
1. Explain why nonverbal communication is important to the study of groups.
2. Apply research findings about nonverbal communication to small groups.
3. Describe how culture and gender differences influence nonverbal communication in groups.
4. Identify guidelines for interpreting nonverbal communication in small groups.

An understanding of nonverbal communication is vital to even a cursory understanding of communication in general and of group communication in particular. As students become more skillful observers of nonverbal behavior, they will understand more thoroughly the way people interact in small groups.

I. The Importance of Nonverbal Communication in Groups

     A. Group participants spend more time communicating nonverbally than they do verbally.
     B. Nonverbal cues are the primary ways the feelings, emotions, and the social climate of the group are expressed.
     C. People believe nonverbal messages more than verbal messages.

II. Applications of Nonverbal Communication Research to Small Groups (Review Box p. 153)

    A. Body Posture, Movement and Gestures
          Ekman & Friesen's Categories of Nonverbal Communication
          1. emblems
          2. illustrators
          3. affect displays
          4. regulators
          5. adaptors
    B. Deception Cues
          1. greater time lag in response to a question
          2. reduced eye contact
          3. increased shifts in posture
          4. more hand/shrug emblems
          5. more adaptors
          6. unfilled pauses
          7. less smiling
          8. slower speech
          9. higher pitch in voice
         10. more deliberate pronounciation and articulation
    C. Leadership Cues
          1. frequent gesturing
          2. shoulder and arm gestures
          3. no cause-and-effect relationship
    D. Persuasion Cues
          1. more animated facial expressions
          2. more gestures to emphasize their points
          3. more head nods
          4. more likely to smile
          5. less fidgeting
          6. more likely to shift their postures toward others
    E.   Synchronized Interaction
          1. we tend to mirror the posture and behavior of others
          2. we respond to physical posture, movement, rhythm and sound of human speech
          3. group coalitions may be identifiable through synchronized interaction
    F.   Eye Contact
          Functions of Eye Contact in Small Groups (p. 146)
          1. cognitive--thought processes
          2. monitoring--feedback
          3. regulatory--flow of communication
          4. expressive--feelings, emotions, attitudes
    G. Facial Expression--important source of information about a group's emotional climate
    H. Vocal Cues--pitch, rate, volume, and quality (paralanguage)
    I.   Territoriality and Personal Space (Small Group Ecology) (Proxemics)
    J.   Personal Appearance
    H. Communication Environment
    I.   Time (Chronemics) monochronic vs. polychronic cultural differences in the use of time (Table 6.1, p. 152)

III.    Culture and Nonverbal Communication
    A. High-Context and Low-Context Cultures (emphasis on nonverbal communication)
    B. High-Contact and Low-Contact Cultures (emphasis on touch)

When interacting with people from a culture other than your own, note differences you think may be culture-based and adapt accordingly. Become other-oriented.

IV.   Gender and Nonverbal Communication
     A. Men and women use and respond to nonverbal cues differently
     B. People of both sexes tend to move closer to women than to men
     C. Women tend to move closer to others than do men
     D. Men tend to use more gestures than do women
     E. Men initiate touch more often than women
     F. Women speak with less volume than men
     G. Men tend to have less eye contact with others than do women
     H. Women seem to use more expressive facial expressions than do men

V.     Interpreting Nonverbal Communication
     A. Interpret Nonverbal Communication in Context
     B. Look for Clusters of Cues
     C. Recognize that People Respond Differently to Different Stimuli
     D. Consider Cultural and Gender Differences
     E. Consider Your Past Experience with Someone When Interpreting Nonverbal Cues
     F. Look for Cues that Communicate Liking, Power, and Responsiveness
     G. Develop the Skill of Perception Checking
     H. Women seem to use more expressive facial expressions than do men
VI.    Putting Principle into Practice
         Review the applications of nonverbal communication research to small groups on pages 161 - 164!

Nonverbal communication variables have a profound impact on small gorup dynamics. Group members send more messages nonverbally than they do verbally--people cannot not communicate! Nonverbal cues affect the meanings of messages; individuals generally believe these cues more than they believe verbal messages. Nonverbal cues are particlualry important in communicating emotions.