4.1 Provide four reasons for studying nonverbal communication.

Nonverbal communication is communication other than written or spoken language that occurs without words. It’s important to become more aware of your own nonverbal communication and to enhance your ability to detect and interpret others’ nonverbal cues more accurately. Nonverbal messages communicate our feelings and attitudes and are critical to successful relationships. They can substitute for, complement, contradict, repeat, regulate, and accent verbal messages.

Nonverbal messages are also more believable than verbal messages.

The Nature of Nonverbal Communication