THE IMPORTANCE OF NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR

We all live today in the era of the visual, of the nonverbal. People are continuously and excessively exposed to television, cinema and theater, and these media transmit a multitude of types and bits of information in nonverbal (NV) channels. From a young age children learn to understand the “NV language,” to decipher implicit codes and to make meaning of social situations from numerous, often very subtle NV nuances (including lighting, camera angles, music, and certainly facial expressions and body language). People learn to understand situations without having to receive verbal explanations, such as knowing instantaneously whether they are provided with facts (news), told a story (movies or series) or being manipulated (advertising) the minute they turn on their TV. “NV behavior” includes all expressive aspects that are “non-verbal,” that is, that they have no verbal content, words, or spoken and/or written language. NV research focuses on body language, facial expressions, gestures, postures, movements, vocal cues, attire, physical appearance, and behavioral patterns in interpersonal interaction.

The area of NV behavior relates to higher education, and to focus particularly on the contributions of instructors’ NV behavior to their teaching effectiveness. Commonsense would support the general notion that effective instructors are nonverbally expressive in addition to their verbal teaching qualities. But the extent, the unique impact, and the exclusivity of the NV aspects have been the grounds for much research and substantial controversy.

An expert named Bella has reviewed about this topic. In her review of NV behavior and self-presentation, Bella DePaulo (1992) described the special significance of NV behavior in several aspects: Its irrepressible nature, its links to emotion, its accessibility to observers, its speed, and the fact that it communicates unique meanings. To these factors, one can add the commonly-held belief that human deception can be detected through the examination of different NV channels – a belief that is borne out by a rich literature (e.g., Ekman, 1985; Ekman & Friesen, 1969b; Zuckerman, DePaulo, & Rosental, 1986). NV behavior simply exists and is enacted in almost every human situation, and therefore it is reasonable to assume that it is likely to influence the outcomes of human interactions of all kinds.

Therefore, NV behavior is part of the process of intended and/or unintended social influence, serving as a tool or a mediator toward the attainment of a wide spectrum of objectives. Some of these objectives are genuine, innocent and well-meaning, others might be devious, and some may be malicious. In education, students at all levels spend a huge number of cumulative hours with their teachers. The teachers have a clear agenda of influencing students and leading them to scholastic and cognitive attainments, but the students do not continuously share this agenda. Clearly, teachers’ NV conduct must be meaningful in mediating the attainment of educational outcomes. Instructors’ expressiveness can contribute to teaching effectiveness by maintaining student interest and preventing boredom; it may increase general or subject-specific student motivation as a function of instructor’s enthusiasm; and it can often contribute directly to the quality of the verbal instruction through illustration and emphasis.