Nonverbal Behavior and Communication in the Workplace

Abstract

Nonverbal behavior is a hot topic in the popular management press. However, management scholars have lagged behind in understanding this important form of communication. Although some theories discuss limited aspects of nonverbal behavior, there has yet to be a comprehensive review of nonverbal behavior geared toward organizational scholars. Furthermore, the extant literature is scattered across several areas of inquiry, making the field appear disjointed and challenging to access. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on nonverbal behavior with an eye towards applying it to organizational phenomena. We begin by defining nonverbal behavior and its components. We review and discuss several areas in the organizational sciences that are ripe for further explorations of nonverbal behavior. Throughout the paper, we offer ideas for future research as well as information on methods to study nonverbal behavior in lab and field contexts. We hope our review will encourage organizational scholars to develop a deeper understanding of how nonverbal behavior influences the social world of organizations.

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“…Besides verbal expression, nonverbal expressives involve bodily movements (posture, gesturing, facial expressions), physical appearance (attire, attractiveness), vocal elements 10 (intonation, prosody) and eye contact and gaze (Bonaccio, O'Reilly, O'Sullivan & Chiocchio, 2016). In the present paper, we direct our attention to bodily movements, or kinesics (Bonaccio et al, 2016), as the natural non-verbal medium of communication alongside verbal speech in interpersonal communication settings such as pitches. Ambady and Rosenthal (1992) refer to the visual, nonverbal channel of communication (facial expressions and bodily movements), the verbal channel, which includes speech and transcripts, and the audiovisual channel, which combines the two.…”

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