According to Samovar (2000), nonverbal communication involves all those nonverbal stimuli

in a communication setting that are generated by both the source and his or her use of the

environment and that have potential message value for the source and the receiver. It is a

communication effect other than words (Knapp, 1997). It relies more on how you move your

hands, how you speak, the tone of your voice, volume, stress, intonation, emotion, rhythm,

and etc. to convey information. Nonverbal communication originates from the time Charles

Darwin argued that animals and humans openly and often unintentionally show some level of

emotion (Darwin, 1872). He believed that animals, which only communicate nonverbally,

passed this certain characteristic to humans. This results to more meaning derived from

gestures and body languages. Recent and reliable findings claim that close to 65 percent of

the meaning conveyed is from nonverbal signals (Laura K. Guerrero and Kory Floyd,

Nonverbal Communication in Close Relationships (Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2006).

Gestures or body languages can help the others understand your main point quickly. Graham

and Argyle (1975) conducted a research where six speakers were made to describe an abstract

line drawing which the audience tried to reproduce. The audience provided a more accurate

output than when they decided to avoid using gestures. Argyle (1988) also writes that “the

most basic meaning of touch is that an interpersonal bond is being offered or established” (p.

226). Touch can be used as a way to comfort, congratulate, and support another person.

Communication message, like touch, vary in meaning as every individuals are going through

different scenarios (Knapp and Hall, 2002).

Being educated enough in analyzing nonverbal languages like gestures or body languages,

sign languages, posture or behavior helps us determine the true meaning beyond the words
that are said. Words can overshadow the message that was truly conveyed. It regulates

conversations. Using nonverbal languages limit the times that you will have to interrupt each

other or endure the awkward silences. Stopping hand gestures can signal the person that your

turn to speak has come to an end. (Owen Hargie, Skilled Interpersonal Interaction: Research,

Theory, and Practice, 5th ed. (London: Routledge, 2011), 53)

Nonverbal languages can break down language barriers. For instance, a foreigner can still be

understood by a local, or vice versa, when you use gestures to direct to something you

initially wanted to say. Anyone, even babies, can generate meaning, for babies can still

possess certain similarities in moods, emotions, and behavior to adults without saying

anything (Harriet Oster, Douglas Hegley, and Linda Nagel, “Adult Judgments and Fine-

Grained Analysis of Infant Facial Expressions: Testing the Validity of A Priori Coding

Formulas,” Developmental Psychology 28, no. 6 (1992) Nonverbal communication expresses

who we are. Your way of living, such as your habits, cultures, and interests can provide a hint

as to how you as a person live your life. Physical appearances or features shows our identity,

whereas, the tone of your voice, posture, and eye contact can be altered to present yourselves

as warm or cold,
The five main effects that nonverbal communication can have are the following: (1)

Repetition (2) Contradiction (3) Substitution (4) Complementing (5) Accenting (Edward G.

Wertheim).