Nonverbal Messages in Human Communication

Read and address the four assignments below each in a paragraph. Please provide a detailed explanation that
demonstrates your knowledge of nonverbal communication:
(a): Clothing Communication
One of your best friends has been passed over for promotion several times over the past two years in his or
her organization. You think you know the reason! Your friend dresses inappropriately, and you want to help
him/her. What do you say to your friend, through what channel, and in what context?
(b): Touch Boundaries
A colleague, school room-mate, or classmate continually touches you in passing—your arm, your shoulder,
your waist. These touches are becoming more frequent and more intimate. You want this touching to stop.
What do you say to this person?
(c): Facial Expression - Smiling
Sally smiles almost all the time. Even when she reprimands a subordinate, she ends with a smile and this
dilutes the strength of her message. As Sally’s supervisor, you need her to realize what she is doing and to
change her nonverbal messaging. What can you say to Sally that would not encourage defensiveness or
resistance? What would be the best place to speak with Sally, and through what channel?
(d): Interpersonal Communication - Self-Disclosure
When you met your current partner (husband/wife/boyfriend/ girlfriend) - with whom you want to spend the rest
of your life - you minimized the extent of your romantic history. You now want to come clean and disclose your
“sordid” past. What do you say to him or her, through what channel, and in what context?