Nonverbal communication books

The book is available from Sage

Nonverbal Communication

can easily be considered a hybrid book of research and practical use of nonverbal communication in addition to being ground breaking. It includes research chapters with ample citations that are complimented later on in the book with chapters on personal reflections of professionals that can be applied to the reader regardless of their profession.

Nonverbal Communication has been providing me valuable assistance in a variety of settings. Firstly, it is a great companion while I conduct my research, secondly it offers some great supplemental stories for the workshops I conduct, and finally it offers me in each chapter moments to discern how the information and stories provided apply to the work I do in law enforcement and conflict resolution.

Enjoy the following question and answer session I conducted recently with one of the authors, David Matsumoto via email:

1) To start things off, why did you, along with Mark Frank and Hyi Sung Hwang, write this book?

[DM] We created this book because there was a gap in the available books. Many are for scientists that don't really translate how the scientific work can be translated into practice. Others are by practitioners, with sometimes little or no nod to the science, and in some cases discussing NVBs that have not been validated. We wrote this book so that scientists could appreciate the practical use of research, and practitioners could appreciate the science behind validated NVB indicators.

2) You explain the functions of nonverbal communication as it being able to 1) define communication, 2) regulate verbal communication, and 3) be the message itself. Can you explain what these mean?

[DM] As stated in Chapter 1, NVC serves to provide a context for communication, sometimes commenting on words. A quick smile, for instance, when discussing the disappearance of one's children, provides additional info that defines the communication. Our voices, faces, and head gestures regulate turn-taking in conversations. And these all occur without words sometime, and thus the NVB becomes the main message themselves.

3) I see this almost as two books in one- the first section detailing recent scientific research in nonverbal communication while the second part gives examples of professionals who share their experiences on how nonverbal communication has impacted their work. Why design the book this way?

[DM] Exactly as discussed above. We wanted to have all the information about both the science and the practical application all in one place, because no other book does so.