Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal communication (NVC), or body language, is communication without words. It includes any bodily expression, such as eye or facial movements, posture, and actions to which an observer attributes meaning. The term also includes vocal cues or signals, such as crying, shouting, or silences, although these cues are, strictly speaking, verbal. Although spoken language is very important, NVC and the interpretation of it are also critical in creating meaning between individuals and within groups. For this reason, it is an essential part of all qualitative research and analysis.

NVC often acts at an unconscious level; one may “leak” signals. Body signals can also be learned and consciously used by the sender, for example, maintaining eye contact or smiling to encourage rapport. NVC is regarded as more primitive and powerful than verbal communication, and it acts in different ways. Some messages, for example those containing emotional content, may be better communicated nonverbally; these messages can be more ambiguous and subtle.

NVC has a role in replacing or reinforcing verbal messages. Topics that are rarely discussed tend to have underdeveloped vocabularies, and NVC can fill the gaps. It can also contradict speech so that one receives a mixed message. Most important, NVC enables conversation to flow by offering a common code that all of those involved in a dialogue will understand, for example taking turns to speak or knowing the appropriate level of intimacy.

NVC is relevant in a number of research areas: It is key when establishing rapport with research participants, for example, making eye contact, when researchers introduce themselves. The way the room is laid out, for example, a board room or as a circle, also conveys messages about what is expected of participants.

NVC helps moderators to steer the research situation, for instance, by avoiding eye contact to close off one conversation, looking encouragingly and smiling at nontalkers, turning the body away, using closed or open-ended questions, leaning forward, and silence. The energy level in a group can also provide important signals about response to material being researched. Researchers are not reading nonverbal behavior just in a simple body-language sense; they are also looking for consonance or dissonance between verbal and nonverbal clues and are attempting to understand why this is happening.

Nonverbal research approaches, such as drawing or role-play, are used to access and interpret different types of data. They shift the researcher–participant interaction away from a question-and-answer session and can offer a broader understanding of the issues. This approach is particularly useful with participants who are less verbal, and it can also enable access to emotional content. There are many enabling and projective techniques available to facilitate nonverbal research approaches.

Nonverbal approaches also present the researcher with a wide range of materials for analysis and interpretation, in addition to verbal content. These can be used to help convey the findings to the client team.