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The Impact of Nonverbal Communication in Organizations: A Survey of Perceptions

The Wichita State University

Jeanne Unruh

National Institute for Management

Paul Jennings

The Wichita State University

Five hundred and five respondents, from a wide variety of business organizations, were surveyed to gather information on their perceptions of nonverbal communication. Dividing the sample on the basis of perceived decoding ability and gender revealed several differences between the groups. Nonverbal communication was more important to self-rated good decoders than to other decoders. Better decoders relied most on facial expressions for accurate information while less skilled decoders preferred voice level or tone. Women, individually, rated themselves higher than men in decoding ability and, as a group, were perceived by both men and women to be better decoders and encoders of nonverbal cues. Women working in the education field rated themselves higher in decoding ability than any other group.

Recommendations for improved communication in businesses included paying more at tention to nonverbal cues, especially the facial expressions, engaging in more eye con tact, and probing for more information when verbal and nonverbal cues are discrepant. Managers should be aware that most employees feel frustration and dis trust when receiving conflicting signals from their supervisors, and should try to modify their behavior by being more honest when communicating their emotions.

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