The Nonverbal Message- Definitional

With the nonverbal message, space plays a key role. Proxemics is the study of how human beings communicate through their use of space. There are 4 different types of space that we consider appropriate. The first is personal space which is a person's portable territory and we carry with us wherever he or she goes. The distance for personal space is 1.5-4 feet and the voice that is used is soft and slightly lowered. The message that is portrayed is a personal subject matter. We defend our personal space with our personality and communication style. With personal space, we also have a greater feeling of confidence when we are within our own surroundings.

Intimate distance consists of a space of 18 inches or less. The voice that is used is a soft whisper or an audible whisper and the message that is conveyed is either top secret or very confidential. The presence of another person may be overwhelming and unmistakable at times because of the stepped up sensory inputs. The distance of 6 inches or less is usually reserved for close friends and family. People generally tend to avoid close contact with people if they do not know them as well as they do with others.

Social distance is a psychological distance that ranges from 4-12 feet. This distance is suitable for talking to people at a party or something of the like. The voice that is used in this situation is full and with slight over-loudness. And the message that is trying to be conveyed is non-personal information or public information for others to hear depending on the phase you are in. The social distance has been extended by telephone, television, email and teleconferencing. In this type of distance, anxiety is frequently able to be present.

The last type of distance is public distance. This is 12 or more feet of space and it is the largest of the zones. This only exists in human relationships and the styles of public relationships vary drastically between Americans and Europeans. This style of distance is frequented in public speaking because they vary their body movements and gesticulate to get their point across to those listening.

These four types of interpersonal distance make communication between people easier for them to discern between people that are easy to talk to and that are not.