Verbal And Nonverbal Communication Paper

Verbal and nonverbal communication are part of everyday life and are essential for relationships to function. According to McCornack (2016), verbal communication is, “the exchange of spoken and or written language with others during interactions” (p.191). This type of communication is very different from nonverbal communication which Wang (2009) describes as, “nonverbal stimuli in a communication setting that (is) generated by both the source and his or her use of the environment and that have potential message value for the source or receiver” (p.155). However verbal and nonverbal communication while different go hand in hand with each other and often are seen together in interpersonal communication. After watching the political debate for …show more content…
Cooperative verbal communication is producing messages that are understandable, taking active ownership for what you’re saying by using “I” language, and making others feel included (McCornack, p.204). This verbal communication concept was the most common form of communication in the debate. An example is when Neel Kashkari is asked what would make him a good governor he states, “I want to rebuild the California middle class” (C-SPAN,2014,3:24). He is partaking in cooperative verbal communication because he is taking ownership of the California middle class and is vowing to make a difference in their community. He is also using “I” language, which McCornack (2016) describes as, “phrases that emphasize ownership of your feelings, opinions and beliefs” (p.207). Another good example of the “I” language is when Jerry Brown is asked why he would be a good contender for governor he responds, “I rose up my sleeves, I started cutting that budget and then we started making the right decisions” (C-SPAN,2014,2:30). This shows how he is very confident in his plans and believes his feelings were well thought through. Often these two types of verbal communication can be misconstrued as someone being cocky or overconfident, but in reality, it is someone that is a strong believer in what they are …show more content…
For example, when the candidates are using speech act to get a point across and being rathe firm, they are also using kinesics that let the viewer know what their emotions and behaviors are behind their ideas. This often happens in society as well when people are extremely passionate about something and are using commissive speech acts their kinesics can be misleading as their body language can appear angry our frustrated. This is just one of a bunch of examples of why people should not judge a conversation solely on nonverbal communication but should make sure to emphasize verbal communication. Another way that verbal and nonverbal communication go together is the combination of cooperative verbal communication and vocal messages. When people are using cooperative verbal communication they are taking ownership for something so when that happens the speaker needs to use vocal messages such as volume and tone to make their messages come across assertive.
The California state governor debate is a great example of how verbal and nonverbal communication work together. It also demonstrated that while most people believe that verbal communication is solely responsible for interpersonal communication, “nonverbal communication is the indispensable part of interpersonal communication” (Wang,2009, p.156). Nonverbal and verbal communication work simultaneously every day and are present in every