ABSTRACT
This chapter provides the constructs of nonverbal involvement and immediacy are conceptualized and then operationalized via a coding scheme that researchers can use to record specific behaviors related to involvement and immediacy. It examines the coding system which is helpful for researchers using the former methods to try to understand the complexities and subtleties of actual communicative behavior. Although some scholars use the terms immediacy and involvement interchangeably, others have conceptualized these constructs differently. Mehrabian was the first to use the term immediacy to describe a set of behaviors that reflect the 'directness and intensity of interaction' between two people. Other scholars have conceptualized immediacy as a subset of involvement behaviors. Composure is communicated by vocal and bodily relaxation and the absence of nervous behaviors. Positive affect behaviors reflecting warmth and affiliation include smiling, general facial pleasantness, and vocal warmth. Smooth interaction management entails fluency at the individual level as well as coordination between conversational partners.
