ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on one particular question about nonverbal communication— that is, in what way does nonverbal communication influence the process of persuasion? It begins by discussing a model that suggests that the relationship between nonverbal behavior and persuasion is quite simple. The chapter turns to a discussion of the different types of nonverbal behavior, that demonstrating immediacy may generally be a good rule of thumb, but an awareness of other factors may be necessary to sort out the sometimes complex relationship between nonverbal behaviors and persuasion. It examines seven types of nonverbal communication that are important in the process of persuasion: kinesics, haptics, proxemics, chronemics, artifacts, physical appearance, and paralinguistics. The chapter is concerned with those topics and, instead, focuses on the concept of personal space, which refers to what might be considered an invisible bubble that surrounds us. It suggests that persuasion is not as simple as what you say.
