It is convenient to distinguish between nonverbal and verbal communication, just as is to distinguish between decoding and encoding processes, but such distinctions can be misled.(1)____(2)____ COMMUNICATION is a system, simultaneously engaging in encoding and decoding processes. (3)____ In social settings, we only occasionally speak, but we cannot " not behave" To understand nonverbal communication it is necessary to appreciate the interdependence of the verbal and nonverbal components of simultaneous encoding and decoding processes. An example of this interdependence may have seen in the cognitive processes directing verbal and nonverbal behavior. (4)____ Both encoding and decoding can vary from being automatic to reflective and deliberate, but verbal communication is typically more deliberately and cogntively demanding than nonverbal communication.(5)____(6)____ Furthermore, if we assume that there are limited cognitive resources available for encoding and decoding verbal and nonverbal components, then altering the cognitive demands on any one process can affect other processes and the course of communication.(7)____
In general, to the extent that nonverbal processes require less cognitive resources than verbal processes do, nonverbal communication is more resilient than verbal communication.(8)____ Moreover, specific interpersonal goals can make the encoding of nonverbal behavior (e.g., a difficult impression management task) and the decoding of nonverbal behavior (e.g., looking for evidence of deception) less automatic and more cognitively demanding.(9)____ Understand the dynamic relationships between encoding and decoding aspects of verbal and nonverbal behavior is a critical step in understanding the broader communicative process.(10)____