A book review of Applications of Nonverbal Communication

Ronald E. Riggio and Robert S. Feldman’s edited book, Applications of Nonverbal Communication, has presented an impressive picture of this dynamic process. Although nonverbal communication research has been conducted in many walks of life, efforts made here are more fruitful in health care, legal and political settings, business and education backgrounds, and social and cultural issues. A closer relationship between nonverbal communication theories and practices can be predicted with the publication of this book, which consists of a preface, an introduction, and four content parts each having a different focus. The first part focused on healthcare settings. In the first article, the authors state that patients and doctors have particular ways of nonverbal communication. While the former communicate using such nonverbal channels as facial expressions, eye contact, posture, forward body lean and head nods, the latter display their ‘‘power and status’’ as medical experts through their backward body lean and silence while writing patient reports. Cooperative and effective nonverbal doctor-patient interaction may establish mutual trust and determine desirable outcomes. The second article focuses on the nonverbal communication decoding skills needed to understand others’ inner world and facial expressions.