Verbal/Nonverbal comparisons

 

Verbal                                                            Nonverbal
Words to name, describe, define  Awareness of things, minimal connection to words
Analytical - break things down into parts   Synthetic - putting things together to form wholes
Abstract - conceptual representation of the world Concrete - relating to things as they are in their physical reality
Linear and temporal - keeping track of time and order Holistic - taking things as a whole
Rational - using reason and facts Intuitive - based on insight
More useful for logical and cognitive information More useful for emotional information
More culture-bound More cross cultural
Can be singular messages Come in packages or clusters

Nonverbal communication evolved before verbal communication and also precedes it developmentally in children.