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non-verbal communication

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4 detailed 50-minute lessons with teaching scripts, worked examples, parent guides, and assessment criteria.

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Lesson Overview

Total Lessons: 4
Tier: Foundation and Higher
Duration: 50 minutes per lesson (200 minutes total)
Exam Boards: AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, CCEA

Learning Objectives

Prerequisites

Materials & Equipment

Lesson 1: Introduction: non-verbal communication

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Quick Recall

Write down everything you already know about non-verbal communication. Then check against the key terms: Psychology Exam Tips. Use a mini-whiteboard or paper.

Main Content (35 minutes)

Parent/Teacher Guide:
Before lesson: Read the script below. Pre-teach key vocab: Psychology Exam Tips.
If stuck: Re-read the revision notes (link above), then break the content into smaller steps.
Extension: See the Stretch & Challenge ideas in Lesson 4.
Teaching Script (35 mins):
Mins 0-5 - Hook: "Today: non-verbal communication. By the end you will be able to answer exam questions on it unaided. It connects to the rest of Psychology because the ideas here recur across the spec."
Mins 5-20 - Direct Instruction: Work through the core ideas below one at a time; after each, ask your student to explain it back in their own words.
Mins 20-30 - Guided Practice: Model the worked example together, then let your student attempt the first practice question with guidance.
Mins 30-35 - Independent Practice: 2-3 practice questions from Lesson 3 below, with immediate feedback.
First Look

Start with the revision notes summary, then attempt: Describe the key types of non-verbal communication and explain how each conveys meaning.

Plenary (5 minutes)

Check Out

Your student states one thing they learned and one question they still have about non-verbal communication.

Lesson 2: Core Concepts: non-verbal communication

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Review Previous Lesson

Quick recap: write 3 key points from Lesson 1 on non-verbal communication. Check them against the notes below.

Main Content (35 minutes)

Key Fact: Non-verbal communication (NVC) conveys meaning without words: body language (posture, gestures), facial expressions (emotions), eye contact (interest, honesty), proxemics (use of personal space), and paralinguistics (tone, pitch, speed of voice).
Key Fact: Facial expressions: Ekman found six basic emotions expressed universally across cultures - happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, disgust. This suggests facial expressions are innate (supporting nature). However, display rules (cultural rules about when to show emotions) affect how freely people express them.
Key Fact: Eye contact: signals interest and attention. Too little suggests dishonesty or disinterest; too much can feel threatening. Cultural differences: in some cultures, direct eye contact with authority is respectful; in others, it is rude.
Key Fact: Proxemics (Hall): four zones of personal space - intimate (0-0.5m, close relationships), personal (0.5-1.2m, friends), social (1.2-3.6m, acquaintances), public (3.6m+, strangers). Violating personal space causes discomfort.
Key Fact: Posture and gestures: open posture (uncrossed arms, facing someone) signals openness and interest; closed posture (crossed arms, turned away) signals defensiveness or disinterest. Emblems are gestures with specific cultural meanings (e.g. thumbs up).
Psychology Exam Tips: When evaluating NVC, consider: are findings universal or culturally specific? Can NVC be reliably interpreted? Is Mehrabian's 55-38-7 rule applicable beyond emotional messages? (It's not - it only applies to ambiguous emotional communication.)

Practice (10 minutes)

Q: Describe the key types of non-verbal communication and explain how each conveys meaning.

Answer: Types of NVC: body language (posture and gestures convey openness or defensiveness), facial expressions (convey six basic emotions universally), eye contact (signals interest or threat), proxemics (personal space zones signal relationship closeness), paralinguistics (tone and pitch convey emotion beyond words). Each type provides additional information beyond spoken language.

Plenary (5 minutes)

Explain Back

Your student teaches the key points back to you without looking. Fill any gaps immediately.

Lesson 3: Application: non-verbal communication

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Quick Recall

Recall the key terms: Psychology Exam Tips. Define each in one sentence.

Main Content (35 minutes)

Parent/Teacher Guide: Let your student attempt each question alone first, then compare with the model answer. Award method marks for correct working even if the final answer is wrong.

Q1: Describe the key types of non-verbal communication and explain how each conveys meaning.

Answer: Types of NVC: body language (posture and gestures convey openness or defensiveness), facial expressions (convey six basic emotions universally), eye contact (signals interest or threat), proxemics (personal space zones signal relationship closeness), paralinguistics (tone and pitch convey emotion beyond words). Each type provides additional information beyond spoken language.

Q2: Evaluate whether facial expressions are universal or culturally specific, using research evidence.

Answer: Ekman found universal recognition of six basic emotions across cultures, including the Fore tribe in Papua New Guinea who had limited Western contact. This supports the nature view (innate expressions). However, display rules vary: Japanese participants masked negative emotions more than Americans (Ekman & Friesen). Conclusion: facial expressions are biologically based but culturally regulated.

Q3: Explain how proxemics can affect social interactions, referring to Hall's zones of personal space.

Answer: Hall's four zones: intimate (close family/partners), personal (friends), social (colleagues/acquaintances), public (strangers/speeches). Being too close causes discomfort and anxiety (e.g. crowded lifts). Violating personal space can be used deliberately to intimidate or show intimacy. Cultural differences exist: some cultures prefer more personal space than others.

Plenary (5 minutes)

Error Review

Review any questions answered incorrectly. Identify whether the error was knowledge, method, or reading the question.

Lesson 4: Exam Practice: non-verbal communication

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Command Words

Review what these command words require: state (one point), describe (say what happens), explain (say why), compare (both sides), evaluate (judgement).

Main Content (35 minutes)

Extended Answer

Extended question: Full-Mark Response Evaluate the claim that non-verbal communication is more important than verbal communication in social interaction. <div class="

A grade 9 response will: describe types of NVC and their functions; present evidence for NVC importance (Mehrabian's study, universal facial expressions, personal space violations); evaluate Mehrabian (only applies to ambiguous emotional messages, not all communication); argue verbal is also crucial (abstract ideas, complex instructions, written language); conclude: NVC is essential for emotional and relational communication, but verbal language is essential for abstract and complex communication. They are complementary, not competitors - the importance depends on the type of message being communicated.

Exam Tips: 6 universal facial expressions: happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, disgust (Ekman). | Proxemics: Intimate (0-0.5m), Personal (0.5-1.2m), Social (1.2-3.6m), Public (3.6m+). | NVC = 55% body language + 38% paralinguistics + 7% words (Mehrabian - only for emotional messages!).
Common Errors: Watch Out! Students often make mistakes here. Wrong: Body language always reveals the truth because non-verbal signals are unconscious and cannot be controlled. Correct: While some NVC is unconscious (e.g. micro-expressions), much non-verbal behaviour can be consciously controlled. Politicians and actors deliberately manage their body language. Furthermore, NVC is ambiguous - crossed arms might mean defensiveness, or it might mean the person is cold. NVC must be interpreted in context alongside verbal communication, not treated as a lie detector.
Stretch & Challenge (Grade 8-9):
  • Synoptic links: explain how non-verbal communication connects to another Psychology topic you have studied
  • Real-world: research one real-world use or example of non-verbal communication
  • Critical: "What are the limitations of the models used in non-verbal communication?"

Plenary (5 minutes)

Assessment Criteria
  • Got it: Confident explanation + correct worked examples
  • Getting there: Main points OK, needs support with detail
  • Not yet: Confused on key concepts - re-run Lesson 2

Homework & Consolidation

Recommended Resources

🎓 Smart Lesson (Guided)