The Center for Nonverbal Studies (CNS) is a private, nonprofit research center located in Spokane, Washington. The Center is committed to the idea that, for a deeper understanding of "who we are" and "what it means to be human," more attention should be paid to our nonverbal nature.
Areas of special interest include body movement, gesture, facial expression, adornment and
fashion, landscape architecture, mass media, and consumer-product design. All of our senses--for balance, hearing, smell, sight, spacial perception, taste, touch, and awareness of time--are channels for nonverbal cues.
The Center looks at our nonverbal communication from viewpoints of:
•Anthropology (archaeology and cultural, linguistic, and physical anthropology)
•Art (literature, painting, and sculpture)
•Biology (anatomy, ethology, and natural history)
•Evolution (through 500 million years of vertebrate life)
•Neuroscience (incorporating discoveries made in the 1990-2000 Decade of the Brain)
EVENTS
The Center sponsors periodic conferences and seminars on nonverbal communication. (For information, please click here).
A Featured Presentation on "Establishing Viable Rapport Across
Continents" was given on Tuesday, January 26, 1999, at the Sheraton Sand Key Resort in Clearwater,
Florida (www.beachsand.com). The Q-Search conference was sponsored by the Marketing Institute and the Institute for
International Research (www.iir-ny.com).
CNS conducted field research on the Warm Wishes® product line for Hallmark Cards Inc., with the Center for Ethnographic Research, in Kansas City, Missouri, from March 1-5, 1999.
A presentation on "Product Selection and the Evolution of Consumer Goods" was given at the 98th Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association (Chicago Hilton & Towers Hotel, Thursday, November 18, 1999, in Private Dining Room 2, 3rd floor).
CNS conducted field research in Spokane, Washington, on signage for Hallmark Cards Inc., with the Center for Ethnographic Research in Kansas City, Missouri, from January 6-11, 2000.
The fourth in a continuing series of observations of nonverbal communication in captive bonobos, lowland gorillas, and orangutans at the San Diego Zoo in San Diego, California was completed on April 8, 2000.
A presentation on "Nonverbal Communication Across the Conference Table" was given on Thursday, May 11, 2000 to a Spokane Falls Community College Management Department class at the MSC/Premera/Blue Cross building in Spokane, Washington.
CNS completed filming for a Discovery Channel pilot on "Mysteries of Mating," June 24-26, 2000, in Hollywood, California.
A presentation on "Interrogation and the Interview: Nonverbal Agendas" was presented to the Washington State Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) on Wednesday, July 26, 2000, at the Spokane Intercollegiate Research & Technology Institute (SIRTI) in Spokane, Washington.
CNS conducted field research on rock music and human courtship at Endfest 2000, on the Kitsap County Fairgrounds west of Seattle, Washington, on Saturday, August 5, 2000 (see MUSIC).
"Top 10 Nonverbal Cues You Can Use," was presented to the Spokane Public Relations Council and the Greater Spokane Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America on Friday, September 8, 2000, at the River Inn in Spokane, Washington.
"Body Language in the Business World: Top 5 Cues," was presented to the Rotary 21 Club at the Ridpath Hotel in Spokane, Washington, on Thursday, October 5, 2000. (We used examples from the U.S. presidential debates.)
"Between the Words: Counseling's New Nonverbal Agenda," was presented to the Palouse Area Continuing Education Committee at the Quality Inn in Pullman, Washington, on Friday, December 1, 2000, 1:00 pm - 4:30 pm.
"Body Language in the Business World: Top 5 Cues," was presented to the Valley Rotary Club at the Shilo Hotel in Spokane, Washington, on Friday, December 8, 2000. (We used examples from the U.S. presidential debates.)
"Nonverbal Behavior for Investigations," was presented for the Behavior Analysis Training Institute at the CarrAmerica Realty Corporation Conference Center in Pleasanton, California, on Tuesday, December 19, 2000, from 8:30 am - 4:00 pm.
Research on facial expressions was completed for LaForce & Stevens, 132 West 21st Street, New York, NY on behalf of Johnson & Johnson Oral Health.
A course on Communication Research Methods was presented in the Department of Communication Arts at Gonzaga University from January 17 to May 11, 2000.
CNS presented a slide lecture on nonverbal communication to sociology students at Ferris High School in Spokane, Washington, on February 23, 2001.
Research on available consumer data was completed for Robideaux Marketing & Design on behalf of Olympic Foods and Sunkist (see the product at www.sunkistpure.com).
Observational and ethnographic product research was completed for Ethnographic Research, Inc., in Kansas City, Missouri, on behalf of Epson America.
CNS assisted with a grant application to the Ford Foundation on behalf of the American Anthropological Association (pro bono; in October, 2001, the AAA was awarded a $1 million Ford Foundation grant to develop and implement a program on Understanding Race and Human Variability).
Background research for a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) project on the neurology of human hand gestures has begun with colleague Robert Burr, Ph.D. of Sacred Heart Medical Center.
CNS contributed copy on nonverbal communication for use in media ads by Sprint (July 2001).
CNS contributed information on nonverbal communication for use on the Intel Education Web Site (August 2001).
A course on Communication Research Methods was presented in the Department of Communication Arts at Gonzaga University from September 4 to December 20, 2001.
A product launch was held for Procter & Gamble's Olay Touch, on behalf of DeVries Public Relations, 30 East 60th Street, 14th Fl, New York, NY, in September, 2001.
Product research in China, England, Japan, Mexico, Sweden and the U.S. was completed for Ethnographic Research, Inc., Kansas City, Missouri, on behalf of Pfizer.
A course on Communication Research Methods was presented in the Department of Communication Arts at Gonzaga University from January 15 to May 10, 2002.
CNS provided training in nonverbal communication from 2002 - 2004 for the U.S. Department of Defense. (CNS is an official DoD contractor.)
CNS completed research on "The Language of Hands" in Los Angeles, Kansas City, Chicago, and Boston on behalf of Unilever. Results were shared at a press conference on the rooftop garden of the Library Hotel in New York City. ''Working with the Center for Nonverbal Studies, we better understand how people feel about their hands and the hands around them,'' said Pablo Gazzerra, Vaseline Intensive Care Brand director. ''From Dr. Given's conclusions, we are pleased that Healthy Hand Essentials Moisturizing Lotion will fulfill consumer need for a product to help correct the physical attributes that inhibit our communication'' (Amsterdam News, August 29, 2002).
A course on Communication Research Methods was presented in the Department of Communication Arts at Gonzaga University in fall, 2002, and spring, 2003, in Spokane, Washington.
CNS presented the keynote speech ("The Naked Ape and Cosmetic Behavior") to the International Cosmetic Forum (hosted by the European Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association [COLIPA] of Brussels, Belgium, under the patronage of the International Centre for Applied Research in Cosmetology and the Italian Society of Toxicology) at the Aula Magna Santa Lucia, University of Bologna, Bolgna, Italy, on March 6, 2003.
CNS conducted nonverbal research for Best Buy from June 12 - 21, 2003 in Maryland and Virginia, in cooperation with the Center for Ethnographic Research in Kansas City, Missouri.
CNS provided nonverbal training for the FBI on June 24 - 25, 2003 in Tampa, Florida.
CNS conducted research in September and October, 2003 for Dell Inc. in cooperation with the Center for Ethnographic Research in Kansas City, Missouri.
CNS conducted research in November and December, 2003 for Wendy's International, Inc. in Columbus, Ohio, and Spokane, Washington.
In December 2003, CNS wrote the foreword for Peter Andersen's book on nonverbal communication, published in 2004 by the Penguin Group.
CNS completed its final report on January 30, 2004, for Dell Inc.
CNS conducted nonverbal focus-group research on men's grooming in April, 2004 for Robideaux Marketing & Design in cooperation with Strategic Research Associates in Spokane, Washington.
CNS conducted nonverbal training for Masterfoods USA, a division of Mars Incorporated, at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, from August 3-5, 2004.
CNS served as Content Advisor for a children's book, Body Language by Rebecca Weber, published by Compass Point Books in 2004.
CNS collaborated with economist and essayist, Jan Van Meenan, on his 2004 book, De Politiek Achter Het Gebaar (Roeselare: Roularta Books), about the body language of Belgian politicians.
CNS completed its final report for the U.S. Department of Defense in October, 2004.
CNS produced a white-paper report on "The Bioevolution of Human Hair" for Pfizer in October, 2004.
CNS staff wrote two articles for Match.com's Happen magazine in February and March, 2005.
CNS conducted research on nonverbal messages conveyed by portraiture for Heller Communications in New York City in March, 2005.
CNS conducted research in February and March, 2005, in Dallas and Houston, Texas, for Wendy's International, Inc., on behalf of Pacific Ethnography in Santa Monica, California.
CNS staff wrote an article on nonverbal communication in face-to-face meetings (for designers) for Heller Communications in New York City in April, 2005.
CNS worked on the Picture Dictionary of Body Language project in April, 2005, for Quarto Publishing in London, England.
CNS conducted research on nonverbal "comfort cues" in April, 2005, for Kimberly Clark's Kleenex division.
CNS analyzed nonverbal messages conveyed by corporate portraiture for Heller Communications in New York in September and October, 2005.
CNS conducted research on nonverbal communication in 2005-06 for Masterfoods USA in Vernon, California.
CNS analyzed nonverbal messages conveyed by corporate portraiture for NewPage Coated Paper in Dayton, Ohio in February and March, 2006.
CNS presented a seminar on "Roadside Reactions: Nonverbal Agendas for Police Officers" on March 2, 2006 to the Road Warrior Interdiction Network in Beaumont, Texas.
CNS presented a seminar on "Roadside Reactions: Nonverbal Agendas for Police Officers" on March 3, 2006 to the Beaumont Police Department at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas.
CNS produced a white-paper report on "Rationale for Nonverbal Training in Telephone Sales" for SureSpeak, Inc., on behalf of Quicken Loans in April, 2006.
CNS presented a seminar on "Judicial Kinesics" on April 28, 2006 to the Texas College for Judicial Studies in Austin, Texas.
CNS provided training on "Reading the Person in Front of You: Nonverbal Signs, Signals and Cues," on September 19, 2006 in Saratoga Springs, New York, for the NYS Affirmative Action Advisory Council's Annual Training Symposium.
CNS was Technical Editor for Adam's Media in Avon, Massachussets in November, 2006.
CNS began preparing a seminar on "Observation Skills & Pre-Incident Indicators" for the S2 Safety & Intelligence Institute in Clearwater, Florida, in January, 2007.
CNS presented a seminar on "Feelings Apart from Words" for Inland Northwest Blood Center in Spokane, Washington, November 16, 2007.
CNS consulted on a project for the National Center for State Courts, on behalf of Greacen Associates in Regina, New Mexico, December 3, 2006 - November 27, 2007.
The next continuing legal education (CLE) presentation: "Off the Written Transcript: Using Nonverbal Communication in Court," will be offered in spring, 2008, in Seattle, Washington.
Copyright © 1998 - 2008 (David B. Givens/Center for Nonverbal Studies)
Detail of photo by Karen Kasmauski (copyright 1999, the National Geographic Society)