Final answer:
Nonverbal communication encompasses gestures, facial expressions, posture, and paralanguage among other methods. The interpretation of these nonverbal cues is often culturally dependent, and body language plays a crucial role in conveying nonverbal messages.
Step-by-step explanation:
The sources of nonverbal messages include a variety of different means through which people communicate without using spoken words, and these are often culturally informed. Body language, such as gestures, posture, and facial expressions, plays a vital role in conveying a person's feelings and intentions. For example, paralanguage involves the nuances of voice such as tone and accent, which can convey emotions or cultural background. Kinesics refers to communicative body movements and can include everything from facial expressions to posture.
When considering the sources of nonverbal messages in a broader context, there is also the consideration of proxemics, the study of personal space and distance in communication, and haptics, which involves touch as a means of nonverbal interaction. Chronemics is the study of how time affects communication, and finally, artifacts can also convey messages based on personal possessions or items that one associates with or uses.
Different cultures have their own unique interpretation of nonverbal signals, and what may be appropriate in one culture could be offensive or misunderstood in another. Gestures like a thumbs-up could have positive connotations in one culture while being offensive in another.