What constitutes the totality of a person's message?

The totality of a person's message encompasses various components that contribute to overall communication. The correct choice highlights three essential elements: verbal, paralinguistic, and nonverbal communication.

Verbal communication refers to the actual words spoken or written, conveying factual information and ideas. Paralinguistic elements, on the other hand, include factors such as tone, pitch, volume, and speech rate, all of which can significantly alter the meaning behind the words. Nonverbal communication includes body language, facial expressions, gestures, and eye contact, which often convey emotions and reactions that words alone cannot express.

Together, these three components create a more holistic understanding of a person's message. They interact with one another to clarify intentions, emotions, and meanings, making it crucial to consider all three elements when analyzing communication.

In contrast, options focusing solely on nonverbal aspects or just verbal communication miss out on the contributions that tone and body language make to the overall message. Similarly, choices that limit the scope to either written or spoken language do not account for the important role that paralinguistics and nonverbal cues play in communication. Thus, the inclusion of all three components—verbal, paralinguistic, and nonverbal—accur