According to the transactional process model of communication, in face-to-face communication situations, parties to the encounter fail to interpret each other's nonverbal signals.

According to the transactional process model of communication, parties to the encounter are engaged in a continuous process of sending and receiving messages, which includes both verbal and nonverbal cues. Nonverbal communication can be just as important, if not more so, than verbal communication in face-to-face interaction. Therefore, parties usually interpret each other's nonverbal signals in face-to-face communication situations.