Abstract Misperceptions of nonverbal communication commonly cause critical and sometimes irresolvable interpersonal conflicts which in turn profoundly

impact the level of professionalism in the workplace. This study examines such type of conflict through the story of Andy and Eve who are both teachers in the same secondary school. Having seniority over Eve, Andy finds the formers refusal to acknowledge and reciprocate her friendly gestures as impolite and rude. The built tension eventually erupts into a scandalous confrontation between the two. Through this examination, the study aims to determine and elucidate how and why misinterpretations of nonverbal communication lead to interpersonal conflicts and how such come into play in relational escalation and dissolution. We intend to present a credible analysis and conclusion for the given case by means of personal interviews and the application of Bergers Uncertainty Reduction Theory, Burgoons Expectancy Violations Theory and Altman and Taylors Social Penetration Theory. The names of the people involved in this study have been changed for academic purposes.