Reviewing the definitions of interpersonal communication, this paper concludes that intentionality (the idea that a message transmitted by a speaker is based on a conscious plan) is often an important component of those definitions. It notes that the debate about the inclusion of intent in a definition of communication has focused on two theories of interaction: (1) that which is concerned with nonintended receivers of a communication, and (2) that which is concerned with nonverbal components of an interaction. The paper offers a theoretical perspective, focused on nonsymbolic communicative behaviors, that permits the resolution of the intentionality debate. It also challenges the traditional definition of intentionality and identifies the appropriate role of intentionality in communication definition and analysis. (FL)