The Power of Non-Verbal Communication

Source: chi.ac.uk

“Few realize how loud their expressions really are, be king with what you wordlessly say.”

Richelle E Goodrich

Introduction

Nonverbal, as the word suggests is the way of communicating through facial expressions, body language, tone, and pitch of language and determining the extent of communication between two people. Many researchers have come to a conclusion that 70 to 80% of communication is nonverbal, thus it consists of exchanging ideas through clues and non-verbal signals. The interpretation of ideas and messages is done through mutual understanding between the sender and the receiver as there is no verbal element present in the communication.

Importance of non-verbal communication

Whatever you do in your life holds importance in some or another way. Understanding nonverbal communication is not an easy job. However, one can always transform the words to help in a better interpretation of the idea. Laying emphasis on words in order to make them comprehend to the receiver and get a consequential reaction in return is a way of non-verbal communication.

“Listen with your eyes as well as your ears”

Graham Speechlay

Disclosing information about not keeping well or being disturbed about something is a kind of non-verbal communication as it helps the other person to get an insight into your emotional state. One can easily determine your dilemma through your tone of voice and body language. It is very difficult to give feedback in non-verbal communication as the receiver is not sure of interpreting the exact message intended by the sender. Few gentle gestures like nodding your head or some facial expression signal that the conversation is good to go.

The sudden closing of lips or firm eye contact with the one sending the messages gives an indication to the other person to speak. It is important to keep the conversation going in a flow as interrupting without understanding the intended message will lead to ineffective communication between the sender and the receiver.

Types of Nonverbal communication

“Nonverbal communication forms a social language that is in many ways richer and more fundamental than our words” (Leonard Mlodinow)

Nonverbal communication can be done in various ways. Talking about each of it in specificity, the first and foremost way is communicating through body movements, specifically termed as kinesics, which includes communication in the form of nodding your head, hand gestures, lip movement etcetera. Further, we enlist eye contact as a different type of non-verbal communication, talking through eyes determines the trust level among the two parties communicating with each other.

Posture, as a matter of fact, is another form of non-verbal communication, as a right posture indicates an aura of healthy and alert communication between two people. Closeness or personal space, specifically called proxemics, differs from culture to culture. This kind of verbal communication helps to determine the level of intimacy and closeness between the people communicating with each other.

Facial expressions are another aspect that includes, smiling, blinking of eyes, surprise, crying, cranky, frowns, as these are hard to control in a conversation. Para language, in a wider aspect, tone of voice, speech in which the words are spoken are other types of nonverbal communication. Physiological changes are also counted under the types of non-verbal communication as the situation of nerve-racking is experienced during times of fear. A feeling of excitement is seen when a person is very happy. All these changes are uncontrollable and reflect the mental state of an individual.

Conclusion

It is not easy to communicate through nonverbal gestures as it requires more effort than required. One must know that non-verbal communication is an integral part of the effective communication model, though it is very complex. Not all people are aware of the non-verbal behavior of an individual. Therefore, one must be aware of certain strategies to formulate before interpreting the signs of non-verbal communication in the right way.

“Effective communication depends much more on your tone of voice and the body language than the words you say.”

Greg Williams

Reference Links

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