Despite the innumerable differences in language from place to place and ethnicity to ethnicity, some elements of communication remain constant and universal.
The things that are not said and heard are often the easiest to understand, like a balled fist, a smile or a frown. How we hear and interpret the words spoken to us by other people can be drastically affected by how they sit or stand, how they move their hands, the tone we hear in their voices and even how much they blink. The ways in which the human body either reinforces or contradicts spoken words is just as important as the words themselves and these constitute non-verbal communication.
What is nonverbal communication? Nonverbal communication also known as non-verbal cues can be defined as information that is passed without the use of spoken or written words, being conveyed instead by tone, inflexion, touch, movement of the body or facial expressions, not just through the communication systems of ears and mouth. It is just as intricate as verbal communication and can involve visual cues such as gestures, distance, eye contact, eye movement and even the speed of speech.
Nonverbal communication can be either conscious or unconscious, and it involves one making an expression or gesture and another interpreting it. This relies heavily on context and prior knowledge of the gestures being used. An example could be raising three fingers, whoever will interpret that will understand that to mean the number three because of prior knowledge. Common nonverbal cues and what they mean. Crossed arms and legs:.
This is usually a sign that someone feels fearful or defensive. People with open arms and uncrossed legs are often friendlier and more open to interaction.
Looking away. In most cases, people associate looking away with lying but it can mean a lot more. Actions are not always so parallel to words spoken. Thoughts, ideas, emotions and feelings are shared by people with expressions and movements.
Even environmental factors can be taken as non-verbal communication. Wordless communications are mostly true and are not faked. Verbal and non-verbal communication occur simultaneously. People interpret messages according how you react, listen, look, etc. Things like if you care for something or not and if you are reacting as required or not. When verbal and non-verbal signals do not match, it creates distrust, unclear message, misunderstandings and confusion. Non-verbal communication is more impactful than verbal communication.
Non-verbal communication is used to show emotions like happiness, anger, sadness, interest, curiosity, hurt, annoyance, anxiety, embarrassment, pleasure, hope, etc. People show these emotions unconsciously most of the times. They express their empathy through non-verbal communication too.
People do not unconsciously fake non-verbal communication but only sometimes do it deliberately. When you communicate, you must compliment what you say with your gestures and body language. A gesture is another form of nonverbal communication. Different gestures could mean different things in different situations. Have you seen people communicate using sign language? Every hand gesture means something. Even during regular conversations, most of us knowingly or unknowingly use certain gestures such as nodding or giving a thumbs-up or high five.
Para-linguistics means vocal communication through the tone, pitch, and volume of your voice. Remember the community tennis matches held on the weekends?
The way your sister came shouting, you knew she had won the match. Hitesh works in an ad agency. He is always given the first preference for final presentations, and his colleagues wonder why.
The reason is that his manager knows that in addition to content creation, Hitesh has excellent nonverbal communication skills.
Giving your full attention. When speaking with a person, point your toes and square your shoulders toward them, Price says. Lean into the conversation; focus your eyes, ears and energy on them. Make sure your arms and legs are uncrossed. Also, avoid multi-tasking during the interaction.
It shows disinterest and disrespect. Their nonverbal cues can tell you when they have a question, want to say something, agree or disagree, need a break, require more explanation, or have an emotional response.
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