How can nonverbal communication help

Find jobs. Company reviews. Find salaries. Upload your resume. Sign in. Career Development. What is nonverbal communication? Why is nonverbal communication important? Benefits of effective nonverbal communication. It supports your message. When having a conversation, participating in a meeting or engaging in conversation, nonverbal cues can emphasize and underscore the content of your message. For example, using hand gestures to indicate the importance of an idea may tell your listeners to pay attention to and remember a key point.

It communicates messages. You may also use only nonverbal communication to communicate with others. For example, if someone is explaining a sentiment you admire and agree with, you might nod your head up and down to express solidarity.

It shows intention. Your body language may also intentionally or unintentionally express your current condition. For example, people may pick up nonverbal cues that you are being dishonest, unengaged, excited or aggressive. It conveys feelings. You can also use nonverbal communication to show your feelings, such as disappointment, relief, happiness, contentment and more. It offers support. Nonverbal cues are also a great way to show support. Whether it's a simple smile or pat on the back, actions may speak louder than words in many cases.

It showcases your personality. Nonverbal communication is a great way to show who you are. For example, a kind and optimistic person might frequently smile with open body language and offer friendly touches.

It indicates a desired action. This might include inching toward a door to indicate your desire to leave the room, raising your hand to offer an idea or putting your hand out to meet someone new. Types of nonverbal communication. Body language. Facial expressions. When you write something down — whether it's on paper, email, or a napkin you found at a bar — there is no taking it back.

This is why legally binding contracts are almost always restricted to writing: It's the one place where you cannot pretend you "said" something other than what's there. This is why you should always write with the knowledge that the words you choose today can have repercussions in the future.

Like most things, there are two sides to written communication. In some instances, it can be an invaluable tool to save time and money. In others, it can result in greater misunderstandings, and even potential lawsuits. Before you commit something to writing, it's always a good idea to determine if a phone call, or even a quick meeting, would be better. Of course, there will come a time and place, when communicating through writing is either your only option, or the best one.

Although having a solid grasp of language and grammar is a great place to start, you can also rely on these tips to reduce the possibility of miscommunication. Open Main Menu. Browse Courses My Classes. Sign In Subscribe Course Catalog. Introduction Nonverbal communication can mean a lot of different things, and all of them are important in being an effective communicator.

Objectives This article will help you learn to use nonverbal cues to better understand others. Defining Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal communication is nearly anything that sends an idea from one person to another without the use of words.

Eye contact is an important component of nonverbal communication. If someone is interested in what is being said, he or she will engage in more eye contact with the speaker. Too much eye contact, however, signals that the listener is somewhat aggressive or distrustful. Too little eye contact is often a sign that the listener is either not really interested or feels negatively about what is being said.

Speaking of eye contact, it is possible to determine that someone is bored by noticing that they looking directly at the person speaking, but that the eyes are a little unfocused. This may be accompanied by a tilt of the head and fiddling with the hands. People who cross their arms over the chest are often keeping something to themselves, or they may even be protecting themselves from something.

Of course, this has to be related to the situation. If the people speaking are very comfortable with one another, the crossed arms could signify that one person is thinking very deeply about what is being said.

The appropriate amount of personal space is something that can vary from person to person, but it is more-or-less dictated by social norms within a culture. Someone who is very engaged in what another is saying will be more likely to lean forward or to touch the other person.

Facial expressions convey a lot about what a person is thinking. While we can control our facial expressions to some degree, there are many times when they just naturally occur as is common with verbal cues, as we learned in the previous section. Why Is Nonverbal Communication Effective?

Reading Nonverbal Cues In addition to those things mentioned above, there are literally thousands of nonverbal cues that can be used to ascertain what someone else is communicating. Interested in learning more? Why not take an online Effective Communication course?

The interview is concluded a few minutes early. Is it appropriate to the situation? Does it make you feel uncomfortable? Intensity — Does the person seem flat, cool, and disinterested, or over-the-top and melodramatic? Timing and place — Is there an easy flow of information back and forth? Do nonverbal responses come too quickly or too slowly? Sounds — Do you hear sounds that indicate interest, caring or concern from the person?

Authors: Jeanne Segal, Ph. About Nonverbal Communications — Different categories of nonverbal communication, along with a detailed list of signals. Adam Blatner, M. Harvard Business Review. Wertheim, Ph. Northeastern University. This holiday season alone, millions of people will turn to HelpGuide for free mental health guidance and support. So many people rely on us in their most difficult moments. Can we rely on you?

All gifts made before December 31 will be doubled. Cookie Policy. What is body language? Substitution: It can substitute for a verbal message. For example, your facial expression often conveys a far more vivid message than words ever can. Complementing: It may add to or complement your verbal message. As a boss, if you pat an employee on the back in addition to giving praise, it can increase the impact of your message.

Accenting: It may accent or underline a verbal message. Pounding the table, for example, can underline the importance of your message. Body language, facial expressions and vocal characteristics are not easy to control, whereas verbal communication is done intentionally and is easier to manipulate. As a result, we have more faith in non-verbal cues than what is actually said.

If a person says one thing, but sends a contradicting message non-verbally, the receiver is more likely to trust the non-verbal signal. Therefore, having a conscious awareness of your non-verbal communication while verbally communicating can help others receive messages the way you actually intended to give them.

Next time you want to make a positive impression, make sure you have not only prepared what you are going to say, but that you have practiced conveying your messages through appropriate body language practice makes interview perfect.

There is countless research regarding types, effects, and expressions of unspoken communication and behaviour.

To narrow it down, we will repeat the basics offered by psychologists Paul Ekman and Wallace Friesen , who identified six important ways how non-verbal communication can interact with our verbal discourse: repeating, conflicting, complementing, substituting, regulating and accenting.