Non-Verbal Communication

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Non-verbal communication makes up the biggest percentage of interpersonal communication and therefore , a good understanding of Non-verbal communication is important in shaping interpersonal relationships

Non-verbal communication has been found to be more effective than verbal communication in that there are fewer distractions during the communication process as well as the fact that Non-verbal communication has more signals , which act as reinforcements to the information being communicated . There are several types of Non-verbal communication , which include facial expressions , gestures , paralinguistics , body language

br and posture , proxemics , eye-gaze , haptics as well as appearance

Facial expressions constitute a major part of Non-verbal communication in the day-to-day interpersonal relations . Facial expressions involve forms of communication , which are demonstrated through expressions such as smiles , frowning , expression of happiness , expression of sadness expression of anger , expression of fear as well as expression of disappointment . Although how facial expressions are applied and interpreted vary from culture to culture , there are general expressions such as smiles , which are easily interpretable . Indeed , facial expressions as a form of Non-verbal communication are so critical in communication that where verbal communication accompanying facial expression vary , it is always better for the facial expression to be used for interpretation . For instance , if someone has facial expressions of sadness but they verbally insist that they are happy this is a clear demonstration that , the verbal communication is not true and the facial expression should be taken more seriously . This is a clear demonstration that , facial expressions are important in communication and unless they are well interpreted , there is a risk of the signals turning into barriers of communication

Gestures are a form of Non-verbal communication used in interpersonal relationships for communication . Gestures commonly used in interpersonal relationships include waving , pointing , as well as the use of fingers to indicate amounts (Knapp , 82 . Gestures are commonly used where the people involved in communication are at a considerable distance and verbal communication would not effectively deliver the intended messages . For instance , when people are seeing off their friends , waving is commonly used even where distance cannot allow for effective verbal communication . Pointing as a form of gesture is useful especially in instruction process where those involved may include persons with hearing disabilities but are able to interpret gestures

Paralinguistics constitute a very important part of Non-verbal communication . Paralinguistics are different from verbal communication in that , although they involve vocals , they significantly differ from actual language as they are characterized by altered tone of voice loudness , inflection , and even pitch (Burgoon , Buller Woodall , 87 Paralinguistics enable the audience to interpret the communication from the source in other ways other than those provided for by the verbal aspect of the communication . Particularly , the tone of voice is a powerful indicator of the predisposition of the source of communication and could serve as a prohibitory measure , which the audience can interpret for purposes of clearly understanding the looming danger . High tones could demonstrate feelings of happiness or excitement with prospects of agreeing to demands from the audience . Low tone could spell problems and indicate that there is a problem . Even where the verbal communication does not demonstrate clearly the nature of information being passed across , loudness may serve to indicate command Paralinguistics therefore , are important to audiences in that , they serve to indicate approval or lack of approval , which can be used by the parties involved to deliberate on the next course of action

Body language and posture are a strong source of Non-verbal communication although the effectiveness of body language and posture is still subject to research . Evidence points to the fact that some body postures such as crossing legs could be an indication that someone is being defensive and could show a feeling of vulnerability (Canfield 106 . In the same way , arm-crossing could indicate feelings of resentment and uncertainty hence , preparing parties involved in the communication to respond proportionately to the ensuing communication process . Posture is important in demonstrating attitudes people have towards situations , other human beings as well as objects . Keeping a safe distance by maintaining a posture , in which the face is facing away from the person being communicated to , could be a show of negative attitude towards a person

Proxemics is a form of Non-verbal communication , which refers to the personal space needed when people are speaking to others . For instance when addressing large crowds of people , one tends to keep a bigger distance than it is the case when talking on a one-to-one basis Therefore , in a situation whereby a speaker is prepared to address an audience from a dais that is distant from the allocated space for audience , can demonstrate the kind of audience or communication expected in a given communication context (Andersen (B ) 81

Eye-gaze is very crucial in the day-to-day communication process Eye-gaze is particularly useful to child psychology in that from an early age caregivers and parents use eye-gaze to discipline children as well as to pass information . For instance , looking constantly at a child makes such a child to withdraw from some behavior , which clearly demonstrates that , eye-gaze is effective in behavior control . Likewise starring is important in communication in that it may indicate attraction to a given individual as well as showing the amount of interest one has on a given object (Bolougne , 58 . Blinking is another form of eye-gaze in which rapid blinking may be an indication that the person is encountering things or situations one has an interest in Therefore , eye-gaze is important in interpretation of attractive situations , hostile situations as well as emotive situations

Haptics are important in Non-verbal communication . Haptics involve the sense of touch and are very applicable in child psychology given the fact that touching in infancy has been found to aid in the growth and development process (Bruce Young , 58 . Even amongst adults , most social interactions especially amongst lovers , involve haptics in that touching is often used to indicate fondness and attraction towards each other . This is a clear demonstration that haptics plays a very important role in communication

Appearance is a Non-verbal communication , which is useful in demonstrating moods as well as aiding in reactions people make towards given situations as well as judgments and interpretations (Andersen (A ) 16 . The choice of color , clothing and even hairstyle is very important in judging the mood of a given individual . Equally , the choice of color or clothing is important in aiding how people judge others

In conclusion , to improve the likelihood that communication would be received and understood as intended apart from understanding the different Non-verbal communication types , it is important for a good understanding of one 's audience . This will help in tailor-making the communication to suit the target audience . Equally important is the consideration of audiences ' culture as well as other factors such as education level and context . Every Non-verbal communication must take into account cultural norms and practices of all the parties involved

Works Cited Page

Allan Canfield (2002 . Body , identity and interaction : Interpreting nonverbal communication . Etext .net : Custom Electronic Text Publisher

Duchenne de Bolougne (1990 . The mechanism of human facial expression Cambridge University Press

Judee K . Burgoon , David B . Buller , and W . Gill Woodall (1996 . Nonverbal communications : The unspoken dialogue (Second edition . McGraw-Hill

Knapp , Mark . Nonverbal Communication in Human Interaction , New York Holt

Peter A . Andersen (1998 . Handbook of communication and emotion Academic Press

Peter Andersen (1999 . Nonverbal communication . Forms and functions McGraw-Hill . See also this webpage . See also Terrence L . Warburton 's review

Vicky Bruce and Andrew Young (1998 . In the eye of the beholder . The science of face perception . Oxford University Press

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