Non-verbal communication refers to all those messages excluding spoken words. Those messages are body language such as gesture, facial expressions, eye contact and body posture. For instance, smile on our friends face on seeing us, before they utter even a greeting word, when we go to meet them after long time indicates that he or she is happy to see us.
Touch is another cue of non-verbal communications. It helps in indicating a person’s feelings or expressions, closeness, and illustrates characteristics of that person. A firm and stiff handshake or warm and lovely hug signify obviously different than a loose one.
Never the less, the sound, pitch, tone and volume of our voice while we are communicating can also be referred as forms of non-verbal communication. Voice use intonation, tone and vocally produced sounds. We use the pitch of voice to differentiate whether the sentence is a command, or advice or else a question or statement, and whether it shows aggressiveness; meaning vocal sounds and tone project our expressions. For example: Shaky and low volume of our voice when we present something in the class or when we speak to any kind of gatherings indicate that he or she fear or is not confident enough to do so.
The clothing we wear and its colour are also other forms of non-verbal communication that commonly outline judgements among us depending on different cultures and custom. After all, we would find that non-verbal communication coexist alongside verbal communication, which can affect each other and aid each other in delivering right thoughts and ideas through interpersonal communication.
See Also Essay on Importance of Non Verbal Communication
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Why do we need to be aware about our daily non-verbal cues?
I feel that knowing only the importance of non-verbal communication is not enough, but at the same time we should need to know, and be aware of some of the non-verbal signs in this globalized world where interactions and exchange of cultures and customs takes place. We need to be mindful of cultural differences when using or interpreting non-verbal signs. For instance, the handshake that is widely accepted in Western cultures as a greeting or confirmation of a business deal may not be accepted in other cultures, and can cause confusion.
While direct eye contact are acceptable in western culture which indicate our confidence, but this may not be moral in some other parts of world like in Japanese culture. By being mindful of our own nonverbal cues, as well as the nonverbal cues of those around us, and by keeping our messages short and concise would be very important to keep in our mind.