1. What is the definition of nonverbal communication?
Non-verbal
communication can be defined as communication by using symbols, gestures,
facial expressions, eye contact, etc. primarily not using any language or speech.
Example: traffic signal, skull image pasted
on electrical board, bell sound
2. What does good eye contact mean?
Eye
contact refers to a situation in which two people look at each other’s eyes and
talk. It is an important part of effective communication because a person with
eye contact expresses his confidence and assertive skill and the one without
eye contact is likely to be suspected to be lying.
3. Why is body language important?
The
things we don’t say are communicated by us without our knowledge by means of
facial expressions, postures and the way we move our body. This is called body
language. Researches show that body language accounts for 60 to 65% of all
communication. It is very important to remove the obstacles between two people
speaking different languages and to understand the mind-reading, especially in
interviews.
4. What are the Types of Nonverbal Communication?
There
are eight types of non-verbal communication: 1. Gestures (e.g. thumps up), 2.Proxemics
– amount of space between two shows the closeness in their relationships and
the interest they keep, 3. Postures (showing your attitude), 4. Eye contact, 5.
Touch: patting shows friendship, hug shows love and firm handshake implies strong
personality, 6. Paralanguage: loudness or tone of your voice, 7. Facial
expressions (e.g., frown or smile) 8. Visual communication (symbols, signs,
images, etc.)
5. What is the difference between verbal and non-verbal
communication?
Verbal
communication involves use of language but non-verbal communication uses no
language and speech. Secondly verbal
communication requires people who should know same languages but non-verbal
communication can be understood by people speaking any language. Unlike verbal communication, non-verbal
communication saves time, looks simple and attractive and removes communication
barriers.
6. State some negative body language characteristics.
Slumped
posture expresses your lack of confidence and boredom. Averted eye-contact
indicates: you are uncomfortable or lying.
Crossed arms mean disagreement. Forced smile reveals lack of interest or
hatred. Overuse of hands say: you are excited or nervous. Looking at watch
means: you are impatient and in a hurry to attend another work. “Frowning”
speaks of how angry you are.
7.
What is the importance of non-verbal communication?
When
we don’t want to speak certain things that may hurt others, we have to use
non-verbal communication, e.g. looking at watch and asking others indirectly to
wind up his speech. When we don’t have less
chance to keep verbal communication in interview, we move to the mode of non-verbal
communication to show our self-confidence and our personality, e.g. firm
handshake and eye contact. When we don’t know the language of the listener, the
only choice is non-verbal communication.
8.
What
is personal distance?
The
way we keep distance from others refers to our personal distance. If it is
less, it means that we are close to that person. If it is more, it indicates
that we are not interested in the person, or still a trust is not built between
the two. When we are busy with some other work, usually the personal space is
more. Personal space also shows whether
the communication is private or public.
9. What makes an effective listener?
Keeping
eye-contact, thoughtless attention and unbiased sincere interest to know what
others want to say makes one an effective listener. We cannot be effective listeners if we have
the mentality that what we say is more important than what others say. If the way the speaker presents the matter is
not interesting, it will lead to boredom and then effective listening is not
possible.
10. How can I improve my verbal and
nonverbal communication skills?
Verbal communication can be improved by speaking practice
with others whereas non-verbal communication can be improved by changing the
way we use our body postures, facial expressions, tone, gestures, etc. But most
of the non-verbal communication arises from our character, mindset and
personality and therefore without changing our nature and attitude, trying to
show good gestures and postures will lead to pretention and the display of our
false self.
