Communication Skill Practical - Experiment 13 - Non Verbal Communication

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.