Business Communication For Success: Nonverbal Communication

Observe Body Language - This is a very powerful form of non-verbal communication. It is shown by the way we stand, how we place our hands or arms, make gestures and facial expressions.

By observing us children learn how to interact with others, accomplish goals, and get along in the world. We are the examples, and what many do not realize is that our non-verbal messages and actions are stronger than our verbal ones. Non-verbal communication consists of expressions, tone of voice, eye contact, and actions.  The way you listen, look, move, and react tells the other person whether or not you care, if you’re being truthful, and how well you’re listening. When your nonverbal signals match up with the words you’re saying, they increase trust, clarity, and rapport. When they don’t, they generate tension, mistrust, and confusion. There are many different types of nonverbal communication. Together, the following nonverbal signals and cues communicate your interest and investment in others.

Non-verbal communication: ways of communicating without using words (for example, through body language such as gestures, eye-contact and touch)

Facial expressions through non-verbal communication are a sufficient way in listening, expressing emotion and giving feedback. Non-verbal communication is a vital element of interpersonal communication as it helps express emotion and personality through the process of exchanging information (Eunson 2012). Non-verbal signals such as facial expressions can be defined as

To me interpersonal communication describes the exchange of verbal and nonverbal messages between two different people. Joseph DeVito states that “interpersonal communication is inevitable, irreversible, and unrepeatable” due to these things effective communication is a necessary skill for us to function in our day to day lives (p. 20). Therefore, I have created a theory for interpersonal communication that goes as follows; To experience effective communication you must understand: your culture, the other person’s culture, and how to listen effectively. By knowing these three things you can consistently avoid misunderstandings and promote understanding in your interpersonal and intercultural relationships.

Nonverbal communication or body language makes up 55% of effective communication. This plays the biggest part in communication, and it shows the client or colleague more information than words alone ever could. Nonverbal communication includes facial expressions, body movement and gestures, head movements, eye contact, posture, and the use of distances and space. Understanding and using nonverbal communication can enhance the connection between you and others, navigate challenging situations and well as expressing interest in the conversation. this can also established effective rapport between you and the client or colleague.

Non-verbal communication | 1. Posture. This is the way in which someone holds their self, the way the stand etc. 2. Facial expression. This is the way someone’s face responds to an action or words. For e.g.…if someone was told something they like they would generally be wide eyed and smiling. |

My writing assignment is to explain nonverbal communication “messages expressed by nonlinguistic means”. (Adler et al 431) so that you may understand that verbal communication is just a small part of the communication process and that through nonverbal communication you can communicate without even using words or by the way you say the words. Let me warn you that you need to be very careful when trying to interpret nonverbal communication, because nonverbal communication can be ambiguous. What I mean by that is nonverbal communication can have more than one meaning as you will see later in this writing assignment.

Nonverbal Communication is communication between individuals based on facial expression or bodily gestures rather than on languages. I noticed throughout the movie, all the characters used a lot of nonverbal communication with almost everyone. One example of this would be the scene where Peter expresses to his friends; Michael and Samir that he thinks his girlfriend is cheating on him. When Peter says this, the look on his friends face says, “You’re just finding out?” In this example, Samir and Michael were using nonverbal

Nonverbal communication covers all aspects of communication beyond words. It is anything from body gestures to the way words are spoken. The tone, demeanor, hidden meaning behind words, mix that with body language and what is creates in nonverbal communication elements. Even clothes and personal appearance can send a nonverbal message. Nonverbal communication accounts for nearly 65-93% communication means (Wood, 2014). One area where nonverbal communication sent a negative, incorrect message is the movie Erin Brockovich. The clothing of the main character sent the message that she was uneducated, white trash. This could not be further from the truth. She was an intelligent, single mother who saw a problem where nobody else did.

The aspect of nonverbal communication has been studied extensively for at least four decades. During the 1960s, volumes were printed about "body language." While that label has become trite to the point of jokes, the subject itself is valid and has been given a more appropriate label: nonverbal communication. Words, in and of themselves, do not convey the entire message in any communication interaction. There are always nonverbal cues. Even in a telephone conversation, there is are cues in terms of voice inflection, tone, volume, speed. Loudness and/or a harsh tone, for instance, communicates hostility and/or anger. Whether the speaker means to convey that message or not is immaterial because it is the listener's interpretation that will set the tone for the rest of the conversation.

Nonverbal communication is behaviors and characteristics that convey meaning with out the use of words. Sometimes accompanying verbal messages, to clarify or reinforce them. (Floyd, Communicating Nonverbally, 2013) It is said to be true that nonverbal communication sometimes gives more information that verbal communication. People’s facial expressions, gestures, and personal appearance are all forms of nonverbal communication and it relies on our sense of vision. For instance, when my sorority and I get together for a meeting and the president of our chapter stands up in front of everyone to share information, it is important that we let her know that we are interested by nodding our head in agreement, smiling at her, clapping our hands, and keeping eye contact with her so she knows our focus is on her. For our chapter it is important to reassure our president that we are listening and focused on what she has to say by using nonverbal behaviors. Without nonverbal communication, it would be hard to tell when someone is interested or not in a conversation. Nonverbal communication helps us maintain

In every society nonverbal communication is one of the most powerful tools that a person can use to interpret the message that is being delivered. Even though verbal communication is fairly straightforward, nonverbal communication allows others to sense the true emotions of the person that is expressing them. For example even though a person may say that they are not irritated, their usage of voice may display otherwise. Nonverbal communication not only reveals hidden messages, but it also complements, substitutes, and exaggerates verbal communication.

Business communication requires avenues through which leaders, management, and workers communicate. It also requires the communication process between an organization and its partners, as well as the customers. In business communication, it is vital for an organization to develop a communication channel that is not only efficient and effective, but one that relays positive messages. Positive messages are crucial in developing good relationships with the employees, business partners, and customers. Research shows that we actually comprehend a positive statement 30 to 40 percent faster than we do a negative statement, our mind literally has to unscramble negative messages to determine the meaning (Simoneaux &Stroud, 2014). There is a power in using positive messages, a strategy in building relationships and producing positive results. When using positive messaging it is beneficial to use the 5 S’s, and goodwill messaging. The 5 S’s are; selfless, specific, sincere, spontaneous, and short. This paper looks into the effects of positive messaging, with an emphasis on goodwill messages, and the 5 S’s.

Boose, G., Jaffe, J., Segal, J., & Smith. M. (2013). Nonverbal communication. Retrieved from https://classroom.phoenix.edu/afm214/secure/view-thread.jspa?threadID=58196411