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Non-Verbal Communication : The Importance Of Body Language

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What is body language? Well, when we speak, we use more than just words. We also communicate with our hand gestures, facial expressions including eye contact, and other movements of the body. This is called body language or non-verbal communication. Merriam Webster Dictionary defines body language as the gestures, movements, and mannerisms by which a person or animal communicates with others. 60-80% of all communication is non-verbal Did you know that psychologists have studied communication styles and note that 60-80% of all communication with others is non-verbal? Some psychologists even believe the statistics are higher than this. No matter what the exact figures are… I think you will agree with me that those numbers represent a really high percentage. This is indicative of the importance of non-verbal communication. It does not matter what language you speak, the importance of non-verbal communication needs to be valued. In fact, you can show your attitude, feelings and moods with non-verbal communication even better than words. Someone can detect if you are happy, sad, bored, disinterested, in agreement or not, etc. Maybe you have a close friend or a spouse, and you can tell exactly what that person is feeling or even thinking by the nonverbal communication clues. There is an English expression You can read him like a book. This expression means that you can tell exactly what that person is thinking and feeling just by looking at him/her. Relax – natural expression The main thing about body language is that when you relax, your body naturally responds to the words you convey. For example, if you say something positive, then your face, body and hands reflect that, too. And if you are upset, your face, body and hands will show that emotion. Perhaps you have noticed this before with others or with yourself. Many people believe that you if you say something and your body language reflects something different, that it is more important to listen to your body language. This means that your body language reveals the truth of what really is happening or what you meant to say rather than your words. That’s how powerful it is. Pick up clues from others A suggestion would be to watch other people when they

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