Essay on The Importance of Verbal and Nonverbal Miscommunication

There are many different forms of communication in regards to how you get a message to one another, although communication can be broken down in to two different categories, which are verbal and non-verbal communication.

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.

Near the end of this argument, a couple of adaptors were utilized. Adaptors are gestures that make you feel more comfortable in a communication situation such as twirling your hair or tapping your fingers. While the female mentioned various situations where the male is unaffectionate she puts her elbows on the table and massages the sides of her head with her hands, I believe she did this to relief tension she was feeling from the argument in order to feel more comfortable. The male decided that her reasons for feeling that he is unaffectionate are legitimate. While verbally communicating that he agrees with her and he will make changes, the female reaches her hand out and holds his, further seeking comfort now that the argument has been settled.

There are also type of negative body language such as crossing your arms and your general stance. Crossing your arms could be seen and obstructive and indifferent and expressing that type of negative body language will likely impact and effect the flow of conversation and possibly upset/anger those around.

There are eight key forms of nonverbal communications used on a daily basis. These forms can affect the way people view another person; however, without understanding the forms of nonverbal communication there is certain to be a lot of misinterpretations. Cultural and language differences are a common reason for miscommunication. When communicating with people in different cultures, a person should be extremely aware of the hand gestures and nonverbal communication tools they are using. Many of the hand gestures used in the United States that mean good things, mean offensive and profane things to other cultures. Nonverbal communication is described as body language, hand gestures, and facial expressions. It is known that people reveal more information through nonverbal communication, than words alone to get a point across. There will always be some interaction between two or more people that everyone’s

There are many levels and moving parts in communication. We rely on both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication in order to send, receive, translate and respond to each other (Cheesebro, O’Connor, Rios, 2010). The spoken or written word only comprises of about 7% of our communication with each other. The other 93% is made up of voice quality and non-verbal communication (Heathfield, 2011). Non-verbal communication or demonstrative communication comes in many forms. It includes body language, facial expressions, eye contact, posture, touch and tone of language.

When most of us think about communication, many of us immediately imagine ourselves talking to someone or writing them a message. Most of us do not actively think about the equally or more likely, much more important nonverbal cues that are very much a part of how people perceive our chosen messages. The main types of nonverbal communication cues that I focused on while I was observing my subjects were:

The Wall Street Journal recently published an article written by Sue Shellenbarger which broke down nonverbal communication and it’s affect in the business world. Shellenbarger focused on “mirroring” and how one can effectively mirror whom he/she is speaking to in order to close a deal or build stronger relationships. Some of the do’s of mirroring include: do build a connection first rather than mirroring a stranger; do try and match the other person’s vocal tone and style; do start with nodding and tilting your head; and do move on to mirroring gestures but be genuine otherwise it will hurt the relationship. Shellenbarger also listed some of the don’ts such as: don’t try to fake your interest; don’t mirror negative body language such as crossing

Furthermore how would we be able to transfer all of our knowledge to the next person, better yet, how would we improve our capacity of knowledge as a whole. We

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.

Over this summer course I have learned a lot about communication. I learned how significant nonverbal and verbal communication is, along with listening. I never fully understood how big communication is in our daily lives. I now realize that it is a huge aspect of how we continue in our lives. This course has showed me different levels of communication.

The two basic modes of communication are verbal and nonverbal. Verbal communication is either spoken or written. Verbal communication involves the use of words. Nonverbal communication, on the other hand, does not involve the use of words. Dress, gestures, touching, body language, face and eye behavior, and even silence are forms of nonverbal communication. Remember that even though there are two forms of communication, both the verbal and the nonverbal are inseparable in the total communication process. Conscious awareness of this fact is extremely important because their professional effectiveness is highly dependent upon successful communication (Communication, 2010). But it is also another side to communication and that is ineffective communication skills.

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.

One thing we all have in common is that we must all communicate in one form or another. Everyone communicates even if they know it or not. Both verbal and nonverbal communication is used during conversations. Using both forms helps convey and support the message you are trying to send.