What Is Non-Verbal Communication And How Can You Improve Yours?

If you could count all resumes that consist of the phrase “strong communication skills”, how long do you think it would take you?

For starters, having communication skills is a no-brainer when trying to prove to an employer that you are fit for a role. It tells whether or not you are capable of performing basic tasks such as telling a coworker what to do. Or more complicated ones like presenting a campaign to clients. However, the highlight is usually on communicating through words, or verbally. What about non-verbally? What is non-verbal communication, to begin with?

What Are The Non-Verbal Forms of Communication?

Non-verbal communication is sending or receiving information that doesn’t require the use of a certain language. Rather, it uses physical cues that are either universally known, or specific to some cultures or communities. While verbal communication is characterized by speech, texts, and some gestures (as in sign language), non-verbal communication uses the following:

1. Kinesics or gestures

Using signals with your hands is the most common type of gestures. Some of the quintessential ones include pointing with your fingers, waving your hands, and giving a thumbs up.

2. Body language or posture

Crossing your arms too often? Others may think of you as defensive, dominant, or anxious. Or when you shake someone’s hand too firmly, they’ll see you as eager and excited. These are just a few of the common body language signals that you should be aware of.

3. Facial expressions

The way you raise your eyebrows or how you hold a frown are good indications of being surprised or upset, respectively. Even without speaking, people can tell how you are feeling by just the way you use your face in situations.

4. Eye contact

It’s known that when someone blinks too much when telling a story, he or she is most likely lying. Meanwhile, failing to look someone in the eyes when conversing could mean that he or she is uneasy and nervous.

5. Haptics or touch

Your sense of touch is a subtle but effective way of conveying a message. For example, putting your arms over someone’s shoulder can mean that you’re empathizing with him or her. Or when you pat someone’s back, it shows that you’re complimenting or congratulating them.

6. Proxemics or space

Essentially, when you stand too close to someone, it means that you’re comfortable enough with that person. Versus standing too far, which indicates being unfamiliar and uncomfortable with him or her.

7. Paralinguistics or voice

Was there a time that someone told you something but the tone of their voice says differently? This falls under paralanguage and also relies on volume, speed, pitch, and intonation, among other factors.

8. Appearance

The way you present yourself or your environment can also offer different meanings to others. A common instance is the color of clothes we opt to wear, which are suggestive of our interests and moods.

Other underrated types of non-verbal communication may also include chronemics or how we use and manage time, as well as artifacts or the objects that we own. Both can also relay information about how we feel or what kind of message we want to tell those around us.

Why Are Non-Verbal Communication Skills Important?

Is non-verbal communication important? Without a doubt, yes, We use non-verbal communication to support verbal messages, or even to convey completely separate ones. For these reasons, enhancing your non-verbal communication skills is important in the workplace just as it is in your personal or daily lives. The following reasons explain why:

Your colleagues will understand you better

You may be having difficulty expressing your emotions, feelings, or intentions with words, which can happen in a myriad of professional situations. For example, you need to instruct your coworkers to finish an urgent task. If you talk to them softly or quietly, they might not take you seriously. On the other hand, speaking louder can give them the impression of urgency.

You can use it in the absence of verbal communication

There are circumstances at work wherein you may be unable to verbally talk or talk clearly to your colleagues. For example, when you’re wearing a face mask and others are having a hard time hearing you, they can tell a lot by how your eyes, eyebrows, or hands move. In such a case, non-verbal communication skills are essential rather than merely supplementary.

It’s an effective way to provide feedback

Imagine someone doing a presentation at work. Instead of interrupting them to say that you are agreeing or disagreeing with what they are saying, you can smile, frown, and nod or shake your head. Sometimes, giving feedback in this manner is not only more convenient for either party, but also respectful.

It helps drive workplace discussions and conversations

In addition to effectively sending or receiving feedback to your coworkers, communicating verbally is a good way to regulate workplace communication. Showing positive gestures, body language, or appearance, for instance, can mean that you are eager to speak to someone. Hence, they would only engage with you more.

It will determine relationships at work

You can tell someone if you’re comfortable enough to be around them by how close or far you are when speaking to them. In the same manner, you will have an idea who among your workmates you can relate to the most or work best with by their choice of clothing, the things they place on their work desk, or other accessories they might bring to the office.

How Can I Improve My Non-Verbal Communication Skills?

Like communication as a whole, non-verbal communication is a two-way process. It’s critical that you learn how to convey information without speaking, just as much as you need to learn how to read non-verbal cues and behaviors. To do these, you can do the following ways to improve non-verbal communication skills.

1. Pay attention to signals

Whether it’s encoding or decoding non-verbal communication signals, observing your own and others’ behaviors is one of the first things you should do. That is, if you want to keep or change the way you communicate non-verbally to others. When you pay attention to others’ actions more closely, it will likewise be easier for you to apply them yourself.

2. It doesn’t hurt to practice

Just like verbal communication, you can practice your non-verbal cues with your family, friends, or closest colleagues. That way, you can ensure that your intended receiver will understand your message more accurately. You can even observe yourself in front of a mirror to see how you perform certain body language and posture, facial expressions, and gestures.

3. Research and ask

As some non-verbal communication signals have cultural foundations, make time to learn the appropriate and common forms of local communication. This can help you avoid doing anything inappropriate or disrespectful. Furthermore, if you’re ever in doubt, simply ask rather than always end up assuming.

4. Look at the bigger picture

In verbal communication, you can’t always know or convey a message with a single word. Similarly, there are times wherein it’s simply not possible to say or understand something by just relying on a single movement of the hand or the color of an article of clothing. Sometimes, you will need to combine signals to better encode or decode a point.

5. Learn to prioritize some cues

Some cues are more clearly readable than others. They include body language and posture, facial expressions, and eye contact. The simple reason is that these are more accessible and observable behaviors when interacting with others. Thus, making them the most powerful non-verbal communication forms.

Know When To Use Non-Verbal Communication

With all that’s said, which is more effective — verbal or non-verbal communication? 

It depends on quite a number of factors, including the purpose of the communication, the environment, and the people at work that you need to communicate with. But all things considered, it’s still good to marry verbal with non-verbal cues to best send or receive information.

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