“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said” (P. Duckers, N.D). Nonverbal communication is the way in which individuals communicate, intentioned or inadvertently, without the use of words. Nonverbal communication incorporates our facial expressions, motions, eye contact, pose and tone of voice. In this essay I will drop advantages, disadvantages, importance and different types of nonverbal communication.
Great communication is establishment of effective connection, both individual and proficient. Just as every coin has two sides there are advantages and disadvantages of nonverbal communication. As for the advantages some of them are complimentary. Nonverbal cues compliment a verbal message by adding to its meaning. You can pat someone you offended at the back as you say sorry to him or her. Other than this there it is accenting and help to illiterate people. This type of communication use gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, proximity, touching etc. And without using any spoken or written word. So, it is very much helpful for illiterate people. More importantly it reduces the wastage of time. As the message of non-verbal communication reached the receiver very fast. Therefore, it reduces the wastage of valuable time of the communication.
Moreover, there are disadvantages in Non-verbal communication. In this there won’t be any words or language used that expresses meaning clearly to receiver. It is not possible to stop talking in Non-verbal cues. In childhood, it is passed on to you by your parents. Also, while watching someone’s eyes you may miss something significant in a hand gesture, so it may be confusing to keep up with everything. Long conversations and necessary explanations are not possible in this. Since it uses facial expressions, eye contact, touch may not be understandable for the simple foolish people.
Various non-verbal cues play important role in expressing the inner meaning of the messages in face-to-face conversation and interview. For example, the facial expression of the speaker indicates his attitude, determination depth of knowledge etc. Non- verbal cues of communication greatly help in communicating with the handicapped people. For example; the language of communication with the deaf depends on the movements of the hands, fingers, and eyeball. Communication with illiterate people through written media is impossible. There may also be some situations that do not allow the use of oral media to communicate with them. In such situations, non-verbal methods like pictures, colors, graphs, signs, and symbols are used as the media of communication. For example; to indicate danger we use red sign and to mean dangerous we use a skull placed between two pieces of bone put in a crosswise fashion.
Nonverbal interaction says more than any string of words ever could. Nonverbal communication has 7 aspects mainly. They are facial expressions, body movements, posture, eye contact, paralanguage, proxemics and physiological changes. Without a doubt the most common mean of communication is through facial expressions. Human faces are able to make lot of different expressions and each one has a different meaning. Body movements includes common practices like hand gestures or nodding. Posture is how you sit or stand and it is critical in making a strong impression. Perhaps the best way to build rapport with a stranger is by maintaining eye contact. Paralanguage is the aspects of the voice that differ from the words. Simply put it is the tone of your voice.
Proxemics is a zone generally created by people to maintain the adequate space needed for the conversation. With non verbal communication closely related to emotion, the physiological reactions are often the most associated with anxiety or discomfort. This is a short conclusion on the 7 aspects of nonverbal communication.