Introduction
Being social animal it is important to communicate. A large part of our communication goes through verbal responses, but still it is indispensable to communicate emotionally, which is only possible by some nonverbal responses through little activities or gestures. According to experts, a substantial portion of our interaction is basically nonverbal. Every day we respond to thousands of nonverbal cues and behaviors, including postures, little movements, facial expressions, eye gaze, fingers, gestures, and tone of voice. From our handshakes to our hairstyles, nonverbal details reveal who we are and impact how we relate to other people. Through this nonverbal communication people actually express certain personalities and moods. Every day we communicate with our family, friends, partners, colleagues and even strangers, but only a small percentage of what we communicate during each of these conversations is verbal. Research exhibits that the huge majority of what we denote through our interactions with others is innate and instinctual, known as nonverbal communication. Often, we are unaware of our participation in interpersonal, nonverbal communication because these actions are inherent to how we converse as humans and ingrained into our daily lives. However, some reliable sources agree with the fact that 70 to 93 percent of all communication is nonverbal.
Types of Nonverbal Communication
Research says there is no correct categories for nonverbal communication but lot of combination together. While these signals are often so subtle that we are not consciously aware of them, research has identified several different types of nonverbal communication. Experts mainly focus on eight types of this specific, informal interaction.
● Facial Expressions: Facial expressions are responsible for a huge proportion of nonverbal communication. Through the facial gestures one can express their personalities. Consider how much information or positivity can be conveyed with a smile or a frown. The look on a person’s face is often the first thing we see, even before we hear what they have to say. While nonverbal communication and behavior can vary dramatically between cultures or habits, the facial expressions for happiness, sadness, anger, and fear are universally similar throughout the world. Since facial expressions are closely tied to our emotions, they reveal what we are thinking and are perhaps our largest nonverbal communicators in everyday life.
● Gestures: Deliberate movements and postures are an important process to communicate meaningfully without words. Common gestures include waving, pointing, nodding and using fingers to indicate numeric amounts or other disjointed arrangements of activities. Other gestures are arbitrary and related to culture and situation. These nonverbal signals are seen as being so powerful and influential that some judges even place limits on what type of nonverbal behaviors are allowed in the courtroom.
● Paralinguistics: Paralinguistics generally represents vocal tones that can be considered as important media for Nonverbal communication. This includes factors such as tone of voice, loudness, inflection, and pitch. Changes in vocal tone during a conversation are also a noticeable nonverbal cue that contributes to your understanding of the person thoughts and yo some extent mentality. Consider all the different ways that simply changing your tone of voice might change the meaning of a sentence. A cold tone might actually refer to a unwell mind or a happy bright tone can describe awesome mood or positivity.
● Body language and personality: Body posture can be used to determine a participant’s degree of attention or involvement during a conversation whether they are interested. Bad posture, like slouching, may refer the listener or taker is bored or uninterested in the conversation going on. In contrast, if the person you’re speaking to is standing or sitting still, upright and leaning forward, they are signaling that they are focused and enjoying, attentive and engaged in the conversation. Body posture can also give hints about personality characteristics, such as whether a person is confident, happy, dominant, friendly or submissive. While these nonverbal behaviors can indicate feelings and attitudes, research suggests that body language is far more subtle and less definitive than previously believed.
● Eye Gaze: The eyes are the most important parts that is directly related to nonverbal interaction and such things as looking, winking, staring and blinking are important nonverbal behaviors. Looking at another person can indicate a range of emotions including hostility, interest, and attraction. Strong, long lasted eye gaze can be considered strong passion that involves psychology. Normal, steady, constant eye contact is often taken as a sign that a person is telling the truth and is trustworthy.
● Haptics: Haptics indicate communication through touch and physical expressions. Touch can be used to communicate affection, familiarity, sympathy, and other emotions. Touch can be very effective in developing a connection between two persons. There is a generalized belief that Women tend to use touch to convey care, concern, and nurturance. Men, on the other hand, are more likely to use touch to assert power or control over others. There has been a substantial amount of research on the importance of touch in infancy and early childhood.
● Appearance: Our everyday appearances or fashion habit may decide our interests or preferences. Our choice of color, clothing, hairstyles, and other factors affecting appearance are also considered a means of nonverbal communication. Research on color psychology has demonstrated that different colors can evoke different moods. Appearance can also alter physiological reactions, judgments, and interpretations. Culture is an important influence on how appearances are judged. While thinness tends to be valued in Western cultures, some African cultures relate full-figured bodies to better health, wealth, and social status.
● Artifacts: Arts, illustrations, vivid picture or series of imageries can be significant in nonverbal communication. People often spend a great deal of time developing a particular image and surrounding themselves with objects designed to convey information about the things that are important to them.
Conclusion
Therefore, nonverbal communication can be greatly effective where verbal communication falls to express. Various passions, emotions, inner interpretations can be conveyed by nonverbal interaction. What a person actually says along with his or her expressions, appearance, and tone of voice might tell you a great deal about what that person is really trying to say.
