The Importance of Nonverbal Communication

Week 8 - Nonverbal communication: understanding yourself and others

Much research has shown that nonverbal communication can convey a stronger message.   Nonverbal communication such as our facial expressions, gestures, eye contact, posture, and tone of voice is that which speak the loudest.  For me personally, nonverbal communication can be intentional such as smiling when receiving a compliment or unintentional such as blushing when receiving a compliment.

When we interact with others we are constantly giving and receiving nonverbal signals.   We are sending strong messages out to others through all of our nonverbal behaviours.  How loud or softly we speak, the way we sit, how close we stand to others, our facial and body gestures, the intensity and the amount of eye contact we make, are all communicating strong messages, whether they be positive or negative.  Further, often a person may say one thing and the nonverbal signals are saying something completely the opposite.

Many nonverbal behaviours are universal and certain expressions have the same meaning around the globe such as a smile or laughter being a signal of positive emotions (Adler & Rodman 2003, p.157).  However Eunson (2005, p.235) does not agree with this and states that smiling or laughing can signify tension or unhappiness in some cultures given the situation.  I can identify with this as I remember when my sister and I were 11 and 10 years old, after returning home from netball my mother told us that our grandmother had just passed away.  I stood frozen and my sister let out a giggle.  I remember at the time thinking, how can anyone laugh over the death of someone.  It was only until I was older that I realised that this was the way in which she could cope with the sad news.

The meaning of certain gestures varies amongst cultures.  For example, in Australia it is shown as being a positive if we show our thumb upward (or two thumbs up) to somebody because it means “great” or “like” on Facebook etcetera.  But in other cultures it can be seen as a rude insult.

Eye contact in most cultures is considered to be a very important type of nonverbal communication and in fact we are taught to “look people in the eye.”  You can communicate many things to someone by the way you look at them such as interest, honesty and affection.  However, in cultures such as Asian, Middle Eastern and Native American, eye contact is considered to be quite disrespectful or rude (Vermont Department of Health, n.d.).

Touch and space are also ways in which we communicate and some forms of greetings could be an indicator about our attitudes towards personal space. For example in Japan it is usual to bend towards each other, which is without body contact and in Australia it is usual to give a handshake.  While in the Netherlands it is usual to give kisses (three) on the cheeks, a rather close way of greeting that could make people feel quite uncomfortable.

Kossen, Kiernan and Lawrence (2013, p.256) state ‘nonverbal communication can be an unreliable form of communication’ due to it being interpreted differently by different observers.  However, as Eunson (2005, p.232) suggests, ‘nonverbal communication can be a very powerful tool in understanding ourselves and others.’   

To conclude, people can interpret nonverbal communication differently and while some signals may be easier to decode than others there are still differences in people’s personalities and culture.  Being aware of the nonverbal cues and signals that we send and receive should improve our ability to communicate more effectively.

Finally, we can also see the funny side of our nonverbal cues:  Click the link below to view the importance of nonverbal cues as told by “Friends”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvEci5Bjgd4

References:

Adler, RB & Rodman, G 2003, Understanding human communication, 8^th edn, Oxford University Press, New York

Eunson, B 2005, Communicating in the 21^st century, 1^st edn, John Wiley & Sons Australia Ltd, Milton

Klawans, K 2013, ‘The importance of nonverbal cues as told by “Friends”’, viewed 17 December 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvEci5Bjgd4

Kossen, C & Kiernan, EF & Lawrence, JE 2013, Communicating for success, Pearson Australia, Frenchs Forest.

Vermont Department of Health n.d. ‘Cultural Differences in non-verbal communication’, viewed 17 December 2014, http://healthvermont.gov/family/toolkit/