Non-Verbal

COMM 174

May 4 2011

Non-verbal Communication

Language is the one thing that all four verbal communication skills have in common; it is a specifically human form of communication that uses symbols to represent ideas and concepts.

Nonverbal communication is the way we communicate without using words, it's our facial expressions, body postures, eye contacts and touch. We can express much without using words. If a person does not talk to you on purpose and ignores you; that is communicating nonverbally that he or she is angry with you. If we do not notice it, we nonverbally communicate everyday.

I think communication is the key to human existence; It has allowed us to grow, learn, build, and survive day to day. When talking to others we send messages, which is received, decoded, and responded to accordingly. There is more to communication than just its verbal aspects, during conversations we all communicate not only verbally but also nonverbal, by using both forms it helps people convey and support message being sent. Body language, tone, gestures, facial expressions and eye movement, all are typical types of nonverbal communication.

It has been noted that communication is far more than speech and writing and most of us are unaware that we are communicating in many different ways even when we are not speaking. Growing up in a society, we learn how to use gestures, glances, slight changes in tone of voice, and other auxiliary communication devices to alter or emphasize what we say and do. We learn these highly culture bound techniques over years largely by observing others and imitating them.

Sometimes when asking someone we know well how they are doing we can notice if what they answer are really how they feel, I believe that the longer you known someone the better you will adapt to what their nonverbal communication is saying. Nonverbal communication can be different depending on the person and their culture. Although verbal communication is more often straightforward, nonverbal allows others to sense the true emotions from the person expressing them.

We learn from birth that we get what we need out of our body gestures and non-verbal communications. We learn to trust our environment and those around us, and are encouraged to continue in our actions and then go on to develop properly.

One best way to tell what the other person is expressing is to monitor their body language. Body language explains a great deal for every specific individual. It is beneficial to know how to read signs of nonverbal communication, to truly understand how someone maybe feeling or thinking.

Body language has always been an important aspect of human communication, and usually occurs subconsciously during day-to-day interactions. The way we cross our legs while sitting, our posture, and our facial features all denote important attributes to the way we present ourselves to others on a day-to-day basis. I consider non-verbal communication is the key to our inner selves, and often displays our true feelings, when our verbalizations do not. Nonverbal message corresponds in one of three ways: It replaces, reinforces, or contradicts a verbal message.

They are also influenced by context of culture, since we have so many different cultures I will make it a point to ask about a person's particular culture. It will show care and concern of the person as well as their culture and history. if you do not speak the foreign language, you can still communicate with people of another country by using body language and facial expressions.

I remember being abroad in Italy and I used the bus a lot and always had my bus ticket with me all the time and the only day I decided to lose my ticket a cop got in and asked for them, I tried talking Italian, just tired to explain what had happened, but really I have no clue what I was saying I just remember moving my hands all around eventually he just laughed and let me go. I think that understanding body language of the destination country and interpreting body language correctly will not only assist you to avoid unpleasant situation but will grant you respect or sympathy from the locals. I learned that there are rules to communication that people follow and respect and expect other people to do so as well. So much can be learned about an individual by watching what they do. For example some people are very serious about having their own personal space or time and when you invade someone's space or break a communication rule people tend to feel awkward and uncomfortable.

Along with different types of nonverbal communication there are different uses for it. The first way that it can be used is to compliment your spoken message. For instance when you are telling someone that you will miss him or her