The most important form of communication is non-verbal, through facial expressions, gestures, eye contact as well as body language and posture. The true meaning behind what someone is saying versus what they mean can be determined through non-verbal communication. This essay will go into great detail on the subject of nonverbal communication, the true meaning behind the topic, why it is important, different nonverbal cues and their meaning, and how to improve nonverbal communication in everyday life. Additional aspects to consider when reading this paper are the two types of roles an individual can play through nonverbal communication; one of which is the sender, the other is the receiver. The sender is sending the messages, whereas the receiver
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Although there isn’t a clear percentage that is scientifically backed, the general consensus is that nonverbal communication makes up the majority of communication. Nonverbal communication cues happen all the time, whether the sender wants to send that nonverbal message or not. Messages that come from non-verbal communication rely heavily on the perception of the person receiving the non-verbal communication. An example of this comes from the book, Nonverbal Communication in Human Interaction, posture effects the perception of a hug. “If two Eastern European men began cheek kissing at the end of the hug you may not be surprised if you are from Eastern Europe. However, it would probably be surprising to see if you were from Midwestern small town in the United States” (Knapp, 1978). This example illustrates why it is so imperative and challenging to interpret non-verbal communication. Another beneficial element of nonverbal communication is that it can provide indication if a person is lying or not. There are three ways nonverbal communication shows if a person is being deceptive: emotional reactions, content complexity and attempted behavioral control (Manusov, 2006). Emotional reactions account for loss of eye contact or increase in body movements. Content complexity can be summarized as how in-depth did the liar go with the fabrication? Was the lie rehearsed or had the story changed the second time around? Liars also may go into great effort in trying to control their behavior and act rehearsed so they think they look like they know what they are talking
Although there isn’t a clear percentage that is scientifically backed, the general consensus is that nonverbal communication makes up the majority of communication. Nonverbal communication cues happen all the time, whether the sender wants to send that nonverbal message or not. Messages that come from non-verbal communication rely heavily on the perception of the person receiving the non-verbal communication. An example of this comes from the book, Nonverbal Communication in Human Interaction, posture effects the perception of a hug. “If two Eastern European men began cheek kissing at the end of the hug you may not be surprised if you are from Eastern Europe. However, it would probably be surprising to see if you were from Midwestern small town in the United States” (Knapp, 1978). This example illustrates why it is so imperative and challenging to interpret non-verbal communication. Another beneficial element of nonverbal communication is that it can provide indication if a person is lying or not. There are three ways nonverbal communication shows if a person is being deceptive: emotional reactions, content complexity and attempted behavioral control (Manusov, 2006). Emotional reactions account for loss of eye contact or increase in body movements. Content complexity can be summarized as how in-depth did the liar go with the fabrication? Was the lie rehearsed or had the story changed the second time around? Liars also may go into great effort in trying to control their behavior and act rehearsed so they think they look like they know what they are talking