Discover These Five Ways of Communicating Without Words
- Facial Expressions
- Postures and Body Movements
- Gestures
- Eye Contact
- Personal Space and Touch
The types of non-verbal communication used by people can be as important as or even more important than the words that they say. There are even times when a person’s interpersonal communication is at odds with their words. Understanding these five types of non-word communication could help eliminate a lot of miscommunications, arguments and confusion.
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1. Facial Expressions
Facial expressions are the most universal type of non-verbal communication. Gestures, personal space and eye contact differ across cultures, but facial expressions are consistent through all ages, cultures, and languages. People use facial expressions to convey disgust, anger, worry, happiness, sadness, surprise, disbelief and more. The human face can make a wide range of facial expressions, some lasting for just microseconds.
2. Postures and Body Movements
The way a person stands or sits and how they move their body also conveys important parts of communication. Posture, bearing and stance can make a difference between a person who seems confident and a person who appears ready to cause physical harm. Even subtle body movements can add a lot of meaning to a person’s words. Postures can differ across cultures. For example, “manspreading” is common in the USA, while European men tend to sit with their knees crossed.
3. Gestures
Gestures are movements of the hand. They include pointing, beckoning and waving. Some gestures are meant to offend, while others are done for emphasis or attention. A gesture such as the “okay” symbol may be alright to use in the USA among Americans, but doing it in Russia will cause a person to be offended. Gestures are easily misinterpreted, so they need to be used with a lot of caution. Many people do not realize they are doing certain gestures, such as wringing their hands while speaking in anger or frustration.
4. Eye Contact
According to Help Guide, eye contact is another important part of human communication. During a conversation, maintaining eye contact shows attention and interest. On the other hand, staring is often found to be offensive or even scary to some people. Looking elsewhere when talking to a person shows a lack of interest, disrespect or boredom. The eyes can show emotions such as hostility, romantic interest, affection or general interest in a person. People are visual creatures, and eye contact or lack thereof is a key means of flow in a conversation and development of an interaction.
5. Personal Space and Touch
It feels natural for some people to sit closely or even touch while talking. For example, a mother may talk to her toddler with the child in her lap or while touching the child’s shoulders. A preschool teacher might whisper in a youngster’s ears. A family might sit with their shoulders touching at a family dinner gathering. On mass transit, people often dislike the physical proximity of a crowded bus or train car. A complete stranger who stands too close or touches a person during an initial conversation could be seen as creepy. A pat on the head can be patronizing to the recipient.
Non-word communication also differs across cultures. One hand gesture that is fine in the USA might be offensive in Germany, and sitting very close to someone is routine in Italy, but not in England. Understanding these five types of non-verbal communication and their nuances facilitates all types of interactions and relationships.