What is the power of non-verbal communication?
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Written By: Ava Adiletti
There are many different forms of communication. We use communication on a daily basis and it is a vital part of our lives. Communication is used to let others know how we are feeling and what we want or need. Communication comes in so many forms. Verbal, non-verbal, visual, oral, interpersonal, listening, and written. No matter what type of communication we use, it is our way of connecting with people. The most popular types of communication we use is verbal and non-verbal. We use verbal communication with others by using our words and speaking. We use non-verbal communication through our facial expressions and body language.
Non-verbal communication is defined as the transfer of information from one person to another without the use of words or spoken language. Nonverbal communication can occur in a variety of ways, including through facial expressions, gestures, and body posture or position. We use facial expressions by moving our eyes, mouth, eyebrows, and nose. For example, a form of non-verbal communication using facial expressions is someone smiling which indicates they are happy. A gesture someone may use as a form of non-verbal communication is waving which is a form of saying hello. Body posture or position someone may use to show they are upset is by crossing their arms which shows they are angry.
A research study was conducted by the English Department at the University of Kuningan (https://knepublishing.com/index.php/KnE-Social/article/view/12979/20911). This study examines non-verbal communication in student’s speaking performance. The importance of having the ability to use non-verbal communication is echoed throughout the article. The most common used form of non-verbal communication used by students in the study was gestures. The least used form of non-verbal communication used by students in the study was eye contact. The five main types of non-verbal communication used in the study were facial expressions, eye movement, gestures, posture, and eye contact.
As someone who constantly uses non-verbal communication, most of the time I find myself using facial expressions to express my feelings. Facial expressions are an easy and often non-complicated way we can let others know how we are feeling.
The way data was collected in this study was by using observation and interview tactics. The observation was intended to find out the types of non-verbal communication in students’ speaking performance. The observer evaluated by using the five forms of non-verbal communication which are facial expression, eye movement, gestures, and eye contact. Based on the data collected, it was found that most of the students (43%) used gestures when delivering speech. Second, eye movement (27%) was also often used by the students. Third, eye contact used only (20%). Fourth is facial expression (6%). Lastly, posture was used only (4%) by the participants. This data supports that gestures were the most popular form of non-verbal communication used by students while delivering a speech. Students used gestures to convey their excitement while speaking.
Another aspect of the study looked at how aware we are of our use of how we use non-verbal communication. It was valid to say that the participants of the study were aware of the types of nonverbal communication during the speech and they were able to use the non-verbal communication properly. Most of the students agreed that they often used gestures in their speech. This also supported the data collected in the study.
This study showed that students felt more comfortable using non-verbal communication while delivering speeches and their preferred form of non-verbal communication was to use gestures. Non-verbal communication helped students deliver their message to the audience in an effective way.
Overall, non-verbal communication is a key aspect of our lives. We can enhance our non-verbal communication skills by putting them into practice and finding what skills help us get our message across to others. Non-verbal communication allows us to express our feelings in a way words sometimes can’t. Non-verbal communication has the power to engage others with a clear message.