Communicating Without Speaking!

“Actions speak louder than words” is a very well-known quote rightly said by a famous English politician, John Pym. But what is the actual reason behind it?

Have you ever wondered why your pet comes running to you when you are feeling gloomy? Or when you can feel the emotions of a dancer only through their expressions and eye movements? Or when someone just “feels” unfriendly or uninterested? Or when you get a vibe that someone is into you? This article will provide you with the answer to these head-scratching questions!

WHAT IS A NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION?

Non-verbal communication, as self-explanatory as it is, is basically talking to someone without actually having to say something (sounds a little filmy, right?). Some common ways of non-verbal communications are actions, body language, facial expressions, paralinguistic, etc.

TYPES OF NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION AND HOW TO USE THEM TO YOUR BENEFIT!

1)PARALINGUISTIC:

This type includes pitch, tone, loudness of voice, etc. Now imagine that someone is hosting a career guidance seminar, professor XYZ has a very loud, confident, and strong voice and another professor ABC speaks in a hesitant and feeble voice. Which one’s advice would you trust on? Professor XYZ, right? Because his/ her tone of voice immediately sends across a message of authority and confidence to the entire public as a result of which people actually pay attention to what he/she is speaking.

2) FACIAL EXPRESSIONS:

Facial expressions are the most visible and universal form of non-verbal communication. A human face is capable of making almost ten thousand expressions, some of which include anger, happiness, fear, embarrassment, etc. Negative responses often include clenching of fists, tightening of the lower jaw, furrowed eyebrows, biting or tightening the lips. Whereas positive responses include exposing the neck, smiling, tilting the head to one side, widening the pupils. It is scientifically proven that the most trustworthy facial expression was slight raise of the eyebrow, strong eye contact, and a smile.

3) EYE CONTACT:

Eyes are an indicator of whether a person is lying or not. Generally, if someone is looking into your eyes during a conversation it means that they are interested and comfortable. The longer eye contact is maintained, the higher are the intimacy levels. A genuine smile can be distinguished from a polite and social one by the movement of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, fake smiles most often do not reach the eyes. Dilating or widening of the pupil while looking at someone is also proven to indicate affection and love. Similarly, one can also observe deceit in a person if he/she shows an increased frequency of blinking, is unable to make proper eye contact, or shifts their eyes somewhere else while speaking.

4) BODY LANGUAGE:

Body posture can say a lot about someone’s characteristics indicating whether a person is confident, open, dominating, or submissive. Gestures like the crossing of arms and legs may indicate that a person is feeling uncomfortable or self-defensive. Checking and re-checking time can also be an indicator that someone isn’t interested in talking to you. Fidgeting or tapping rapidly with feet or fingers indicates boredom, impatience, or frustration. Aggressiveness can be indicated by clasping the hands behind the back or standing with hands on the hips (defensive position).

There are usually 2 types of postures indicating different meanings associated with them:

•  Closed posture is the one with back hunched, arms and legs crossed, no eye contact, blank face, and leaning. This indicates that a person is uninterested, hostile, indifferent, and might be uncomfortable or anxious.
•  Open posture involves sitting up straight, arms open and freely moving, proper eye contact, a slight smile. This conveys that a person is friendly, open, and confident.

5) DISTANCE:

The distance can be a great indicator of the type of interaction taking place between someone. Here are the four types of distances and their meanings:

• Public Space: This type is a distance of 12 feet or more between two people, and the communication done in this space is mostly very formal.
• Social Space: This type is identified by an approximate distance of 4 to 12 feet between someone. When someone is arm’s length away from us, we acknowledge their presence and thus establish a better connection with them. Because of this reason, children are made to sit in social space in classrooms and thus establish a connection with their peers easily.
• Personal Space: This type has 2 subcategories, a) Outer- personal zone is a distance of 2.5 feet to 4 feet. These are used when someone wants to talk about a private matter but is not interpersonally close with you. b) Inter-personal zone is a distance of 1.5 feet to 2.5 feet and is reserved for friendly acquaintances, close friends, or significant others. Engaging in safe social touching can also be done easily in this zone. If someone is talking to you in this zone, they feel comfortable, close, and vulnerable when they are with you.
• Intimate Zone: Crossing the 1.5 feet space is entering the intimate zone, it is reserved for only best friends, family, and romantic partners. Before entering into someone’s intimate zone, asking for consent is important. It should be done only if both of the people involved are comfortable with each other. If someone is uncomfortable, you can clearly sense it if they are trying to push you back or are hesitant when you enter their intimate zone.

 WHAT IS THE TAKEAWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE?

I believe that now you are able to answer all the questions that I asked at the starting of this article! It’s all because you are able to feel someone’s emotions through many non-verbal signs. Have you ever heard from someone that they thought you were unfriendly when they first met you? If yes, it could be because unintentionally you might be conveying that you are reserved (like having a closed posture or not maintaining proper eye contact) through non-verbal signs. And now that you are aware of these signs, you can use them efficiently!

Please feel free to give any suggestions or ask any questions related to this article. I hope you enjoyed it!