Non Verbal Communication: What's Exactly ? Discover It's Types, Functions, Methods and Strategies + Much More...!

Prof.(Dr.) D G Mahto, Founder & CEO -
Abstract:
Non-verbal communication is information that is passed without the use of spoken or written words. The non-verbal platform includes eye contact (oculesics) or the lack thereof, facial expressions, gestures, posture, personal appearance, the physical environment and the artefacts/objects that compose it, touch (haptics), paralanguage (vocalics), the use of time (chronemics), and the distance between you and your audience (proxemics).

For example, when interviewing for a job, we might not realize that employers will evaluate what we do as much as what we say. Crossed arms can imply defensiveness, poor posture may seem unprofessional, and a downward gaze (avoiding eye contact) will draw away from the confident impression we want to give.

What type of communication describes our body language?

  • Repeating – using specific gestures to strengthen a verbal message (e.g. pointing to the object of discussion).
  • Conflicting – when verbal and non-verbal messages within the same interaction send contradicting meaning. Conflicting messages often arise from feelings of confusion, indecision, or frustration (e.g. a friend saying how they had a great time during the party, but his voice sounds flat and his face lacks emotion).
  • Complementing – the accuracy of understanding information is greater when the nonverbal and verbal complement each other. Messages have been shown to be correctly recalled to a greater degree when body language affirms the verbal exchange (e.g. saying you are happy and joyfully showing it too).
  • Substituting – at times non-verbal behaviour is used as the sole channel for communication. A simple gesture can substitute words (e.g. shaking your head to say no).
  • Regulating – we can use non-verbal signals to regulate speech. Called “turn-taking signals”, these gestures make it possible for us to alternate between speaking and listening (e.g. touching someone´s arm can signal that you want to talk next).
  • Accenting – when we use non-verbal signals to emphasize our words. Good speakers will know when to use strong gestures, deliberate pauses, changes in vocal volume or speech rate, etc. (e.g. someone who is verbally expressing anger may accent the message by speaking very loudly).
Non Verbal Communication includes — but is not limited to:
touch
glance
eye contact (gaze)
volume
vocal nuance
proximity
gestures
facial expression? 
pause (silence)
intonation
dress
posture
smell
word choice and syntax
sounds (paralanguage)

Broadly speaking, there are two basic categories of non-verbal language:
nonverbal messages produced by the body;
nonverbal messages produced by the broad setting (time, space, silence)

Keywords:
Non Verbal Communication, Silence, Gestures, Posture, Personal Appearance, Physical Environment, Artefacts, Objects, Touch, Paralanguage, Chronemics, Proxemics.
Learning Outcomes 
After undergoing this article you will be able to understand the following 
1. What's exactly Nonverbal Communication?
2. Functions of Non-Verbal Communication
3. Importance of Nonverbal Communication
4. Methods of Nonverbal Communication
5. Types of Nonverbal Communication
6. Ways to Improve the Effectiveness of Nonverbal Communication
7. Conclusion
8. FAQs
References
1. What's exactly Nonverbal Communication?
Definition (CBC): “nonverbal communication involves those nonverbal stimuli in a communication setting that are generated by both the source [speaker] and his or her use of the environment and that have potential message value for the source or receiver [listener]. Basically it is sending and receiving messages in a variety of ways without the use of verbal codes (words). It is both intentional and unintentional. Most speakers / listeners are not conscious of this. 

Non Verbal Communication includes — but is not limited to:
touch
glance
eye contact (gaze)
volume
vocal nuance
proximity
gestures
facial expression? 
pause (silence)
intonation
dress
posture
smell
word choice and syntax
sounds (paralanguage)

Broadly speaking, there are two basic categories of non-verbal language:
nonverbal messages produced by the body;
nonverbal messages produced by the broad setting (time, space, silence)

2. Functions of Non-Verbal Communication
Non-verbal communication plays a significant role in our daily interactions. It is the symbolic expression of messages without the use of words or verbal utterances.

Non-verbal messages work in conjunction with verbal messages to convey meaning. The question to ask is: How do nonverbal messages function in relation to speech?

In this regard, Hickson and Stacks (1989) identified six major functions of nonverbal communication: repetition, contradiction, substitution, accentuation, supplementation or modification, and regulation. The following discussion provides details on these functions:

Repetition
Repetition involves reinforcing verbal messages through redundancy. For example, if someone asks, “How far is the next town?” and you respond with “Two miles” while simultaneously holding up two fingers, this redundancy repeats the verbal message using a different channel, making it easier for others to understand.

Contradiction
Contradiction is the opposite of repetition and negates the verbal message. It occurs when nonverbal cues, such as tone of voice or facial expressions, contradict the spoken words. For instance, when a person’s tone is sarcastic, it contradicts the literal meaning of their words.

Substitution
Substitution involves using nonverbal messages to replace verbal messages. For example, a person may convey happiness by smiling and making a fist with a raised thumb, substituting the need for spoken words to express their joy.

Accentuation
Accentuation occurs when nonverbal messages are used to emphasize or strengthen words. For instance, some people may raise their voices or use gestures to emphasize a point during a conversation. These nonverbal cues accentuate their verbal statements.

Supplementation/Modification
Supplementation or modification happens when nonverbal messages accompany verbal words to slightly change or enhance their meaning. For example, a hug may supplement the words “I love you,” and a smile can modify the sentence “It’s nice to see you.”

Regulation
Regulation takes place when nonverbal messages help control the flow of verbal communication. Elements like eye contact, touch, body positioning, and vocal pitch are used to regulate conversations. For example, a professor may call on a student by making eye contact.

These functions can occur separately or in combination, through multiple channels, and simultaneously. They are crucial for effective communication. However, nonverbal messages can also be a source of confusion and miscommunication.

3. Importance of Nonverbal Communication
Your nonverbal communication cues—the way you listen, look, move, and react—tell the person you're communicating with whether or not you care, if you're being truthful, and how well you're listening. When your nonverbal signals match up with the words you're saying, they increase trust, clarity, and rapport.

By using positive body language and vocal cues, individuals can convey a willingness to listen and understand, which can help de-escalate conflicts and find solutions to problems. Using positive body language conveys a message to the other person that you are willing to resolve the conflict.
4. Methods of Nonverbal Communication
Here are 10 of the most common forms of nonverbal communication:
  • Facial expressions.
  • Kinesics. Kinesics, or gestures, are conscious body movements like waving, pointing, and giving a thumbs up or down. ...
  • Paralinguistics. ...
  • Body language and posture. ...
  • Proxemics. ...
  • Gaze. ...
  • Haptics. ...
  • Appearance.
  • Chronemics
  • Physiological responses
5. Types of Nonverbal Communication

There are many different forms of nonverbal communication. The main categories of nonverbal cues include:

  1. Kinesics (or body movements): These include deliberate hand gestures and head movements like a thumbs-up or affirmative head shake. This is one of the most easily controllable of the nonverbal forms of communication. 
  2. Proxemics (or closeness/personal space): This is the measure of physical distance between people when they communicate. The standard amount of personal space expected by someone varies depending on setting and is somewhat culture-specific.
  3. Posture: The way that you sit or stand and how open your body is to others around you communicates a lot about your attitude and emotional state.
  4. Eye contact: This is one of the primary ways that human beings gauge interest or disinterest. Wavering eyes tend to communicate unease or even dishonesty.
  5. Touch: Many interactions begin with an exchange of physical touch like a hug or a handshake.
  6. Paralanguage: This category covers vocal qualities like loudness or tone of voice. Paralinguistic signals are any aspect of the sound of a voice outside a direct verbal translation of words being spoken.
  7. Facial expressions: Facial expressions are one of the main indicators of someone’s attitude. An emotional expression like a frown or smile can be hard to consciously control.
  8. Physiology: This category includes changes in body physiology like an increase in sweat or blinking rapidly. These are nearly impossible to deliberately control.
6. Strategies to Improve the Effectiveness of Nonverbal Communication
Non-verbal communication strategies are ways you communicate without speaking, for example through facial expressions, hand gestures, eye contact, and body language.
7 lessons to improve your non-verbal communication are
  • Make proper eye contact. Eye contact makes up a huge part of non-verbal communication. 
  • Be aware of body language. 
  • Facial expressions don't lie. 
  • Play with your tone of voice. 
  • Pay attention to discrepancies in behavior. 
  • When in doubt, ask. 
  • Practice makes perfect.

Nonverbal communication is everything other than spoken words. This can include your body language, facial expressions, vocal inflections, and more. There are nine types of nonverbal communication, and understanding them helps you encode and decode nonverbal signals more effectively. In this article, we take a look at the nine nonverbal cues, plus get 10 tips on how you can improve your nonverbal communication in the workplace.

A lot of times, when we say nonverbal communication, we think of body language. And it’s true that body language is an important part of nonverbal communication. It’s arguably the most visible part, and it’s one of the easiest to learn to manage. 

Body language, however, is only one type of nonverbal communication. There are in fact nine types nonverbal cues you communicate with every day—and only paying attention to body movements restricts your understanding of nonverbal messages. In this article, we’ll dive into all nine nonverbal signals, and take a look at how you can improve your nonverbal communication in the workplace.

The nine types of nonverbal communication are:

  1. Body language: This nonverbal cue refers to the position your body is in. This can include your posture—are you slouching or sitting at attention? Things like fidgeting, crossing your arms, picking at your nails, and crossing your legs all make up the body language form of nonverbal communication.

  2. Gestures (kinesics): Gestures and body language are slightly different—gestures tend to be more purposeful, but are also significantly more culturally coded. These include hand gestures like the thumbs up or ok sign, as well as common mannerisms like shrugging your shoulders.

  3. Facial expressions: Like gestures, many facial expressions are purposeful—things like smiling, nodding your head, shaking your head, frowning, etc. However, we also exhibit unconscious facial expressions when we’re stressed or worried, for example your eyes widening when you’re surprised or flinching slightly when you hear a loud noise.

  4. Eye contact: Eye contact makes up a huge part of how you communicate nonverbally. That being said, the meaning of eye contact differs between cultures. In some cultures, lack of eye contact signals disinterest—in others, too much direct eye contact might make people uncomfortable. 

  5. Tone of voice (paralinguistics): Your paralanguage is composed of your voice, tone, volume, speed, and speaking cadence. For example, you may have noticed that you speak faster when you’re nervous (most people do). Alternatively, you might unconsciously begin whispering if you’re sharing a secret.  

  6. Personal space (proxemics): Nonverbal communication isn’t just centered around your body movements—it also includes how you  interact with the space around you. The physical distance between you and someone else, for example, may reveal something about that relationship. This nonverbal cue is also highly culturally applicable—so try to mirror what your coworkers do to avoid making someone uncomfortable. 

  7. Touch: You might not think of touch as a form of communication, but it definitely is! For example, a lot of business people claim to tell a lot about a person based on how they shake hands. In the same vein, you probably wouldn’t high five your company’s CEO—but you’d probably high five your high school best friend. 

  8. Appearance: Clothing is a big aspect of how we show up every day. Everyone has their own unique style, so if one of your coworkers starts wearing clothes they don’t typically wear, that could be an indication of something having changed in their lives. 

  9. Objects: Like clothing, objects give you insight into what a person is like—without them having to speak. Imagine a coworker who carries their personal planner with them everywhere they go. You automatically have a sense that this person is organized, simply based on the object they’re carrying. In a virtual world, a lot can be said about a person’s Zoom background. What objects did they intentionally place behind them for everyone to see?


10 tips to improve nonverbal communication in the workplace

There are two elements of unconscious communication that impact your workplace experience: encoding and decoding. Encoding refers to how you display nonverbal cues. These can be purposeful or unconscious signals—like emotional expressions you might not intend to display or body posture you aren’t thinking about. Decoding, on the other hand, is the process of interpreting someone else’s nonverbal messages. This helps you become a better communicator and pick up on nonverbal cues your coworkers drop. 

It’s also important to remember that nonverbal communication in the workplace—in particular decoding different messages—varies from culture to culture. These 10 tips help you build a framework for encoding and decoding behaviors, but every team situation is slightly different. 

Encoding your own nonverbal behavior

Oftentimes, encoding your nonverbal cues seems like a huge hurdle to overcome—but you actually do this all the time. It’s true that some of our encoded nonverbal behaviors are accidental, but many gestures and movements are purposefully encoded. Think of head nods, rolling your eyes, or even tapping your foot if you’re impatient. 

To practice encoding your nonverbal behavior more purposefully, try these five tips: 

  1. Pay attention to your own communication style. There are four communication styles, which describe how different people communicate. so you aren’t coming across as aggressive or passive—even unconsciously. 

  2. Practice being in the present. Increasing mindfulness is part of encoding your nonverbal cues. When you’re more aware of yourself and your surroundings, you’re more in control of the signals you’re sending off—both verbally and nonverbally. 

  3. Reduce stress. Often, we unintentionally encode nonverbal cues due to emotional stress. Essentially, you’re in fight-or-flight mode, which reduces your ability to purposefully communicate. 

  4. Address any underlying conditions. You may be encoding nonverbal cues without realizing it because of underlying or unconscious feelings. Before you can improve those behaviors, you first need to understand the root cause. 

  5. Prioritize face-to-face interaction if possible. This increases the likelihood of miscommunication or misunderstanding. Where possible, aim for an in-person conversation—especially if you’re offering or discussing a difficult topic. 

Decoding nonverbal cues

The second part of nonverbal communication is decoding other people’s nonverbal signals. 

To improve your ability to decode others’ nonverbal signals, practice the following: 

  1. Build your emotional intelligence. The first step to decoding any type of message—verbal or otherwise—is to build your emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, regulate, and understand emotions—both in yourself and in others. 

  2. Develop active listening skills. When you practice active listening, you’re more engaged and present in the moment, which can help you pick up on small nonverbal cues.  

  3. Look for discrepancies between their true feelings and conversation. One of the most important things about nonverbal communication is the ability to pick up on signals the other person isn’t saying. For example, if a team member claims they’re excited to get started on a project but they look away and cross their arms, they may not be as excited as they’re saying. Picking up on these signals can help you dig further—for example, are they worried about the project, and is there anything you can do to help? 

  4. Strengthen your cultural intelligence. This is particularly important if you’re a manager, since you don’t want to decode and misinterpret someone else’s nonverbal cues. 

  5. When in doubt, ask. The biggest risk of decoding nonverbal communication is coming to an assumption that isn’t true. 

7. Conclusion
Strong communication skills can help you in both your personal and professional life. While verbal and written communication skills are important, research has shown that nonverbal behaviors make up a large percentage of our daily interpersonal communication.

When words fail to match up with nonverbal signals, people tend to ignore what has been said and focus instead on unspoken expressions of moods, thoughts, and feelings. So when someone says one thing but their body language suggests something else, it can be useful to pay extra attention to those subtle nonverbal cues.
8. FAQs 

Q. 1. What is the role of non-verbal communication in daily life?
Ans.: Nonverbal communication plays a significant role in our lives, as it can improve a person's ability to relate, engage, and establish meaningful interactions in everyday life. A better understanding of this type of communication may lead people to develop stronger relationships with others.

Q 2. What are the unique challenges to non-verbal communication?
Ans : Cultural differences play a significant role in non-verbal communication, for it makes people differ in the interpretation and meaning of specific non-verbal cues. Non- verbal language barriers are the obstacles or problems or walls which separate people and prevent them from understanding each other.

Cultural Differences in Non-verbal Communication
General Appearance and Dress
All cultures are concerned for how they look and make judgements based on looks and dress. Americans, for instance, appear almost obsessed with dress and personal attractiveness. Consider differing cultural standards on what is attractive in dress and on what constitutes modesty. Note ways dress is used as a sign of status?

Body Movement
We send information on attitude toward person (facing or leaning towards another), emotional statue (tapping fingers, jiggling coins), and desire to control the environment (moving towards or away from a person).

More than 700,000 possible motions we can make — so impossible to categorize them all! But just need to be aware the body movement and position is a key ingredient in sending messages.
 
Posture
Consider the following actions and note cultural differences:

Bowing (not done, criticized, or affected in US; shows rank in Japan)
Slouching (rude in most Northern European areas)
Hands in pocket (disrespectful in Turkey)
Sitting with legs crossed (offensive in Ghana, Turkey)
Showing soles of feet. (Offensive in Thailand, Saudi Arabia)
Even in US, there is a gender difference on acceptable posture?
 
Gestures
Impossible to catalog them all. But need to recognize: 1) incredible possibility and variety and 2) that an acceptable in one’s own culture may be offensive in another. In addition, amount of gesturing varies from culture to culture. Some cultures are animated; other restrained. Restrained cultures often feel animated cultures lack manners and overall restraint. Animated cultures often feel restrained cultures lack emotion or interest.

Even simple things like using hands to point and count differ.

Pointing : US with index finger; Germany with little finger; Japanese with entire hand (in fact most Asians consider pointing with index finger to be rude)

Counting: Thumb = 1 in Germany, 5 in Japan, middle finger for 1 in Indonesia.
 
Facial Expressions
While some say that facial expressions are identical, meaning attached to them differs. Majority opinion is that these do have similar meanings world-wide with respect to smiling, crying, or showing anger, sorrow, or disgust. However, the intensity varies from culture to culture. Note the following:

Many Asian cultures suppress facial expression as much as possible.
Many Mediterranean (Latino / Arabic) cultures exaggerate grief or sadness while most American men hide grief or sorrow.
Some see “animated” expressions as a sign of a lack of control.
Too much smiling is viewed in as a sign of shallowness.
Women smile more than men.

Eye Contact and Gaze
In USA, eye contact indicates: degree of attention or interest, influences attitude change or persuasion, regulates interaction, communicates emotion, defines power and status, and has a central role in managing impressions of others.

Western cultures — see direct eye to eye contact as positive (advise children to look a person in the eyes). But within USA, African-Americans use more eye contact when talking and less when listening with reverse true for Anglo Americans. This is a possible cause for some sense of unease between races in US. A prolonged gaze is often seen as a sign of sexual interest.
Arabic cultures make prolonged eye-contact. — believe it shows interest and helps them understand truthfulness of the other person. (A person who doesn’t reciprocate is seen as untrustworthy)
Japan, Africa, Latin American, Caribbean — avoid eye contact to show respect.
 
Touch
Question: Why do we touch, where do we touch, and what meanings do we assign when someone else touches us?
 
Illustration: An African-American male goes into a convenience store recently taken over by new Korean immigrants. He gives a $20 bill for his purchase to Mrs Cho who is cashier and waits for his change. He is upset when his change is put down on the counter in front of him.
What is the problem? Traditional Korean (and many other Asian countries) don’t touch strangers., especially between members of the opposite sex. But the African-American sees this as another example of discrimination (not touching him because he is black).

Basic answer: Touch is culturally determined! But each culture has a clear concept of what parts of the body one may not touch. Basic message of touch is to affect or control — protect, support, disapprove (i.e. hug, kiss, hit, kick).  

USA — handshake is common (even for strangers), hugs, kisses for those of opposite gender or of family (usually) on an increasingly more intimate basis. Note differences between African-Americans and Anglos in USA. Most African Americans touch on greeting but are annoyed if touched on the head (good boy, good girl overtones).
Islamic and Hindu: typically don’t touch with the left hand. To do so is a social insult. Left hand is for toilet functions. Mannerly in India to break your bread only with your right hand (sometimes difficult for non-Indians)
 Islamic cultures generally don’t approve of any touching between genders (even hand shakes). But consider such touching (including hand holding, hugs) between same-sex to be appropriate.
Many Asians don’t touch the head (Head houses the soul and a touch puts it in jeopardy).
Basic patterns: Cultures (English , German, Scandinavian, Chinese, Japanese) with high emotional restraint concepts have little public touch; those which encourage emotion (Latino, Middle-East, Jewish) accept frequent touches.

Smell
 
USA — fear of offensive natural smells (billion dollar industry to mask objectionable odors with what is perceived to be pleasant ) — again connected with “attractiveness” concept.
Many other cultures consider natural body odors as normal (Arabic).
Asian cultures (Filipino, Malay, Indonesian, Thai, Indian) stress frequent bathing — and often criticize USA of not bathing often enough!

Paralanguage
 
vocal characterizers (laugh, cry, yell, moan, whine, belch, yawn). These send different messages in different cultures (Japan — giggling indicates embarrassment; India – belch indicates satisfaction)
vocal qualifiers (volume, pitch, rhythm, tempo, and tone). Loudness indicates strength in Arabic cultures and softness indicates weakness; indicates confidence and authority to the Germans,; indicates impoliteness to the Thais; indicates loss of control to the Japanese. (Generally, one learns not to “shout” in Asia for nearly any reason!). Gender based as well: women tend to speak higher and more softly than men.
vocal segregates (un-huh, shh, uh, ooh, mmmh, humm, eh, mah, lah). Segregates indicate formality, acceptance, assent, uncertainty.

References

Prof. (Dr.) D. G. Mahto is a multifaceted professional, serving as a Director, Professor, Philanthropist, HEI Builder, prolific writer, international consultant, reviewer, and expert career advisor at "Career Education for Success—Discover, Apply, Succeed!" He has guided countless individuals, products, and brands in discovering their true potential through insightful content, purposeful concepts, and motivational writing. With a deep sense of leadership and a commitment to community upliftment, he inspires others with his success stories and takes on the challenge of driving technological transformation, redefining social impact, and fostering interpersonal relationships for a more meaningful, balanced life. Prof. Mahto is dedicated to bridging the gap between dreams and reality for young people, striving for qualitative change in their lives. To explore his articles, books, and international journal contributions, visit his blogs at Career Education Success Now, Career Edus, and Discover Knowledge Wisely. You can also reach out to him via email.

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