12.4 Non-verbal communication
How often have you heard "actions speak louder than words"? Try this ...
- Fold your arms as you would normally. It is likely that you have crossed your left arm over your right? According to Allan Pease, research suggests that 7 out of 8 people cross their left arm over the right. Now try to cross them the other way ... feels unusual doesn't it?
The point is that people have habitual ways of behaving and through their behaviour communicate without words. Without words, behaviours can still tell us something about what a person is really thinking. What is non-verbal communication and what is body language ?
Facial expressions reveal much about a person's attitude and non-verbal information is also provided by how people use space and distance and physical signals such as posture and gestures. Even your clothing and grooming says something to the person with whom you are communicating.
Body language and non-verbal communication are a vital part of communication between customers and providers. They are also a vital part of your every day interactions at work or at home and have a direct bearing upon your effectiveness. Non-verbal communication is just as important but often less apparent than verbal communication. When we communicate verbally, we almost always communicate non-verbally at the same time.
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