Nonverbal communication comes in many forms such as: facial
expressions, body movements, gestures, eye contact, and touch, to name a few.
Facial expressions are one of the easiest forms of
communication to interpret. The facial expressions for happiness, anger,
sadness, and other emotions are universal—that is, consistent throughout all
cultures.
Other forms of
nonverbal communication are not so consistent across cultures and can often
lead to misinterpretation. Take hand gestures for example; in Canadian culture,
it is rude to point at other people, whereas in the Chinese culture, it is a
norm. In addition, many Asian cultures are very strict and conservative which
consequently, a side effect of this is shyness—and thus, eye contact is usually
absent but is not detrimental to the bond of communication. In contrast,
Western cultures require eye contact during communication and the lack of it
can be interpreted as dishonesty and ambiguity.
Touch is a strong form of nonverbal communication that can
send of many messages. For example, giving a strong and firm handshake shows
the receiver that you have strength and confidence in what you represent.
Receiving a limp handshake makes an ill first impression; limp handshakes make
the receiver feel as if you do not care about the meeting if one interprets
your handshake this way, it makes them uncomfortable trusting you with
responsibilities.
Do not be mistaken however, nonverbal communication cannot
be faked; your thoughts and feelings give off too many signals for you to be
conscience of at one time. In essence, the more effort that is put in to faking
nonverbal communication, the more unnatural it will come across to your
audience.
It is vital to learn how to control your thoughts and your
emotions as it is constantly being communicated to your audience. Constantly
keeping positive thoughts at the forefront of your mind and maintaining a
positive attitude will send of positive nonverbal communication signals that
will affect how others see you—it will affect how much they like you, respect
you, and trust you.
This does not mean you should avoid negative thoughts and
emotions at all costs; it should be dealt with in a constructive manner, rather
than a destructive one. Keep in mind, emotions are just as contagious as yawns;
if you are miserable, you will cause the people surrounding you to be miserable
as well—bad news. If you find yourself in an upsetting situation and your mind
is overwhelmed with emotions, step back and take a deep breathe. As soon as
your upset subsides, it is easier to jump back into the situation with an
objective view to deal with the situation in a positive manner.
Of course this is easier said than done. I’ve been in
situations where I’ve been accused of lying because I could not look straight
into someone’s eyes while making a statement, but it’s actually because I am
uncomfortable with eye contact. I’ve had those fights where I just wanted to
strangle my significant other because he was pushing all my buttons and my
emotions were just overwhelming the situation. My point is, it’s hard to do
sometimes but effective nonverbal communication should always be exercised as
it does relieve the situation very quickly.
Have you had arguments with someone and found a quick
resolution because you downshifted?
SOURCE:
Segal, J., Smith, M., & Jaffe, J. “Nonverbal Communication”. Web.
2012. <http://www.helpguide.org/mental/eq6_nonverbal_communication.htm>.
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