Did you know.....

Did you know that there are many positive functions of non verbal communication?  Some may feel that non verbal communication is a bad thing because we send messages sometimes without the intent to but if you understand these functions you can use it to your advantage.  

Here are some functions and their explanations:

To Control and Regulate- Non verbal communication can guide how you want the conversation to flow. Simple gestures such as the raising of eyebrows, moving your body from one posture to the next and rolling of the eyes tells the speaker that you are intrigued, bored, not interested in what is being said or don’t believe what is being said.

To Complement and Illustrate- Non verbal communication can help a verbal meaning visually when explaining an idea, or strategy.  For example, a manager will extend his arms wide open to show his employees that a new design will have a big impact to the company.

To Replace & Substitute- When children are learning to speak they rely on body language to speak for them.  For example, shaking their heads to say “no” or throwing something to show they “don’t like it”.  A similar concept is demonstrated when people of different languages try to speak to one another.  For example, waving of the hand from the body to an area shows “welcome, come in”.

To Reinforce and Accentuate- An employer can show they are disappointed with an employee’s performance by speaking with them in a stern tone.  On the other side an employer can show they are very pleased by having a smile on their face and a calm voice.

To Contradict- A customer can state they are extremely happy with a company but return most of the products they buy.

Please feel free to comment...I would love to hear your thoughts.  Next post will be coming soon.