The Importance Of Coverbal And Non-Verbal Communication?

Both verbal and non-verbal communication influences our listening skills on a daily basis. When we interact, we are constantly giving and receiving non-verbal cues. Successful listeners are those who have the ability to understand non-verbal prompts (body language, facial expressions, posture, tone of voice, etc) and then receive the message that is expressed (Brownell 2013). This form of communication has the ability to speak louder than verbal statements and is a powerful vehicle in bonding people, articulating emotions and building relations on a personal and professional level.

Similar to our verbal talk, non-verbal communication can also produce mixed signs. As a listener, you are confronted with the challenge of deciding what message to interpret. Brownell (2013) discusses in the text how non-verbal communication is an unconscious style of communicating that brings out your accurate feelings. The way you look, move and respond gives cues to your partner to whether or not you are following and if you are being honest or how well you are listening (Brownell 2013). Additionally, if your non-verbal signs accordingly coincide with the words you are speaking, this can be a large boost in your trust. If they do not, they have the ability to create anxiety, doubt and uncertainty (Brownell 2013).

Eye contact is one of the strongest forces in communication, most frequently in non-verbal contact (Brownell 2013). It is very important in maintaining the course of a discussion or gauging the other person’s reply. On the other hand, the absence of eye contact makes it hard to take turns in a conversation. As a financial advisor, I spend a lot of the time on the phone with my clients because many of them live out of state. One...

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... hand, my boyfriend could have tried to remedy the situation by seeing I was upset and made some sort of physical contact with me. According to Brownell (2013), touching communicates an individual’s attitude and manages the interaction itself. Although this would not have made the situation completely better, it would have at least shown some acknowledgement on his part.

All in all, in order to be a successful communicator it is important to focus on both the verbal and non-verbal cues of what the speaker is telling you. This can be done by be being attentive to their attitude, signals, and movements. It is important to be cognizant of the non-verbal cues you are conveying. Non-verbal communication is a constant practice and if you are too caught up in something else and distracted, you are going to miss these subtleties and could become a poor communicator.