Non-verbal communication can consist of many types of skills such as body language or digital mediums. It reflects how creative a person is and what are the alternative means of communication apart from the main form which I believe is language. This consists of unspoken feelings and helps to bridge larger barriers such as socio-cultural barriers when people do not share a common language. It also takes place with other creatures such as with pets. In my opinion, there are plenty of activities and actions that are common. This comprises routine activities and actions such as clapping to convey ‘well done’, slapping to convey ‘wrong’, and shouting to convey ‘excitement’. There are many other types of actions but their meanings differ in various countries. In this article, I’m going to provide practical tips and strategies for improving non-verbal communication skills. I’m going to start by talking about somebody's language clues. There are certain pointers that hold importance in non-verbal communication.
● Eye Contact: This conveys attention, confidence, and truthfulness and it means that the person is listening. This is the first and foremost and also the easiest and simplest trait of communication between two people in any type of situation be it a business meeting, while greeting, small talk, or while catching up with anyone. Apart from this, it also conveys respect towards the people who are communicating and shows that these people are giving time while talking. Due to all these reasons, this is always recommended to people for many situations.
● Facial Expressions: These help to read things like a person’s mood, feelings, and what they are thinking. That’s why we understand expressions like laughter, smiling, and crying. Human beings can demonstrate various types of emotions and this is a trait that helps to differentiate human beings from other creatures. This is unique only to human beings as no other creature can display facial expressions.
● Grooming: This conveys how much a person cares about themselves and their upkeep. This is why smart, clean, and tidy people are liked by everyone.
● Clothing: In certain situations, attire also matters and we understand whether someone is going to play sports or coming to the office. In certain professions such as police and military, there are uniforms and in some other situations, unsaid dress codes exist. These codes help to understand what formal wear or any other type of clothing is.
● Personal Space: This shows how much importance the other person holds in someone’s life. This has two aspects called personal and professional life. In personal life, everyone dedicates most of their time to their closest family members and friends. Whereas in professional life, employees spend maximum time with their bosses and teammates.
● Posture: Posture matters a lot in any situation. Maintaining the right posture in any situation is very important. Confident body language exuberates positive vibes. A well-maintained posture not only helps to keep the body healthy but also demonstrates leadership qualities, that’s why there are terms like ‘body language of CEOs’ and posture correction exercises exist.
● Tone of Voice: The right tone of voice helps to establish the right kind of relationship with anyone. A loud and clear tone shows that the person is in a dominating role and is fit for a situation for group conversations or meetings. There are certain tones associated with various emotions such as crying, sadness, fear, and excitement. A soft voice indicates closeness or intimacy with someone. It is due to these associations that people can understand how someone else is feeling even if the two of them cannot see each other.
● Touch: The way we touch someone tells how much we know the other person. There are different customs and traditions behind touch in greetings across various cultures. For instance, in Spain, people greet each other by kissing on cheeks and there are gestures for other types of greetings such as ‘hi’ and ‘bye’. Handshakes are suitable for other types of situations. As per my understanding, in most situations touching someone would indicate that these people share a very close relationship whereas two unknown people would avoid touching each other.
● Active Listening: When someone is speaking, the rest of the people should listen carefully. This applies to situations including two or as many people are there in any given situation. Everyone should face the speaker and not think about unnecessary topics that are not related to the topic of discussion. Participants in the discussion should think about the topic and show interest. Apart from this, they should avoid fidgeting with anything including meeting tools such as paper and pen or pencil or laptops and any other gadget. They should take notes and make important points about the meeting. The participants should maintain a friendly environment and avoid hostility towards anyone present in the given scenario. Behaviors such as daydreaming and imagining should be strictly avoided as they indicate a lack of interest in communication.
● Punctuality: Be it going to someone’s house or outside or going to your workplace or any institute of education, this is a very important factor. A regular and punctual person is someone who respects time and values it. I believe this quality not only demonstrates qualities such as hard work and interest but is quintessential in learning as it teaches time management thus punctual people save time in catching up on what a latecomer would miss. This kind of person is liked by the people around him and is likely to succeed at whatever ambition they choose. Time is something that everyone should value as it never comes back, it is limited for everyone and everywhere and whenever any formal or casual event or activity is conducted, there is a time specified.
These are some of the practical tips and strategies that are important for everyone to improve non-verbal communication skills. I have talked about each of these points in detail in this article and wherever possible tried to explain their value and also described how they can be followed and valued whenever possible. In my opinion, all these pointers should come in handy for everyone.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/nonverbal-communication
https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/external/2018/06/6-ways-to-improve-your-non-verbal-communication-skills/
https://in.topresume.com/career-advice/6-easy-ways-to-improve-nonverbal-communication-skills
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5346168/#:~:
text=Body%20Language%3A%20Non%2Dverbal%20communication,
more%20effective%20than%20verbal%20messages.