Communication is very important as people spend about 75 % of their waking hours communicating of which about 80 % happens non-verbally by understanding and sending non-verbal cues. Failure to act or silence is also a way of communication, but the only difference is that results you get are not as you intend. Actions are not always so parallel to words spoken.
Thoughts, ideas, emotions and feelings are shared by people with expressions and movements. Even environmental factors can be taken as non-verbal communication. Wordless communications are mostly true and are not faked. Verbal and non-verbal communication occur simultaneously.
People interpret messages according how you react, listen, look, etc. at the time of communicating. Things like if you care for something or not and if you are reacting as required or not. When verbal and non-verbal signals do not match, it creates distrust, unclear message, misunderstandings and confusion. Non-verbal communication is more impactful than verbal communication.
Convey empathy and emotions
Non-verbal communication is used to show emotions like happiness, anger, sadness, interest, curiosity, hurt, annoyance, anxiety, embarrassment, pleasure, hope, etc. People show these emotions unconsciously most of the times.
They express their empathy through non-verbal communication too. People do not unconsciously fake non-verbal communication but only sometimes do it deliberately. When you communicate, you must compliment what you say with your gestures and body language. You should also work to notice the non-verbal cues of the people you are interacting with.
Proper interpretation
Interpretation of non-verbal signals us not very easy at all times as it differs from person to person and culture to culture as well as non-verbal communication does not have fixed meanings and is different according to contexts.
But noticing and interpreting it properly gives you an advantage over the other person. We learn to do it since childhood and we try to interpret consciously when we need it. Misinterpretations can destroy relationships and creates problems.
Instinctive nature
As non-verbal communication is based on instinct mostly, people speak truth. We should believe non-verbal massages more than verbal messages if there is a conflict between two people. They show non-verbal cues as an instinct and accompany verbal communication.
Non-verbal communications are mostly natural like crying or laughing or having a personal space. Not only humans, some animals also show this kind of behavior.
Workplace Efficiency
Non-verbal communication makes work in offices better. It can also help in interviews and businesses. Many other professions like teachers, journalists, lawyers, doctors, etc. need to communicate in regular basis.
If their non-verbal communication is not up to the mark, then their work will suffer. For example, eye contact in interviews and meetings show confidence and interest. While eye contact shows those things, it can also show over confidence. It also shows trustworthiness and accuracy of intentions.
Understanding
Non-verbal communication increases understanding of messages. When verbal and nonverbal communication are similar, it establishes better perspective on the message being sent. The sender of message as well as receiver gets what is the intended meaning of the message and can act accordingly. Process of sending and receiving of message is successful and gets desired results.
Effects of Non-verbal communication
These are the 5 effects of non-verbal communication
Repetition
Non-verbal signs are important as it puts more emphasis and reinforcement to the things being said. When you are angry and your body language also shows you are, then the person who is being scolded will feel afraid. If body language is different, then the scolding won’t work.
Contradiction
Non-verbal signals can be contradictory to what is being said. At those times, non-verbal signals are true mostly. For instance, when you ask someone and he/she says that they are fine but are crying or having sad expressions. Contradiction in verbal and non-verbal communication is also sometimes important to know emotions of the people involved.
Substitution
Many times, non-verbal communication take place instead. Sometimes silence also communicates better than words and it is contextual. Traffic signals can make people do things without words. Similarly, signals in games also denote different things which are established and everybody understands.
Complementing
Non-verbal communication mostly works complimentary to verbal signals. For example, people in pain say that they are in pain whereas their expressions and gestures also say the same thing. Gestures add and accompany words which have similar meanings.
Accenting
Non-verbal cues can act as a way to emphasize certain points in a conversation. Non-verbal communication acts stronger than verbal communication in most cases. If you want to point or underline a specific part of message, then you use some signs which show that you mean it. For example, you can pound a fist on table to show it is said with power or anger.
Therefore, non-verbal communication is more important than verbal communication in many situations. So, its importance is situational and contextual but without it communication is incomplete. Sometimes, non-verbal communication can stand alone and gives out important messages.
[Related Reading: Activities Related to Non-verbal Communication]
See also: Effective Speaking
Verbal communication is the use of words to share information with other people. It can therefore include both spoken and written communication. However, many people use the term to describe only spoken communication. The verbal element of communication is all about the words that you choose, and how they are heard and interpreted.
This page focuses on spoken communication. However, the choice of words can be equally—if not more—important in written communication, where there is little or no non-verbal communication to help with the interpretation of the message.
What is Verbal Communication?
Verbal communication is any communication that uses words to share information with others. These words may be both spoken and written.
Communication is a two-way process
Communication is about passing information from one person to another.
This means that both the sending and the receiving of the message are equally important.
Verbal communication therefore requires both a speaker (or writer) to transmit the message, and a listener (or reader) to make sense of the message. This page discusses both parts of the process.
There are a large number of different verbal communication skills. They range from the obvious (being able to speak clearly, or listening, for example), to the more subtle (such as reflecting and clarifying). This page provides a summary of these skills, and shows where you can find out more.
It is important to remember that effective verbal communication cannot be fully isolated from non-verbal communication: your body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions, for example.
Clarity of speech, remaining calm and focused, being polite and following some basic rules of etiquette will all aid the process of verbal communication.
Opening Communication
In many interpersonal encounters, the first few minutes are extremely important. First impressions have a significant impact on the success of further and future communication.
When you first meet someone, you form an instant impression of them, based on how they look, sound and behave, as well as anything you may have heard about them from other people.
This first impression guides your future communications, at least to some extent.
For example, when you meet someone and hear them speak, you form a judgement about their background, and likely level of ability and understanding. This might well change what you say. If you hear a foreign accent, for example, you might decide that you need to use simpler language. You might also realise that you will need to listen more carefully to ensure that you understand what they are saying to you.
Of course your first impression may be revised later. You should ensure that you consciously ‘update’ your thinking when you receive new information about your contact and as you get to know them better.
Basic Verbal Communication Skills: Effective Speaking and Listening
Effective speaking involves three main areas: the words you choose, how you say them, and how you reinforce them with other non-verbal communication.
All these affect the transmission of your message, and how it is received and understood by your audience.
It is worth considering your choice of words carefully. You will probably need to use different words in different situations, even when discussing the same subject. For example, what you say to a close colleague will be very different from how you present a subject at a major conference.
How you speak includes your tone of voice and pace. Like non-verbal communication more generally, these send important messages to your audience, for example, about your level of interest and commitment, or whether you are nervous about their reaction.
There is more about this in our page on Non-Verbal Communication: Face and Voice.
Active listening is an important skill. However, when we communicate, we tend to spend far more energy considering what we are going to say than listening to the other person.
Effective listening is vital for good verbal communication. There are a number of ways that you can ensure that you listen more effectively. These include:
- Be prepared to listen. Concentrate on the speaker, and not on how you are going to reply.
- Keep an open mind and avoid making judgements about the speaker.
- Concentrate on the main direction of the speaker’s message. Try to understand broadly what they are trying to say overall, as well as the detail of the words that they are using.
- Avoid distractions if at all possible. For example, if there is a lot of background noise, you might suggest that you go somewhere else to talk.
- Be objective.
- Do not be trying to think of your next question while the other person is giving information.
- Do not dwell on one or two points at the expense of others. Try to use the overall picture and all the information that you have.
- Do not stereotype the speaker. Try not to let prejudices associated with, for example, gender, ethnicity, accent, social class, appearance or dress interfere with what is being said (see Personal Appearance).
There is more information in our pages on Listening Skills.
Improving Verbal Communication: More Advanced Techniques
There are a number of tools and techniques that you can use to improve the effectiveness of your verbal communication. These include reinforcement, reflection, clarification, and questioning.
Reinforcement
Reinforcement is the use of encouraging words alongside non-verbal gestures such as head nods, a warm facial expression and maintaining eye contact.
All these help to build rapport and are more likely to reinforce openness in others. The use of encouragement and positive reinforcement can:
- Encourage others to participate in discussion (particularly in group work);
- Show interest in what other people have to say;
- Pave the way for development and/or maintenance of a relationship;
- Allay fears and give reassurance;
- Show warmth and openness; and
- Reduce shyness or nervousness in ourselves and others.
Questioning
Questioning is broadly how we obtain information from others on specific topics.
Questioning is an essential way of clarifying areas that are unclear or test your understanding. It can also enable you to explicitly seek support from others.
On a more social level, questioning is also a useful technique to start conversations, draw someone into a conversation, or simply show interest. Effective questioning is therefore an essential element of verbal communication.
We use two main types of question:
Closed Questions
Closed questions tend to seek only a one or two word answer (often simply ‘yes’ or ‘no’). They therefore limit the scope of the response. Two examples of closed questions are:
“Did you travel by car today?” and
“Did you see the football game yesterday?”These types of question allow the questioner to remain in control of the communication. This is often not the desired outcome when trying to encourage verbal communication, so many people try to focus on using open questions more often. Nevertheless, closed questions can be useful for focusing discussion and obtaining clear, concise answers when needed.
Open Questions
Open questions demand further discussion and elaboration. They therefore broaden the scope for response. They include, for example,
“What was the traffic like this morning?”
“What do you feel you would like to gain from this discussion?”Open questions will take longer to answer, but they give the other person far more scope for self-expression and encourage involvement in the conversation.
For more on questioning see our pages: Questioning and Types of Question.
Reflecting and Clarifying
Reflecting is the process of feeding back to another person your understanding of what has been said.
Reflecting is a specialised skill often used within counselling, but it can also be applied to a wide range of communication contexts and is a useful skill to learn.
Reflecting often involves paraphrasing the message communicated to you by the speaker in your own words. You need to try to capture the essence of the facts and feelings expressed, and communicate your understanding back to the speaker. It is a useful skill because:
- You can check that you have understood the message clearly.
- The speaker gets feedback about how the message has been received and can then clarify or expand if they wish.
- It shows interest in, and respect for, what the other person has to say.
- You are demonstrating that you are considering the other person’s viewpoint.
See also our pages on Reflecting and Clarifying.
Summarising
A summary is an overview of the main points or issues raised.
Summarising can also serve the same purpose as ‘reflecting’. However, summarising allows both parties to review and agree the message, and ensure that communication has been effective. When used effectively, summaries may also serve as a guide to the next steps forward.
Closing Communication
The way a communication is closed or ended will, at least in part, determine the way a conversation is remembered.
People use both verbal and non-verbal signals to end a conversation.
Verbal signals may include phrases such as:
“Well, I must be going,” and
“Thank you so much, that’s really helpful.”
Non-verbal conclusions may include starting to avoid eye contact, standing up, turning away, or behaviours such as looking at a watch or closing notepads or books. These non-verbal actions indicate to the other person that the initiator wishes to end the communication.
People often use a mixture of these, but tend to start with the non-verbal signals, especially face-to-face. On the telephone, of course, verbal cues are essential.
Closing an interaction too abruptly may not allow the other person to 'round off' what he or she is saying so you should ensure there is time for winding-up. The closure of an interaction is a good time to make any future arrangements. Last, but not least, this time will no doubt be accompanied by a number of socially acceptable parting gestures.
Further Reading from Skills You Need
Our Communication Skills eBooks
Learn more about the key communication skills you need to be a more effective communicator.
Our eBooks are ideal for anyone who wants to learn about or develop their interpersonal skills and are full of easy-to-follow, practical information.
Only part of the picture
It is vital to remember that any communication is made up of the sum of its parts.
Verbal communication is an important element, but only part of the overall message conveyed. Some research suggests that the verbal element is, in fact, a very small part of the overall message: just 20 to 30%. This is still, however, significant, and it is worth spending time to improve your verbal communication skills.