Nonverbal communication refers to using nonverbal means such as gestures, facial expressions, body language, and varying tones of voice to express messages to complement or substitute verbal communication (Adler & Proctor, 2016). Essentially, nonverbal communication involves means of interpersonal communication without uttering a word and is applicable in electronic communication via the use of emoji and emoticons.
The use of facial expressions seems to be the most affecting form of nonverbal communication in day-to-day communications. I find facial expressions profoundly influencing because it explicitly displays an individual's emotions, and has the potency to indicate one's intentions more openly than other nonverbal cues. For instance, it would be easier to read disgust from a slightly frowned face to deduce it from a restless body posture, since body posture could take longer to notice and interpret. Similarly, it is much easier to tell that an individual is anxious and has lost composure from restless eyes and shifted eyebrows than to read from fidgeting hands. Facial expression is so powerful that it is universally understood and is less prone to ambiguity and fallibility than nonverbal communication forms like gestures.
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Improving nonverbal communication essentially requires understanding the goals for which the cue is indented. That said, the articulate use of nonverbal cues implies reducing ambiguity as much as possible. If I insisted that someone stops doing something, and I needed a nonverbal cue to support my communication, then Adler & Proctor (2016) suggest that I use a precise signal for it. That would be frowning and raising my finger as well as my eyebrows. On the contrary, raising my eyebrows while my tonal variation does not communicate the sternness or my body posture betrays the tone, I would be inappropriately using nonverbal communication.
I attribute my proficiency with nonverbal to mindfully applying the techniques in my daily face-to-face conversations. I began by paying attention to the people I talked to, maintaining comfortable eye contact, and keeping an open body position when conversing. It was quite challenging with achieving the right body language, but it all fell in synchrony when I got used to it.
Reference
Adler, R. B. & Proctor II. (2016). Looking out, looking in (15 th ed.). Boston: Nelson Education.
