What is nonverbal communication
Words (verbal communication) present only part of a message’s meaning;
nonverbal cues convey everything else.
situations. These situations are examples of the six primary types of nonverbal
cues:
Body cues – As communicators, we use our bodies to
convey information and feelings. These body cues
include eye contact, posture, facial expression, and
gestures of the hands, arms, shoulders, and head.
Vocal cues – We often forget that our voices are
important in nonverbal communication. Vocal cues
include how fast we talk, whether we talk in a
monotone, how loudly or softly we talk, and the use
of vocalized pauses such as “uhm,” “er,” or “ah.”
Personal appearance cues – What we look like gives
information that affects our communication. This
includes details over which we have control (name tags
and earrings) and those over which we have no control
(being tall or having a vision impairment).
Touch cues – Our use of or avoidance of touch is a
nonverbal cue. Touch in a business setting should be
limited to gestures like a pat on the back or a touch on
the arm.
Space cues – We send information by the way we use
the space around us. In business settings, especially
with people we don’t know, we expect to have a
comfortable amount of space between us. When
Megan’s boss sat next to her, he used space in a positive
way to equalize their status.
Time cues – How we use time sends nonverbal
information to the person we are talking to as to
whether they and their ideas are valuable to us.
Nonverbal Self-Analysis
The words we use send specific information to people. Our nonverbal cues,
however, tell how we feel about:
• The words we’re speaking
• The person with whom we’re talking
• Ourselves
Sometimes we send messages to people through nonverbal cues and we’re
not even aware of doing so.
Consider the following:
You have an important task to give to an employee. A group of
international business people is holding a meeting in a
conference room at your property. They just called to say that
they need copies made of several important documents, and
they would appreciate having them copied immediately. Think
of three employees with whom you work. One employee you
like, one you feel OK about, and the third you dislike. Imagine
giving the same message face-to-face to each of these three
employees, asking him or her to take care of the copying task.
Do you imagine yourself using a different tone of voice? Different facial
expression? Even feeling a different degree of tension within yourself as you
speak? If you do, think about the nonverbal message the employee is getting
from you.
We need to be aware of the nonverbal messages we send. Our sensitivity to
our feelings and how we convey them are essential
Nonverbal communication is powerful.
Our nonverbal skills have a powerful impact on our ability as communicators.
As one manager said, “You can spend 15 seconds making a good impression or
the rest of the day undoing a negative one.”
First, nonverbal communication is powerful because we spend so much time
doing it. Several studies reveal that on average, you spend 15 to 25 minutes a day
talking. The rest of the time you are smiling, scowling, laughing, and using
countless nonverbal cues to communicate.
Second, nonverbal communication is powerful because we pay so much attention
to it and value it so highly. Albert Memorabilia, a professor at UCLA, found that
more than 90 percent of the meaning a person gets in a
communication situation
comes from nonverbal cues (Silent Messages, 2nd ed., Wordsworth, Belmont, Calif.,
1981, p. 76). Some argue that nonverbal cues shouldn't influence us so much.
But they do. And if we don’t recognize this fact, we miss a powerful opportunity
to be effective communicators.
On the next two pages you will find four points that will help you enhance your
nonverbal communication:
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1. Nonverbal communication can be misunderstood.
2. Keep verbal and nonverbal communication in sync.
3. Send the positive and eliminate the negative.
4. Adapt nonverbal in a culturally diverse environment.
Communicate Non verbally
Remember that good nonverbal skills are essential not only for you, but for
your staff as well. Here are some things you can do to encourage good
nonverbal skills in your employees:
• Model good nonverbal skills. Your staff will learn from your example.
• Explain the power of nonverbal communication to your staff. Help
them to understand how effective they can be when they use these
skills correctly.
• Coach your employees on the job to encourage good nonverbal
communication. Compliment employees when you see them using
good nonverbal skills. When they use nonverbal skills inappropriately,
point out how they can improve in this area.
• Encourage employees to look for guests’ nonverbal cues. This will
help employees more clearly understand what guests are
communicating and how the guests feel about what they are saying.
• Encourage employees to observe and mirror the nonverbal cues of international guests.
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