“Actions speak louder than words”

Τhere is a proverb “actions speak louder than words”. In essence, this underscores the importance of non-verbal communication. It is true that when we talk about “communication”, we often referred to the words that we use, in verbal communication. However, interpersonal communication is much more than the explicit meaning of words, and the information or message we convey. It also includes implicit messages, whether intentional or not, which are expressed through non-verbal communication. In our daily life, the non- verbal communication and verbal communication is closely connected, in fact, sometimes it’s our expression and body language that expresses our emotions better than words.

What is non- verbal communication?

The non-verbal communication is conveying of emotions, feelings, and messages through actions and expressions rather than words. Non-verbal communication is the process of communication through sending and receiving wordless cues between people. These signals are often so subtle that we are not consciously aware of them. Every day, we respond to thousands on non – verbal cues and behaviors including postures, facial expressions, eye gaze, gestures, and tone of voice, non- verbal details reveal who we are and impact how we relate to other people.

The importance of non-verbal communication

Scientific research on non-verbal communication and behavior began with the 1872 publication of Charles Darwin’s “The expression of the emotion in man and animals”. Since that time, abundant research on the types, effects, and expressions of unspoken communication and behavior. All the researches agree that in fact more feelings and intentions are sent and received non-verbally than verbally. Indeed, some estimates suggest that around 70 to 80 % of communication is non-verbal.

The advantage

Non-verbal communication has multiple advantages and functions, usually, reinforce what people want to say in words. For example, people tend to nob their heads when they want to agree with something. Consequently, the expression of the face and body can emphasize this that the person wants to convey. Non-verbal complement a verbal message by adding to its meaning. The verbal tone indicates the actual meaning of specific words. Also, no verbal communication reduces wastage of time, the message of non-verbal communication reached the receiver very fast, signs and symbols can communicate some messages very quickly than a written or oral message.  Another important part is that Non- verbal signals and expressions convey information about the emotional stage of a person. Your facial expression, your tone of voice, and your body language can often tell people exactly how you feel, even you have hardly said a word. Endly, it is a valuable tool for helping handicapped people in communicating with others especially for deaf people as they change messages mainly through the movements of hands, fingers, and expression of the face.

One question for the end

The final question is how much importance you give in non-verbal communication in your relations? No verbal signals sometimes can betray the underneath situation which can be different from this that conveyed in words, so it referred to the actual meaning of a message. Consequently, it will be a valuable tool for you to observe more the others around you and the way they interact non verbally, this may help you to understand better the others and to improve the way you communicate and interact with them.