presentation non verbal

How to Communicate Non-Verbally During Presentations

February 23, 2023 / Blog

Non-verbal communication is an essential aspect of conveying your message during a presentation. It can amplify your message by helping you connect with your audience, emphasize key points, and maintain the audience’s interest . Therefore, it is vital to develop your non-verbal communication skills to improve your presentation’s impact.

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Let’s talk about the best strategies for effective non-verbal communication during presentations.

Preparing for your presentation

Non-verbal communication is as important as verbal communication during a presentation. Thus, preparing for your presentation allows you to incorporate and optimize both verbal and non-verbal communication.

Here are some tips to help you prepare:

• Practice your body language and facial expressions in front of a mirror. You can also record yourself to review later. Being aware of your body language and facial expressions allows you to identify areas you need to improve.
• Dress appropriately for your audience and the message you want to convey.

Using body language

Body language lets you communicate through physical movements to convey messages and feelings.

However, while it can convey confidence, enthusiasm, and credibility, it can also undermine your message. Unprofessional body language can make you appear uncertain, uninterested, or untrustworthy.

Here are some tips to help you use your body language productively:

• Stand up straight to convey confidence, authority, and enthusiasm.
• Make and maintain eye contact with your audience. Make eye contact with individuals throughout the room, not just one individual or section.
• Use hand gestures to emphasize key points. Use gestures to indicate numbers or draw attention to specific areas of the slide.
• Use posture to convey your level of interest and engagement. Avoid slouching or leaning back, as doing so can make you appear disinterested and unprofessional, and may detract from your presentation.

Using facial expressions

Facial expressions can convey a range of emotions, attitudes, and reactions during a presentation. Using appropriate facial expressions can help your audience understand your message more effectively and engage them on an emotional level.

Here are some tips to use facial expressions effectively:

• Smile to show you’re friendly and approachable. Moreover, smiling can help you appear more confident and relaxed.
• Use a variety of facial expressions to convey different emotions.
• Avoid expressions that display discomfort, nervousness, or other negative emotions.

Effective non-verbal communication is an essential aspect of successful presentations. It can help you convey your message more effectively, connect with your audience, and keep them engaged.

By following the tips and strategies in this post, you can develop non-verbal communication skills to improve your presentation’s impact.

Partnering with SlideGenius can take the pressure off you as you prepare for your presentation. By handling the creation of visually appealing and informative presentation decks, SlideGenius can free up your time and energy to focus on the most important aspects of your presentation: preparing and rehearsing your delivery.

Contact SlideGenius today to schedule a consultation.

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What is nonverbal communication? 10 different types (with examples)

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What is nonverbal communication?

10 types of nonverbal communication, examples of nonverbal communication, why is nonverbal communication so important, 5 tips for understanding nonverbal communication, how to improve nonverbal communication, enjoy better interactions.

We all rely on nonverbal communication. This is true whether playing a game of charades with your family or trying to show confidence during an important interview .

There’s a reason many of us prefer face-to-face communication over phone calls. Without seeing someone’s facial expressions, posture, and body language , it can be hard to read their feelings. 

Nonverbal cues are just as important as verbalization. Nonverbal actions are key for communicating with and understanding everyone in your life. 

Understanding every type of nonverbal communication can also help your career. You can show your confidence, passion, and expertise through small nonverbal communication cues. This is true whether leading a team meeting or delivering a presentation .  

There are two primary forms of communication: verbal and nonverbal.

Verbal communication uses words to convey a message, whether that’s orally or in writing. 

Posture, facial expressions, and eye contact are examples of nonverbal messages . We all use these cues in daily conversation, even involuntarily. Nonverbal communication also involves the way we present ourselves to others. If you walk into a meeting with your back straight and your head held high, you exude power and confidence. You project nervousness and uncertainty if you’re slumped over with your eyes on the floor.

Experts believe that approximately 70% of all human communication is nonverbal , meaning we only deliver about 30% of our messages with words.  

Austrian-American author and educator Peter Drucker had it right when he said, “ The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said. ” 

We all perform and respond to nonverbal communication — and what we understand that no one says — daily. 

Here are 10 of the most common forms of nonverbal communication:

1. Facial expressions

The look on an individual’s face is often the first thing we see. A smile, frown, or grimace tells a lot about their mood and how the subsequent conversation will go. Expressions of happiness, sadness, anger and fear are universal emotions and key forms of nonverbal communication.

2. Kinesics

Kinesics, or gestures, are conscious body movements like waving, pointing, and giving a thumbs up or down. One's culture typically determines what gestures are socially acceptable and which are rude. 

For example, in Westernized countries, glancing at your watch suggests, “I need to be somewhere.” In contrast, many Middle Eastern populations consider this rude. They are more likely to believe a conversation should continue until it ends naturally.

3. Paralinguistics

Paralinguistic s (or vocalics)  refers to the aspects of verbal communication that aren’t the words themselves . Your tone of voice, loudness, and pitch are common aspects of paralanguage. 

This type of communication is powerful since altering your voice changes the meaning of a sentence. Think about all the ways you can use the phrase “I’m fine.” If you say it quietly, you might be feeling dejected, but if you say it forcefully, someone might detect your defensiveness.

4. Body language and posture

Crossing your legs or arms, a head nod, slouching, or sitting up straight are all examples of true body language. For example, you may have seen crime films focus on body language to further the narrative. It can also hint at what isn’t included in the dialogue.  

However, this type of nonverbal communication is complex and quite subtle. Just because you observe a movement doesn’t guarantee you understand the meaning.

5. Proxemics

Proximity references how near something is. Human beings take personal space seriously. They also interpret physical distances in interactions differently.

Social and cultural expectations, personal preferences, and relationships all determine the suitable proximity. For example, if you’re in a relationship with someone, you’d expect to sit close together on the couch. On the other hand, you likely wouldn’t sit that close to a coworker. 

Proxemics is an important part of interpersonal communication. Noticing when to adjust your closeness for each situation ensures you’re not making people uncomfortable. 

Scientists focused on proximity biases in North America have grouped expected space as follows :

• Intimate space: Close physical contact up to 18 inches of space, typically shared between people in an intimate relationship. 
• Personal space: Between 18 inches to 4 feet depending on whether you’re speaking to a stranger, casual acquaintance, or close friend. 
• Social space: 4 –12 feet of space provided in social settings, like a shared office space or the distance between a presenter and their audience.
• Public space: 12 feet or more, typically observed in shopping malls and airports.

It may sound cliche, but it’s true that “The eyes are the windows to the soul.”  Our eye contact is a massive factor in nonverbal communication because it can give clues to how we feel. 

When we’re scared, our pupils dilate due to a surge in adrenaline. When something excites us, we blink rapidly. Maintaining eye contact generally means that someone is comfortable and telling the truth. In contrast, avoiding eye contact might suggest that they’re nervous or hiding something.

Communication by touch is called haptics. Touch is powerful because our emotions drive it. Our social class, gender, and, of course, our upbringing all determine how we respond to touch. Women generally use touch to convey care and concern, while men are more likely to convey control. 

Psychologist Harry Harlow made a career in studying the impacts of touch on rhesus monkeys. Monkeys who were raised without physical contact from their mothers struggled with social interactions . We share this affect with our ancestors — physical contact at a young age improves our social skills when we're older.

8. Appearance

Your appearance is another thing people notice immediately. Your hairstyle, clothing, tattoos, piercings, and even body shape give off cues. This can encourage snap judgments from other people. There’s a reason your mother always told you to “dress to impress” for a presentation at school or a job interview.

9. Chronemics

Chronemics is the role time plays during communication. How people interpret time can be personal, cultural, or have to do with their power or status. 

Have you ever waited around for a friend to show up for an event? Maybe you felt annoyed or disrespected by their laziness or lack of time management . Now imagine if your boss showed up 15 minutes late to a meeting. You might be more understanding of their busy schedule. 

10. Physiological responses

Your body naturally sends out nonverbal signals that are nearly impossible to control. This includes nervous sweating, blushing, or tearing up.

Here are a few ways to practice your nonverbal communication skills personally and professionally: 

In the workplace

Tone: Use your voice to show excitement, positivity, and contentment with your work. Managers want demonstrably engaged workers. Plus, your positivity will likely rub off on coworkers. 

Distance: Maintain an appropriate distance from coworkers to respect their boundaries . Remember, an office is a professional space. Even if you enjoy comfortable work relationships , you should always respect someone’s physical boundaries . 

Posture: You got the job. You belong here . Your ideas matter. Stand up straight and speak with your head held high. 

In your personal life

Distance: Leaning in when your loved one speaks shows you’re actively listening .

Concentration: Put away distractions like video games or phones when spending time with loved ones. This shows you’re paying attention and offering them quality time. 

Touch: Hugs, hand-holding, and other forms of physical touch foster intimacy between consensual parties.

Here are four reasons why understanding nonverbal messaging matters:

1. Builds trust and clarity

Nonverbal signals are far more subtle than words, but they’re no less important.

Facial expressions, body posture, and eye contact reveal the meaning behind what someone is saying, their true feelings, and if they’re listening to your half of the conversation. Someone may be able to feign interest with their words, but their body language will often reveal if they’re paying attention. 

2. Bridges language gaps

Ever tried to interact with someone that didn’t speak your language? There was probably a lot of gesturing, facial expressions, and posturing — your nonverbal communication skills at work.

Outside of conversational cues, nonverbal behaviors are crucial to bridge language gaps. When two people don’t speak the same language, body language can help foster knowledge and understanding. 

3. Encourages inclusivity

Everybody has different communication abilities. Learning nonverbal communication skills can help create a more diverse and inclusive workplace. 

For example, people with hearing impairments might struggle to pick up on voice tone or speed. Understanding how to interpret and express nonverbal messages makes these individuals feel included and understood. 

4. Leads to success

Non-verbal communication skills can help your career. For example, teachers with these skills see more success with their students. When talking with your boss, coworkers, and clients, you can use non-verbal communication to gain a competitive edge.

Effective communication requires nonverbal messaging. Understanding the types of nonverbal communication will help you connect with people in every area of your life.

The more you practice reading cues, the better you’ll become. Some things you can do include:

1. Pay attention to inconsistencies

Nonverbal communication can either reinforce or discourage what someone is saying. Do a person’s facial expressions match their words? Their tone of voice? If they do, then great.

They’re most likely being honest about whatever they’re saying. If it’s the opposite, they may be trying to hide how they truly feel. 

2. Look at nonverbal signals as a whole

If you’re only paying attention to someone’s posture, you might miss a whole bunch of other clues. Nonverbal signals work in tandem to generate a complete picture of another human being.

3. Trust your instincts

Go with your gut . Your instincts are there to help guide and protect you about what someone is saying and what they truly mean.

4. Practice emotional awareness

Emotional intelligence is a significant part of navigating relationships. Being emotionally aware h elps you interpret people more accurately.

When you can read other people’s emotions and unspoken messages, you can reciprocate communication by responding in a way that shows you understand and care.

5. Don’t make assumptions

Nonverbal communication is nuanced and involves personal and cultural meaning. Don’t assume a person’s tone or body language is definitively what you think it is.

Someone might avoid eye contact because they’re shy, not deceptive. They may slouch because they’re stressed out , not doubtful of their work. If you can’t read the person’s body language, ask them how they feel.

Nonverbal communication is a necessary factor at home, work, and beyond. Often, these signals occur rapidly. Interpreting or noticing all of them can be challenging during a single conversation.

Fortunately, there's always room to improve upon these skills. To do so, try focusing on the below.

Manage stress

When we’re stressed , we can’t communicate as effectively. How you’re feeling rubs off on others, too. Take some deep breaths to relax and refocus. You’ll feel better, and you’ll be able to read people more accurately.  

Pay attention to your behaviors

To learn to communicate more effectively and develop stronger emotional awareness , you must understand your nonverbal communication habits. Learning your cues will also increase self-awareness . You’ll be more in tune with your feelings and be better able to express yourself.

Think before you act

Do you raise your voice when stressed or avoid eye contact when nervous? A great way to adjust nonverbal behaviors you don’t want is to think before you act. Notice situations that cause problematic behaviors and practice taking a deep breath before reacting. 

Nonverbal communication plays a prominent role in our personal and professional lives. Person-to-person contact will almost always involve some type of nonverbal communication.

Now, you know how to interpret nonverbal cues and express yourself more authentically through them. Congratulations on beginning the journey toward healthier, happier interactions.

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Allaya Cooks-Campbell

With over 15 years of content experience, Allaya Cooks Campbell has written for outlets such as ScaryMommy, HRzone, and HuffPost. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and is a certified yoga instructor as well as a certified Integrative Wellness & Life Coach. Allaya is passionate about whole-person wellness, yoga, and mental health.

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The Power of Nonverbal Communication in Public Speaking

• Speaking tips , Presentations , Psychology

Public speaking is more than just the words you say. It’s about how you say them, how you connect with your audience, and the messages you convey through your nonverbal communication. 

In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the significance of nonverbal communication , the key elements that make up nonverbal cues, and practical strategies to harness this power to become a more effective and persuasive public speaker .

Table of Contents

The Silent Language

Nonverbal communication, often referred to as “the silent language,” encompasses all the ways we convey information without using words. It’s a potent form of communication because it operates on a subconscious level, influencing how our message is received and interpreted by our audience.

This encompasses a wide range of cues, including:

• Body Language : Your posture, gestures and physical movements.
• Eye Contact : The way you make and maintain eye contact with your audience.
• Proximity : How close or far you are from your audience or other individuals on the stage.
• Appearance : Your clothing, grooming, and overall appearance, which can influence your audience’s perception.
• Use of Space : How you move around the stage or speaking area, including gestures and body positioning. This even includes how you use the frame on camera if you’re speaking online. 
• Silence : The pauses and moments of silence in your speech, which can convey meaning and emphasis.
• Facial Expressions: We often have a poker face which does’t do much to enhance the message we’re aiming to convey. Facial expressions that go with the message can amplify your impact.  

Photo by Natasha Hall on Unsplash

The Impact of Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal communication plays a critical role in public speaking for several reasons:

1. Conveys Emotion and Authenticity

Your facial expressions, gestures, and tone of voice allow you to express emotions authentically. When your nonverbal cues align with your message, it adds depth and authenticity to your talk. For example, a smile can convey warmth and approachability, while a furrowed brow may signal concern or seriousness.

2. Enhances Message Clarity

Nonverbal cues can clarify your message, making it easier for your audience to understand and remember. Hand gestures can illustrate key points, and vocal variations can emphasize critical information. These cues act as signposts that guide your audience through your speech.

Pro-tip: if you over-do hand gestures or use repetitive ones, they can be distracting and damage your impact instead of enhancing it.

3. Builds Connection

Effective nonverbal communication helps you establish a strong connection with your audience. Maintaining eye contact, for instance, fosters a sense of engagement and rapport. A speaker who appears confident and approachable through their body language is more likely to connect with the audience .

4. Captures Attention

Engaging nonverbal cues can capture and maintain your audience’s attention. Movement, gestures, and vocal changes can add dynamism to your speech, preventing your audience from becoming disengaged or bored.

In a world where we’re constantly bombarded with notifications and urgent tasks, gaining attention is the real currency.

5. Demonstrates Confidence

Confidence is a quality that every public speaker should exude. Nonverbal cues such as upright posture, steady eye contact, and controlled body movements convey confidence to your audience. When you appear confident, your audience is more likely to trust and respect your message.

Key Elements of Effective Nonverbal Communication

To harness the power of nonverbal communication in public speaking, it’s essential to focus on specific elements and techniques. Let’s explore these key elements:

1. Body Language

Our posture, movements, and gestures are like an open book, revealing our emotions, confidence level, and authenticity. Here’s how body language can enhance or hinder your public speaking:

Posture : Stand or sit upright with your shoulders back. Good posture exudes confidence and presence. Conversely, slouching or crossing your arms can signal insecurity or defensiveness.

Gestures : Use purposeful hand gestures to emphasize points or convey information. Avoid excessive or distracting movements.

Movement : Move purposefully and with intent. Don’t pace nervously, but rather use movement to engage different sections of the audience or transition between points. Moving purposefully and making eye contact with your audience conveys that you’re fully engaged and interested in their response.

Note for speaking online : people often ignore movement and body language when speaking on camera. But in this context, it’s even more important to be more active and confident as the audience receives less information about your presence. 

Enhance your on-camera body language by being aware of the frame, using gestures that are within the frame and being intentional with the frequency and variance of your gestures.

Credibility : Avoiding distracting movements, such as fidgeting, pacing excessively or swinging in your chair. This enhances your credibility as a speaker and shows that you’re grounded (literally!).

2. Eye Contact

Maintain Connection : Make eye contact with individuals throughout your audience to create a sense of connection and engagement. This is possible to do online as well – look into the camera instead of looking at yourself or your presentation. 

Avoid Staring : Don’t fixate on one person or object for too long, as it can make your audience uncomfortable. Instead, distribute your gaze evenly.

Use of Notes : If using notes or slides, ensure you don’t rely on them excessively. Maintain eye contact while referencing your materials. Pro-tip: Don’t have full sentences on either your slides or your scripts. Have keywords instead and string together the sentences on the spot- this enhances improvisation and makes you sound fresh and natural.

3. Proximity

Your proximity to the audience and your use of personal space can create a sense of intimacy or formality:

Close Proximity: Stepping closer to the audience during a compelling point can create a feeling of closeness and connection.

This works in the online context as well – you’ll notice how the audience reacts when you lean in or when you sit back.

4. Appearance

Dress Appropriately : Your attire should align with the formality and expectations of your audience and the occasion. Dressing well can enhance your credibility.

When in doubt, go a bit more formal vs casual as a rule of thumb. 

5. Use of Space

Stage Presence : Occupy the stage with confidence. Move with purpose, and use the space to engage different parts of the audience.

Avoid Excessive Movement : While movement is essential, avoid excessive pacing or aimless wandering, which can distract from your message.

Photo by Igreja Dimensão

Strategic Pauses : Incorporate strategic pauses into your speech to allow your audience to absorb information and emphasize key points.

There is a lot of power in the pause – use it liberally throughout your talk, presentation or podcast.

Control Filler Words : Minimize the use of filler words like “um,” “uh,” or “like.” Silence is preferable to fillers and indicates thoughtfulness.

7. Facial Expressions

Your face is a canvas of emotions, and your audience is keenly observing it. Expressions can either reinforce or contradict your spoken words:

• Smiling : A genuine smile can instantly connect you with your audience and convey warmth and approachability.
• Micro-expressions: You can say a lot with your expressions. Train your face to express emotions intentionally instead of leaving it up to the audience to insert their own emotions.
• Expressive Eyes : Your eyes can express enthusiasm, surprise, or concern, adding depth to your message.

Practical Strategies for Harnessing Nonverbal Communication

Now that we’ve explored the key elements of nonverbal communication, let’s dive into practical strategies for harnessing this power in your public speaking:

1. Practice, Practice, Practice

Effective nonverbal communication requires practice. Rehearse your talk or presentation multiple times, paying attention to your body language, tone of voice, and eye contact. Recording yourself can provide valuable feedback.

2. Audience Analysis

Consider your audience’s expectations, cultural norms, and preferences when it comes to nonverbal cues. Tailor your approach to resonate with your specific audience.

3. Get Feedback

Seek feedback from trusted colleagues, mentors, or speech coaches. They can offer insights into how your nonverbal cues are perceived and provide guidance for improvement.

Nausheen working with top female LinkedIn influencer Lara Acosta , giving feedback on her talk.

4. Use Visualization

Before your talk, visualize yourself delivering it with confidence and impactful nonverbal communication. Visualization can help reduce anxiety and boost your performance.

5. Mindfulness

Stay present and mindful while speaking. Be aware of your nonverbal cues and their alignment with your message. Correct any unintentional cues that may undermine your message.

6. Rehearse Transitions

Pay special attention to transitions in your speech. Smooth transitions with appropriate nonverbal cues can maintain your audience’s engagement and guide them through your message.

7. Record and Review

Record your speeches or presentations whenever possible. Reviewing the footage allows you to identify areas for improvement in your nonverbal communication. Build this as a part of your speaking and practice routine and you’ll grow your speaking skills exponentially. 

8. Seek Role Models

Study accomplished public speakers and observe how they use nonverbal communication to enhance their message. Emulate their effective techniques.

Body language is underrated and super powerful as a tool in making you an impactful and memorable speaker.

Great non verbal communication can elevate your message and captivate your audience.

By mastering the key elements of body language , tone of voice, eye contact, appearance, use of space, and silence, and by implementing practical strategies for improvement, you can become a more effective and persuasive speaker. 

Remember that nonverbal communication is not just an afterthought – it’s an integral part of the message itself. Embrace this power, and you’ll find that your impact as a public speaker transcends the spoken word alone.

If you want to work with an amazing coach who can guide you through this process of overcoming your stage fright , might I recommend myself? Find out how you can work with me and take advantage of my 10,000+ hours on stage and on camera to become a better speaker. 

Nausheen I. Chen

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Nonverbal Communication: Presentation Tips in a Virtual Workplace

by Tory Freeman | Jun 11, 2021 | General , Personal Development | 0 comments

With COVID-19 making many conferences, meetings, and businesses operate remotely, it is likely in the last 12 months you have had to: 1.) become a Zoom expert, 2.) repaint the wall behind your desk so it looks attractive, and 3.) invest in a high-tech microphone and camera. If all of this wasn’t stressful enough, presenting online gives us other challenges, including the horror of being able to see our own faces while we present, adding more stress to an already stressful situation. Speaking or presenting online gives other difficulties as well, as you have to think about how you show emotion through the camera, create connection remotely, pose with camera angles, and what you do with your hands.

Why Nonverbals are Important

Being able to connect using compelling nonverbal communication is powerful and a necessary part of any presentation, meeting, or sales interaction. Nonverbal communication is the other part of the communication equation, in which verbal and nonverbal communication are the two parts of the whole. Excellent communicators utilize both, and when presenting in virtual settings, it’s not just the words you say, but the manner in which you say them — the nonverbal communication that accompanies them can often speak louder than words. Dr. Kory Floyd, a Professor of Communication at the University of Arizona, defines nonverbal communication as “comprising any behaviors with which we communicate without the use of words.” These would include eye-contact, physical appearance (including clothes, or accessories such as glasses), body movement, gestures, facial expressions, and vocal variety. “Vocal variety” comprises the ways in which you use your voice, such as rate, pitch, pauses, and volume. Utilizing nonverbal communication can make a bland presentation come alive, give flair to a TED Talk, or create connection with your audience during a meeting.

That’s really the power of nonverbal communication — connection. To make us feel connected or close to someone. This phenomenon is often studied in instructional or business settings, and is called nonverbal immediacy . Dr. Floyd says, “Nonverbal immediacy is the use of nonverbal behavior to minimize psychological distance and create emotional closeness between people. It is useful in any setting (virtual or not) in which a sense of closeness is desirable. It can be achieved through eye contact, warm facial expressions and vocal tones, forward leaning, proximity, touch, and other behaviors that help to create or maintain connection between people.”

It is a worthy goal to try to increase nonverbal immediacy when interacting and presenting online, as it will help your audience to feel connected to you.

Sara Blakely, founder & CEO of Spanx, is magical at utilizing nonverbal immediacy. In this interview , she smiles warmly, uses a lot of eye-contact with the host, has a large range of gestures, laughs, and makes the audience absolutely fall in love with her. The good news is that you can make the audience connect with you by utilizing these following four types of nonverbal communication.

1.Facial Expressions

2. eye contact.

“The most important advice is to look at the camera, not at the image,” says Dr. Floyd, who suggests it’s important to vary your gaze whether in person, or remote.

3. Body Movement and Gestures

4. vocal variety.

Vartika Kashyap

11 Tips to improve your nonverbal communication skills

It’s time to unlock effective communication with essential nonverbal communication tips.

Have you ever felt someone’s disapproval before they even said a word?

Or sensed hidden excitement beneath a neutral expression?

The truth is, that most of what we communicate happens below the surface of spoken language. This unspoken language, known as non-verbal communication serves as a secret ingredient for professional success.

The truth is, 55% of our communication happens nonverbally , through subtle cues like body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions.

Mastering these unspoken signals can transform your interactions, boost your confidence, build stronger relationships, and even advance your career.

With years of experience in the corporate world, I have put forth 11 tips in this article that will help improve your nonverbal communication skills.

Improve your understanding of – What is nonverbal communication? 8 different types & examples

Actionable tips to improve nonverbal communication skills

Nonverbal communication cues are mostly in the form of small visual signals that need to be observed minutely. While body language and your eyes play a crucial role in the process, various other cues are significant and cannot be ignored.

To make the process simple, I have categorized the actionable tips for you broadly into five different categories.

1. Body language

Body language is the first thing that people observe when communicating with each other. To display confidence, your body language should be more effective than your verbal words.

Pay attention to gestures, posture, and facial expressions.

The actionable tips that come under body language include:

A dropping shoulder indicates that stress or tiredness while pumping one’s chest out portrays an intimidating image. While approaching any person, you should look out for these cues to understand how they will accept your information.

Further, when you notice your peers slightly lean forward this indicates they are actively interested in the conversation. When you are conversing with your team members or peers hold your shoulders in line with your back and do not sit with crossed arms or legs.

Crossed arms or legs indicate that you are in a defensive mode and not open to accepting opinions and the same applies to others. A steady and open posture encourages collaboration and positive interaction with your office members.

Gestures are simple nonverbal cues that portray attention and acceptance in effective communication in the workplace.

When presenting a presentation to an audience, you should observe their gestures to understand their current mindset. If you observe that most of them are nodding their heads in a YES manner, it shows they are attentive and engaged with the presentation.

However, when you notice their heads shaking in a NO manner, it means they are not able to connect with your presentation and you will have to change your course of action.

Gestures include nodding in agreement, a thumb signal, facing the person you are conversing with, or using the open palm gesture. An open-palm gesture not only depicts openness but also assures honesty and trust.

At the management level, effective gestures help in creating a welcoming environment encouraging employees to come up with innovative ideas.

Nonverbal communication in the form of body gestures helps you understand the mood of the person around you. Thereby, you can build an inclusive workplace environment with ease.

• Facial expression

When it comes to face-to-face interaction, facial expressions are observed with intent. While listening to a conversation you can portray appreciation or happiness with a genuine smile.

Yawning, fidgeting, rubbing facial hair, and other such activities are considered instances when the person you are conversing with is bored and not interested in the conversation.

Similarly, when the nature of the conversation is serious, you need to hold an empathetic and composed facial expression. These minute changes in facial expression go a long way in building a comfortable environment for seamless communication.

Facial expressions are so meaningful and effective that you can convey your thoughts without even uttering a single word. A smile can be a symbol of approval while a poker face may indicate you are confused, resulting in disapproval.

You can control all your sensory organs to pretend and portray a picture of your choice. However, your eyes always convey your real emotions and feelings.

The slight movement in the pupil and eyebrow indicates anyone’s real emotions. Expressional emotions like anger, sadness, fear, sarcasm, surprise, or empathy are observed from the eyes alone.

The actionable tips to decode eyes for nonverbal cues include:

• Creating eye contact

Eye contact provides a platform where you are at par with the person you are conversing with. By creating eye contact you send out a signal that you are ready for the conversation.

In cases where a person avoids eye contact with you, then it is either because they are uncomfortable or dishonest. When you are addressing an audience, you need to make eye contact with every individual. This displays your inclusivity and also gives you an idea if they are following you or not.

By making eye contact with your audience, they will feel confident to participate in the discussion. They will contribute with valuable suggestions and feel free to solve doubts or ask queries.

• Maintaining eye contact

Once you have created eye contact, you must not engage yourself in that position for a long time. This builds an uncomfortable environment. When you hold eye contact for a prolonged time, it is called staring.

When you notice your peers gazing, staring, or darting this indicates they are not comfortable with the conversation. You need to quickly identify the reason for discomfort and rectify the issue. Steady eye contact without staring depicts that they are actively listening and interested in the conversation.

According to an article published in Michigan State University Extension , the effective period for eye contact is between 4-5 seconds. Anything more than this duration results in an awkward and uncomfortable situation.

You must create eye contact before starting the conversation. It is not advisable to start a conversation while looking away. However, when you want to break eye contact, do not look down or dart your eyes quickly. The best way to look away is to gently move your eyes to a side. You can then make eye contact again after 2-3 seconds.

Touch is another type of nonverbal communication . However, you should maintain a legitimate distance and respect boundaries at the workplace.

The actionable tips for physical touch in nonverbal cues include:

• Learning to embrace

How do you appreciate your team member for exemplary performance or console your peer for a mishappening?

Embracing provides a sense of support, motivation, or even praise and appreciation depending on the context.

When you want to extend an embrace, you should understand the mindset of the receiver. In cases where the receiver is not comfortable with an embrace, you should not force it on them.

Different people have different boundaries and defined personal space. You should not be offended if someone turns down your approach. Alternatively, If you are a person who does not love being embraced, you can decline the approach softly.

In the workplace, keep down the duration of an embrace to a few seconds. Longer embraces are not professional and come across as an attempt at physical closeness.

The primary point to note here is – “ In the workplace, it is always an embrace, not a hug. ”

• Respecting personal space 

Much of your behavior resonates with the way you interact with your peers and team members. An embrace is the closest form of physical contact in the workplace.

However, not all employees and people are the same. The personal space for different people varies and also depends on the relationship they hold with you.

People are comfortable and let someone into their personal space only when they feel safe and protected. This is mostly reserved only for family members, partners, and close friends.

In the workplace, you should not intrude into one’s personal space. This is seen as an attempt at physical closeness leading to hostility.

In case, someone is getting into your personal space, you can stop them straightforward. Similarly, in certain religions and cultures, people tend to maintain a large personal space. Intruding into their space is disrespectful.

4. Listening

Active listening means hearing the conversation and understanding the same.

Imagine a situation where you are presenting an idea to your boss, while he is continuously scrolling on his phone. This creates an irritation and a feeling that you are not being heard.

To become an effective team player or a leader, you must listen efficiently to your peers and be open to criticism.

• Portraying attentiveness

You might have the feeling that you are listening intently. However, you need to display the same feeling distinctively. Sitting idly and staring are not effective methods to portray attentiveness.

You can use cues like “uh”, “ah”, “oh”, and others while listening. Do not use a monotonous tone or speak with a fast tempo as it may indicate that you are not interested in the conversation.

Do not check your phone or any other device during a meeting. Distractions tend to create an environment of unease and lack of attention. It is not recommended to stare out of the window or look down blankly.

The best method to portray attentiveness is to mirror the body language of the person you are conversing with. This builds rapport and effective communication.

Read more – What is effective communication? [With benefits and tips]

• Being open and receptive

While listening you should slightly lean forward towards the speaker. Do not cross your arms or legs. Nod your head in agreement and if you want to show disagreement, slightly shake your head to form a NO pattern.

Being open does not mean intruding on the personal space of your team members. You need to respect boundaries and still ensure that you are receptive. Alternatively, you do not have to let your peers get too close to you to portray openness in the workplace.

You should also consider cultural differences while portraying receptive behavior. In cultures, where you cannot make eye contact, you should adapt to nodding your head. However, in other cultures nodding can be considered disrespectful and you will have to resort to a soft “yes” answer.

5. Regional and cultural differences

The meaning and impact of nonverbal cues and information vary according to the regional and cultural differences of the people. You should not expect all your employees to respond similarly to different nonverbal cues.

Developing cultural intelligence and quick instincts helps you build a strong bond with your team members.

The key differences in nonverbal cues based on regional differences include:

• The impact of handshake

A handshake is a customary greeting gesture. This formal gesture has several different meanings and assumptions based on slight variations in the same.

Do not try to enforce a handshake when the receptor is not confident enough for a handshake. This is not an offensive response as some people avoid handshakes as a precautionary measure to stop infectious spread.

A firm handshake indicates confidence. However, the intensity and the grip of your handshake portray a different meaning in different regions. A professional handshake should not last more than 2 to 3 seconds.

While it is considered normal to shake hands for initiating a conversation, creating eye contact simultaneously is essential. However, you should not elongate the handshake beyond 3 seconds.

When you tend to grip hard, it conveys a message that you want to be dominating and authoritative. In contradiction, when the grip is too weak, it shows that you are nervous, anxious, or afraid.

• Duration of eye contact

Eye contact helps you build a healthy relationship with your peers or team members. However, there are certain regional and cultural clauses attached to this.

Staring is interpreted differently in different regions. Continuous and prolonged eye contact is considered intimidating and a display of aggression.

Staring is often linked with flirting too. This creates a wrong impression in the workplace. A one-on-one conversation with elongated eye contact mostly happens in an intimate relationship. In the workplace, you can look away after holding eye contact for 4 to 5 seconds.

Avoiding eye contact altogether or very little eye contact shows that you are not interested in the conversation. You are considered to be impolite, insincere, and dishonest in the professional setting.

Of all the nonverbal cues, you should focus primarily on regional and cultural differences with great care. You need to ensure that you do not hurt the beliefs and sentiments of different people.

When it comes to these nonverbal communication tips, you cannot expect to master them within a stipulated time frame. It takes continuous practice and repetitive attempts to master the art of nonverbal communication.

Further, cultural and regional influences play a key role that affects the overall impact of nonverbal cues in different individuals. You need to be aware of the socio-regional norms before pitching in. Good communication skills help you grow in your career.

Understanding the visual and vocal cues of your peers and then conveying similar emotions cannot be achieved overnight. As you improve your nonverbal communication, your relationship with coworkers improves. This will make you an effective leader and contribute to your professional growth.

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What percentage of communication is nonverbal?

Going by the 7-38-55 rule, nonverbal communication contributes to more than 93%. The rule states that only 7% is verbal, while 38% is communicated in the form of voice tone and the remaining 55% is in the form of gestures, body language, facial expressions, and other behavioral changes.

What is the most common form of nonverbal communication?

The most common form of nonverbal communication is facial expression. This is followed by body language, postures, gestures, haptics, eye contact, and other factors.

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Nonverbal Communication Skills: 19 Theories & Findings

In it, he introduces the concept of dramaturgy, which compares everyday social interactions to actors’ portrayals of characters, suggesting that one’s social interactions are analogous to a string of varying performances (Ritzer, 2021).

Goffman’s work also included the concept of impression management. The key to impression management includes appearance; your manner of interacting; and the attitudes conveyed through gestures, facial expressions, and nonverbal skills (Ritzer, 2021).

William Shakespeare said, “All the world’s a stage.”

I’m not a trained actor, but teaching public speaking courses has made me aware that audiences seem to prefer speakers who use a variety of hand gestures. These gestures signify the speaker as “warm, agreeable, and energetic” (Goman, 2021).

Just that nugget of information has taught me to incorporate hand gestures to develop my public speaking skills.

What other nonverbal communication skills enhance daily interactions?

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Communication Exercises (PDF) for free . These science-based tools will help you and those you work with build better social skills and better connect with others.

This Article Contains:

What is nonverbal communication, 9 types of nonverbal communication skills, is nonverbal communication important, 2 psychology theories and models, 8 fascinating research findings, importance in counseling and healthcare, resources from positivepsychology.com, a take-home message.

Nonverbal communication is a way to convey information “achieved through facial expressions, gestures, touching (haptics), physical movements (kinesics), posture, body adornment (clothes, jewelry, hairstyle, tattoos, etc.), and even the tone, timbre, and volume of an individual’s voice (rather than spoken content)” (Navarro & Karlins, 2008, p. 2–4).

In this YouTube video, Joe Navarro explains several nonverbal communication cues, exposes some myths, and discusses his work with nonverbal communication in law enforcement.

Marco Iacoboni (2008, p. 81), author of Mirroring People , takes it a step further, stating that “gestures accompanying speech have a dual role of helping the speakers to express their thoughts and helping the listeners/viewers understand what is being said.”

To competently read body language, Navarro and Karlins (2008) provide suggestions such as rigorous observation and a familiarity with the person’s baseline behaviors. They also recommend watching for changes, or ‘tells.’

Navarro and Karlins (2008) advise becoming familiar with universal behaviors and contextualizing nonverbal cues. However, cultural norms could inhibit rigorous observation.

Characteristics of nonverbal communication

The United States is considered a low-context communication culture (MacLachlan, 2010). This means that much of the information in a message comes directly from words rather than through implication or body language.

This style of communication involves lots of verbal detail so as not to confuse listeners. Low-context cultures rely less on nonverbal communication, which can obscure or censor portions of the message.

Nonverbal communication is culturally determined, and it is largely unconscious. It indicates the speaker’s emotional state. When nonverbal cues conflict with the verbal message, it may convey confusion or deception (Navarro & Karlins, 2008).

Finally, nonverbal communication varies by gender and displays power differentials, information effective leaders can use to influence others (Hybels & Weaver, 2015; Henley, 1977).

Nonverbal communication of successful leaders

It’s essential for leaders to read body language, also known as decoding. Deciphering between engagement (e.g., nodding, tilting the head, open body postures) and disengagement (e.g., body tilting away, crossed arms and legs) can be the difference between success and failure (Goman, 2021).

Successful actors could be considered professional first-impression artists. Like actors, leaders often find themselves center stage; they must learn the art of creating first impressions.

Subjective awareness and the ability to express yourself nonverbally are known as encoding – crucial for positive first impressions. Advice from professional actors includes a maintaining a pleasant facial expression, good posture, pausing, breathing, relaxing, and avoiding hiding your hands (Shellenbarger, 2018).

This video , 8 Things Successful People Do to Look Confident , provides quick tips for confident body language even if you’re not feeling confident.

First impressions are said to be formed in less than seven seconds (Goman, 2021). In this short time, others formulate labels such as “powerful,” “submissive,” or “trustworthy.” Evolved leaders incorporate mindfulness to help.

Naz Beheshti (2018) states, “Evolved leaders… use nonverbal tools mindfully and deliberately to reinforce their message.” She goes on to say, “this lifts the value of your communication and your value as a leader” (Beheshti, 2018).

Awareness of self, others, and the situation (mindfulness) allows us to ensure that our gestures and body language align with our spoken words. This creates congruence and generates trustworthiness (Beheshti, 2018; Newberg & Waldman, 2013).

This means we are analyzing several, simultaneous nonverbal cues. A frustrated person may tap their foot, cross their arms, and tightly squeeze their biceps (Jones, 2013). These clusters may cross over and include a variety of nonverbal categories, summarized below.

1. Kinesics

Kinesics is the study of how we move our body, specifically the head, hands, body, and arms (Jones, 2013). This includes sending messages through facial expressions, gestures, eye contact, and posture.

Haptics is the study of touch or coming into physical contact with another person (Hybels & Weaver, 2015). Throughout history, touch has been surrounded by mystery and taboo. We are perplexed by healing touch and riveted by stories of infants who perished due to lack of touch. Touch can denote relationship, status, power, and personality (Henley, 1977).

Cultural norms dictate guidelines regarding touch. Mindfulness regarding social and environmental settings is prudent. We greet a friend at an informal party differently than we would greet a boss or coworker in a professional setting.

3. Proxemics

The study of space and distance is called proxemics, and it analyzes how people use the space around them (Hybels & Weaver, 2015).

This YouTube video is a fun demonstration of students completing a school project on personal space and the discomfort felt by both humans and animals when social norms are violated.

4. Territory

Territory is often used to display power or reveal a lack thereof.

“'[P]osture expansiveness,’ positioning oneself in a way that opens up the body and takes up space, activated a sense of power that produced behavioral changes in a subject independent of their actual rank or role in an organization” (Goman, 2021).

Expansiveness conveys power.

5. Environment

Environment includes objects we use to adorn ourselves and the artifacts we surround ourselves with in order to create an impression. These objects provide nonverbal cues that help others form impressions (Jones, 2013).

6. Paralinguistics

Paralinguistics, also known as vocalics, is the study of how we speak and involves pitch, volume, rate of speech, tone, quality, tempo, resonance, rhythm, and articulation to help determine the context of the message (Jones, 2013).

7. Chronemics

Chronemics is the study of time, including how it is used. Nancy Henley (1977, p. 43), author of Body Politics: Power, Sex & Nonverbal Communication , asserts “Time is far from a neutral philosophical/physical concept in our society: it is a political weapon.”

Henley (1977, p. 47) describes the concept of “ritual waiting,” stating, “The more important the person, the longer we will ungrudgingly wait for the service or honor of attention.”

8. Attractiveness

The power of drawing attention to oneself doesn’t rely on physical appeal alone. Although facial symmetry and fashion of adornment are important (Jones, 2013), people who master good eye contact, have a lively face, offer encouragement, and use open gestures are also considered attractive (Kuhnke, 2012).

9. Olfactics

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Nonverbal communication is very important, as you could reveal unintentional information, as well as cause your communication to be misinterpreted.

Leakage: Unintentional messages

Teaching social–emotional skills to incarcerated people provided me with a powerful lesson about the nuances of nonverbal communication. On a particularly challenging day, I thought it wise to meditate and center myself prior to entering the jail. However, upon seeing me, the people inside began inquiring what was going on with me. What did they detect?

Nonverbal leakage can be shown through micro-expressions, which are “very fast facial movements lasting 1/25 to 1/5 of a second” and indicate a person’s real feelings (Ekman, 2003, p. 214).

This YouTube video is the opening scene of the series Lie to Me , based on the work of Paul Ekman regarding micro-expressions.

Varying statistics on the value of nonverbal communication may cause concern for those less practiced, but which statistics are accurate?

Crossed messages

The original research from Mehrabian and Ferris (1967) regarding nonverbal communication is widely interpreted. Elizabeth Kuhnke (2012, p. 10), author of Body Language for Dummies , interprets the study, saying, “55% of the emotional message in face-to-face communication results from body language.”

A nonverbal communication formula often cited is 7–38–55, which indicates 7% of the message comes from words, 38% vocal, and 55% facial. However, Lapakko (2007) believes this formula is reckless, faulty, and misleading. Sometimes the nonverbal elements of a message, such as gestures with directions, are incredibly important, and at other times incidental.

In addition, what something “means” in communication is connected to such variables as culture, history of the relationship, people’s intentions, personal experiences, time of day and specific words used. It would be naive to suggest all these nuances could be neatly quantified, and therefore attributing a precise formula to nonverbal communication is flawed in many ways.

So regardless of statistics and formulas, we know that nonverbal communication is essential and that people skilled at both reading and interpreting body language tend to enjoy greater success in life than those not skilled (Goleman, 1997).

Basic emotion theory

Basic emotion theory (BET) posits that emotions are a “grammar of social living” that situate us in the social and moral order of society (Keltner, Sauter, Tracy, & Cowen, 2019, p. 133). In addition, emotions structure interactions, particularly in relationships that matter. BET is integral to emotional expression.

Foundational to BET is the assumption that emotional expressions coordinate social interactions in three ways:

• Through rapid conveyance of important information to aid in decision making
• To evoke specific responses
• To serve as incentives for others’ actions

This is accomplished through reward systems such as parents smiling and caressing a child who exhibits specific behaviors (Keltner et al., 2019).

BET initially focused on six basic emotions. Literature reveals there are over 20 emotions with distinct, multimodal expressions, providing a deeper structure and highlighting the advancing nature of emotional expression (Keltner et al., 2019).

Neural resonance

Two people who like each other will mirror each other’s facial expressions, gestures, postures, vocalics, and movements. This is known as neural resonance, and it aids the accurate transfer of information from one person to another (Newberg & Waldman, 2013).

To fully understand what another is saying, “you have to listen to and observe the other person as deeply and fully as possible” (Newberg & Waldman, 2013, p. 81). Neural resonance uses mirror neurons to create cooperation, empathy, and trust.

Studying nonverbal communication is revealing and intriguing. Most experts will include aspects such as eyes, facial expressions, and hands, but digging deeper reveals less-acknowledged nonverbal nuggets.

1. The benefits of yawning

Yawning is one of the fastest and simplest ways to lower mental stress and anxiety (Waldman & Manning, 2017). Social norms dictate that we refrain from yawning in specific settings, but yawning has many benefits. Did you know that snipers are taught to yawn before pulling the trigger (Waldman & Manning, 2017)?

According to Waldman and Manning (2017), yawning stimulates alertness and concentration; optimizes brain activity and metabolism; improves cognitive functioning; increases recall, consciousness, and introspection; decreases stress and relaxes the upper body; recalibrates a sense of timing; enhances social awareness and empathy; and increases sensuality and pleasure.

2. Feet don’t lie

According to Navarro and Karlins (2008), the most honest part of our body is our feet, as demonstrated by small children who dance with happiness or stomp in frustration. Many people look to the face for truth; Navarro and Karlins take the opposite approach:

“When it comes to honesty, truthfulness decreases as we move from the feet to the head” (Navarro & Karlins, 2008, p. 56), reasoning that emotions are suppressed through fabricated facial expression.

3. Gestures that help

Gestures improve memory and comprehension skills. Gestures may convey information that can influence how listeners respond, depending on the hand being used. “We tend to express positive ideas with our dominant hand and negative ideas with the other hand” (Newberg & Waldman, 2013, p. 44).

4. The eyes have it

“Social network circuits are stimulated through face-to-face eye contact, decreasing cortisol, and increasing oxytocin. The result is increased empathy, social cooperation, and positive communication” (Newberg & Waldman, 2013, p. 135).

Eyes reveal a lot about us. When we are aroused, troubled, concerned, or nervous, our blink rate increases. Once we relax, our blink rate returns to normal (Navarro & Karlins, 2008).

5. Power posing for success

Body language affects how others see us and how we view ourselves. In this YouTube video, Amy Cuddy discusses her research on power posing and how it affects success.

Amy Cuddy’s book is also discussed in our article listing books on imposter syndrome .

6. Fingers crossed

One explanation of the origin of crossing fingers for good luck comes from early beliefs in the power of the cross. The intersection of the digits, epitomizing the cross, was thought to denote a concentration of good spirits and served to anchor a wish until it came true (Keyser, 2014).

7. Fake positivity is harmful

Positivity that doesn’t register in your body or heart can be harmful. According to Barbara Fredrickson (2009, p. 180), “fake smiles, just like sneers of anger, predict heart wall collapse.” To truly benefit from a smile, touch, or embrace, you need to slow down and make it heartfelt.

8. Stand up straight

Poor posture can reduce oxygen intake by 30%, resulting in less energy (Gordon, 2003). Stooping over can make us look and feel old and out of touch. By straightening up, we can make significant differences in how we think and feel. The effect is bi-directional; attitude influences posture, just as posture influences attitude.

Good rapport between clients and practitioners stems from mirroring and synchronicity associated with neural resonance (Finset & Piccolo, 2011; Newberg & Waldman, 2013).

Carl Rogers’s Client-Centered Therapy is based on an empathetic understanding of clients. Nonverbal communication provides valuable information for both the client and the therapist. Showing you like and accept a client may be the most important information a therapist can convey (Finset & Piccolo, 2011).

Nonverbal patterns in therapy evolve over time. Specific behaviors that further the therapeutic process include “a moderate amount of head nodding and smiling; frequent, but not staring, eye contact; active, but not extreme, facial responsiveness; and a warm, relaxed, interested vocal tone” (Finset & Piccolo, 2011, p. 122).

Conscious awareness of nonverbal cues can aid in rapport building. Leaning toward the other signals comfort, whereas leaning away or crossing your arms signals discomfort (Navarro & Karlins, 2008).

Torsos and shoulder blades seem innocuous; however, blading away (turning slightly) from another person shows discomfort, while blading toward or facing another squarely shows a level of comfort (Navarro & Karlins, 2008).

Open palms are an ancient sign of trustworthiness that help establish rapport and are considered nonthreatening (Kuhnke, 2012). Hidden hands (placed in pockets or behind backs) signal disconnection and reluctance to engage. To display respect, keep an open posture with your muscles relaxed and weight evenly distributed.

Mirroring and matching go a long way to show synchronicity. Be careful to avoid mimicry, which signals disrespect (Kuhnke, 2012). Too much of a good thing can jeopardize credibility. An extended, fixed gaze into another’s eyes or effortful smiling can seem awkward, or worse.

This short YouTube video explains the dynamics of fluctuating facial expressions, based on the work of Charles Darwin and Paul Ekman.

This Silent Connections worksheet is an exercise for groups that combines mindfulness and nonverbal communication to build connections.

Someone who lacks the ability to make eye contact during conversation can be easily misinterpreted. To overcome this nonverbal communication issue, our Strategies for Maintaining Eye Contact can be very useful.

Our blog post 49 Communication Activities, Exercises, and Games includes six nonverbal communication activities for adults and three nonverbal exercises that work for families and children.

The blog post What Is Assertive Communication? 10 Real-Life Examples includes nonverbal qualities that complement and enhance assertive statements. Hints for eye contact, facial expressions, and posture can be found throughout.

In the blog post Cultivating Social Intelligence : 3 Ways to Understand Others , we discuss characteristics of social intelligence, including body language.

If you’re looking for more science-based ways to help others communicate better, this collection contains 17 validated positive communication tools for practitioners. Use them to help others improve their communication skills and form deeper and more positive relationships.

17 Exercises To Develop Positive Communication

17 Positive Communication Exercises [PDF] to develop help others develop communication skills for successful social interactions and positive, fulfilling relationships.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

Nonverbal communication is an essential communication skill. Nonverbal expertise aids in delivering clear messages and forming positive impressions. It doesn’t have to be a big gesture to make a difference. Gently stroking the hand of a grieving friend speaks volumes.

Viewing life as a series of dramatic performances, as implied by both Shakespeare and Goffman, can add a sense of intrigue and adventure to enhancing nonverbal communication. These essential skills will help us achieve goals.

Just as the highly motivated thespian will study and polish their craft, anyone wanting to succeed in their career or interpersonal relationships can study and practice the nuances of nonverbal communication.

Actors and public speakers often practice their craft in front of a mirror or videotape themselves to reflect on strengths and weaknesses.

This article includes a myriad of resources to help improve nonverbal communication skills with many additional resources available.

By starting with something as simple as posture, we exit stage right, headed toward the competency of center stage. Break a leg!

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Communication Exercises (PDF) for free .

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• Keltner, D., Sauter, D., Tracy, J., & Cowen, A. (2019). Emotional expression: Advances in basic emotion theory. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior , 43 (3), 133–160.
• Keyser, H. (2014, March 21). Why do we cross our fingers for good luck? Mental Floss . Retrieved May 27, 2021, from https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/55702/why-do-we-cross-our-fingers-good-luck
• Kuhnke, E. (2012). Body language for dummies . John Wiley & Sons.
• Lapakko, D. (2007). Communication is 93% nonverbal: An urban legend proliferates. Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal , 34 (2), 7–19.
• MacLachlan, M. (2010, February 12). Cross-cultural communication styles: High and low context. Communicaid. Retrieved May 10, 2021, from https://www.communicaid.com/cross-cultural-training/blog/high-and-low-context/
• Mehrabian, A., & Ferris, S. R. (1967). Inference of attitudes from nonverbal communication in two channels.  Journal of Consulting Psychology, 31 (3), 248–252.
• Navarro, J., & Karlins, M. P. (2008). What every body is saying . Harper-Collins.
• Newberg, A. M., & Waldman, M. R. (2013). Words can change your brain . Avery.
• Ritzer, G. (2021). Essentials of sociology (4th ed.). SAGE.
• Shellenbarger, S. (2018, January 30). The mistakes you make in a meeting’s first milliseconds. Wall Street Journal . Retrieved May 22, 2021, from https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-mistakes-you-make-in-a-meetings-first-milliseconds-1517322312
• Waldman, M. R., & Manning, C. P. (2017). NeuroWisdom: The new brain science of money, happiness, and success . Diversion Books.

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Public Speaking: Nonverbal

Criteria for success.

• You feel confident in your movements and body posture.
• You maintain eye contact and forward-facing movements during the talk.
• You incorporate power poses when necessary.
• Your body movements flow naturally with your presentation and slides.
• Any movement that doesn’t support your main message is minimized.

Identify your purpose

A public presentation is more than just presenting information, it is also about engaging the audience and captivating their attention. If it wasn’t through our physical engagement, we might as well give the audience members an audio recording or slide deck instead. As a presenter, we attempt to liven the verbal messages with nonverbal gestures. Whether through body language, movement, or stage presence, these nonverbal components are just as important as the slides and talk you have practiced and prepared for. Incorporating conscious movements that serve to enhance how your message is perceived by your audience can help you:

• Engage your audience. Posture, gestures or movements, and your physical location on the stage are all factors that can be incorporated to create a story-telling effect that will keep your audience engaged throughout your presentation.
• Feel more confident. Strong body postures (e.g., power poses) convey confidence and a sense of importance during your talk.

Analyze your audience

Many audience members will arrive with the intention of learning more about your work and gaining some insight about your field. You can do more by also delivering an impactful and engaging talk that viewers can take home and remember. Audience types will dictate how you present yourself. For example, formal talks require formal attire, and this is also true in the types of nonverbal communication you can incorporate. Defined posture and deliberate movements are a must for professional talks, whereas more dynamic movements may be appealing for more casual and friendly presentations.

Similarly, the environment in which you are presenting will also determine your style. Poster presentations can be more informal with casual movements to guide the viewer. Department talks, on the other hand, should have movements that flow fluidly with your talk to guide the audience in your longer discussions.

Use eye contact to engage your audience

Possibly one of the most intimidating aspects of a talk is to look at the audience and to see their eyes gazing back at you. It is very common to escape eye contact by looking at your notes, the floor, or turning your back on your audience to face your slides. However, to be an effective presenter it is necessary to overcome these crutches in order to engage your audience. Making eye contact will help the audience feel important, like you are actually talking to them and not just giving a rehearsed speech.

If you already feel comfortable maintaining eye contact, remember to engage the entire audience. A few suggestions are:

• If it’s a large room, turn your head or even body to talk to all corners of the room, not just the people in the middle.
• Rather than just scanning the audience, can you take time to make one-on-one eye contact with individuals? Use this as an opportunity to gauge the audience’s level of interest. Seeing how they respond to your slides, transitions, etc. can help you adjust your talk as you go.

If making eye contact is challenging for you, here are two suggestions to help you work on this skill:

• Rather than trying to make eye contact with individuals, try looking at someone’s forehead, a colorful shirt, or the cushion of someone’s seat to create the illusion that you are making eye contact with the general audience. Alternatively, if picking out details is too distracting, you can look at or just above people’s heads to give the illusion of making eye contact.
• Once you feel comfortable looking into the audience, pick one or two places and go back and forth between these places during your talk to engage the entire room.

Emphasize deliberate movements and minimize unnecessary distractions (maximize signal-to-noise)

Here, we define signal as any movements that add substance to your talk and further engages the audience, such as conveying a message with your hands, or making eye contact with the audience.

Noise, on the other hand, is any unnecessary movements that distract the viewers, such as fidgeting or repetitive motions. Move with purpose. Do not ruffle your pockets or rock back and forth. Instead, present a straight, upright posture with arm movements that match the pace and flow of your talk. Adding purposeful movement to signify changes in ideas or to emphasize important points can add another layer of engagement to your talk. Some examples include:

• If you are comparing two concepts, physically weigh them out with your hands to convey the difference as if your hands were a scale.
• Casually walk to the other side of the stage when transitioning between ideas to physically cue the viewers that there is a change in topic.
• With a straight arm, point in the direction of the slide that has an important message. Make your movement distinct to indicate that the audience should focus on the slide, and not you.

Overall, this “art form” is unique to each person based on level of comfort and ability. We highly recommend using the Communication Lab to ask about how you can best utilize body movements to further enhance your talk. Alternatively, ask a friend for feedback, film yourself, or practice in front of a mirror to get a sense at what actions you naturally do during a talk, and reflect on how to change or enhance them.

(The metaphor of “signal-to-noise ratio” comes from Jean-luc Doumont’s book Trees, Maps, and Theorems .)

Use good posture and incorporate power poses

Many of us are rarely conscious of our posture, yet this is the first impression you will make to your audience even before you speak. A straight back and a level chin with your eyes facing the audience will show that you are prepared and ready.

Power poses can help assert confidence and importance during your talk. You are, in fact, the most important person in the room, so use power poses to make it look that way! What makes power poses distinct from low-power (or submissive) poses is the control of space. Hands on the side and a slightly wider stance command space on the stage and demands attention. Of course, overly dramatic, arrogant, or otherwise off-putting stances and posture should be avoided. Use a friend or video to find a power pose that makes you feel confident but doesn’t detract from your overall talk.

How to Practice

Non-verbal engagement is part of our daily lives, so pay attention to your movements when you interact with friends or co-workers. With practice, you will be able to naturally deliver a strong presentation when the time comes. Overall, things to consider are:

• Be conscious of your posture when standing and interacting with friends.
• Look people in the eye! Attempt to make eye contact with those you talk to.
• Pay attention to your small and fidget-like movements, even while by yourself. If these unwanted habits go unnoticed during everyday life, you can expect these habits to creep into your talk without you knowing.

Finally, make an appointment with the Comm Lab if you ever want to practice one-on-one or to discuss your concerns related to your non-verbal presentation style.

Additional Resources

• Common Challenges and Fixes for Verbal and Nonverbal Communication – An extensive reference table created by the BE Communication Lab
• “The Importance of Nonverbal Communication” – A quick read with fun statistics about the importance of nonverbal communication and additional concrete suggestions for improving your skills.
• “Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are” – A TED Talk on the effects of power poses and how to incorporate them into your daily life.

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Types of Nonverbal Communication

Often you don't need words at all

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

 Tim Robberts / Getty Images

Why Nonverbal Communication Is Important

• How to Improve

Nonverbal communication means conveying information without using words. This might involve using certain facial expressions or hand gestures to make a specific point, or it could involve the use (or non-use) of eye contact, physical proximity, and other nonverbal cues to get a message across.

A substantial portion of our communication is nonverbal. In fact, some researchers suggest that the percentage of nonverbal communication is four times that of verbal communication, with 80% of what we communicate involving our actions and gestures versus only 20% being conveyed with the use of words.

Every day, we respond to thousands of nonverbal cues and behaviors, including postures, facial expressions, eye gaze, gestures, and tone of voice. From our handshakes to our hairstyles, our nonverbal communication reveals who we are and impacts how we relate to other people.

9 Types of Nonverbal Communication

Scientific research on nonverbal communication and behavior began with the 1872 publication of Charles Darwin's The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals . Since that time, a wealth of research has been devoted to the types, effects, and expressions of unspoken communication and behavior .

Nonverbal Communication Types

While these signals can be so subtle that we are not consciously aware of them, research has identified nine types of nonverbal communication. These nonverbal communication types are:

• Facial expressions
• Paralinguistics (such as loudness or tone of voice)
• Body language
• Proxemics or personal space
• Eye gaze, haptics (touch)
• Artifacts (objects and images)

Facial Expressions

Facial expressions are responsible for a huge proportion of nonverbal communication. Consider how much information can be conveyed with a smile or a frown. The look on a person's face is often the first thing we see, even before we hear what they have to say.

While nonverbal communication and behavior can vary dramatically between cultures, the facial expressions for happiness, sadness, anger, and fear are similar throughout the world.

Deliberate movements and signals are an important way to communicate meaning without words. Common gestures include waving, pointing, and giving a "thumbs up" sign. Other gestures are arbitrary and related to culture.

For example, in the U.S., putting the index and middle finger in the shape of a "V" with your palm facing out is often considered to be a sign of peace or victory. Yet, in Britain, Australia, and other parts of the world, this gesture can be considered an insult.

Nonverbal communication via gestures is so powerful and influential that some judges place limits on which ones are allowed in the courtroom, where they can sway juror opinions. An attorney might glance at their watch to suggest that the opposing lawyer's argument is tedious, for instance. Or they may roll their eyes during a witness's testimony in an attempt to undermine that person's credibility.

Paralinguistics

Paralinguistics refers to vocal communication that is separate from actual language. This form of nonverbal communication includes factors such as tone of voice, loudness, inflection, and pitch.

For example, consider the powerful effect that tone of voice can have on the meaning of a sentence. When said in a strong tone of voice, listeners might interpret a statement as approval and enthusiasm. The same words said in a hesitant tone can convey disapproval and a lack of interest.

Body Language and Posture

Posture and movement can also provide a great deal of information. Research on body language has grown significantly since the 1970s, with popular media focusing on the over-interpretation of defensive postures such as arm-crossing and leg-crossing, especially after the publication of Julius Fast's book Body Language .

While these nonverbal communications can indicate feelings and attitudes , body language is often subtle and less definitive than previously believed.

People often refer to their need for "personal space." This is known as proxemics and is another important type of nonverbal communication.

The amount of distance we need and the amount of space we perceive as belonging to us are influenced by several factors. Among them are social norms , cultural expectations, situational factors, personality characteristics, and level of familiarity.

The amount of personal space needed when having a casual conversation with another person can vary between 18 inches and four feet. The personal distance needed when speaking to a crowd of people is usually around 10 to 12 feet.

The eyes play a role in nonverbal communication, with such things as looking, staring, and blinking being important cues. For example, when you encounter people or things that you like, your rate of blinking increases and your pupils dilate.

People's eyes can indicate a range of emotions , including hostility, interest, and attraction. People also often utilize eye gaze cues to gauge a person's honesty. Normal, steady eye contact is often taken as a sign that a person is telling the truth and is trustworthy. Shifty eyes and an inability to maintain eye contact, on the other hand, is frequently seen as an indicator that someone is lying or being deceptive.

However, some research suggests that eye gaze does not accurately predict lying behavior.

Communicating through touch is another important nonverbal communication behavior. Touch can be used to communicate affection, familiarity, sympathy, and other emotions .

In her book Interpersonal Communication: Everyday Encounters , author Julia Wood writes that touch is also often used to communicate both status and power. High-status individuals tend to invade other people's personal space with greater frequency and intensity than lower-status individuals.

Sex differences also play a role in how people utilize touch to communicate meaning. Women tend to use touch to convey care, concern, and nurturance. Men, on the other hand, are more likely to use touch to assert power or control over others.

There has been a substantial amount of research on the importance of touch in infancy and early childhood. Harry Harlow's classic monkey study , for example, demonstrated how being deprived of touch impedes development. In the experiments, baby monkeys raised by wire mothers experienced permanent deficits in behavior and social interaction.

Our choice of clothing, hairstyle, and other appearance factors are also considered a means of nonverbal communication. Research on color psychology has demonstrated that different colors can evoke different moods. Appearance can also alter physiological reactions, judgments, and interpretations.

Just think of all the subtle judgments you quickly make about someone based on their appearance. These first impressions are important, which is why experts suggest that job seekers dress appropriately for interviews with potential employers.

Researchers have found that appearance can even play a role in how much people earn. Attractive people tend to earn more and receive other fringe benefits, including higher-quality jobs.

Culture is an important influence on how appearances are judged. While thinness tends to be valued in Western cultures, some African cultures relate full-figured bodies to better health, wealth, and social status.

Objects and images are also tools that can be used to communicate nonverbally. On an online forum, for example, you might select an avatar to represent your identity and to communicate information about who you are and the things you like.

People often spend a great deal of time developing a particular image and surrounding themselves with objects designed to convey information about the things that are important to them. Uniforms, for example, can be used to transmit a tremendous amount of information about a person.

A soldier will don fatigues, a police officer will wear a specific uniform, and a doctor will wear a white lab coat. At a mere glance, these outfits tell others what that person does for a living. That makes them a powerful form of nonverbal communication.

Nonverbal Communication Examples

Think of all the ways you communicate nonverbally in your own life. You can find examples of nonverbal communication at home, at work, and in other situations.

Nonverbal Communication at Home

Consider all the ways that tone of voice might change the meaning of a sentence when talking with a family member. One example is when you ask your partner how they are doing and they respond with, "I'm fine." How they say these words reveals a tremendous amount about how they are truly feeling.

A bright, happy tone of voice would suggest that they are doing quite well. A cold tone of voice might suggest that they are not fine but don't wish to discuss it. A somber, downcast tone might indicate that they are the opposite of fine but may want to talk about why.

Other examples of nonverbal communication at home include:

• Going to your partner swiftly when they call for you (as opposed to taking your time or not responding at all)
• Greeting your child with a smile when they walk into the room to show that you're happy to see them
• Leaning in when your loved one speaks to show that you are listening and that you are interested in what they're saying
• Shoving your fist into the air when you're upset that something isn't working

Nonverbal Communication in the Workplace

You can also find nonverbal communication in the workplace. Examples of this include:

• Looking co-workers in the eye when speaking with them to be fully engaged in the interaction
• Throwing your hands in the air when you are frustrated with a project
• Using excitement in your voice when leading work meetings to project your passion for a specific topic
• Walking down the hall with your head held high to convey confidence in your abilities

Nonverbal Communication in Other Situations

Here are a few additional examples of nonverbal communication that say a lot without you having to say anything at all:

• Greeting an old friend at a restaurant with a hug, handshake, or fist bump
• Placing your hand on someone's arm when they are talking to you at a party to convey friendliness or concern
• Rolling your eyes at someone who is chatting excessively with a store clerk as a line begins to form
• Scowling at someone who has cut you off in traffic, or "flipping them the bird"

Nonverbal communication serves an important role in conveying meaning. Some benefits it provides include:

• Strengthening relationships : Nonverbal communication fosters closeness and intimacy in interpersonal relationships.
• Substituting for spoken words : Signaling information that a person might not be able to say aloud. This can be helpful in situations where a person might not be heard (such as a noisy workplace) or in therapy situations where a mental health professional can look at nonverbal behaviors to learn more about how a client might be feeling.
• Reinforcing meaning : Matching nonverbal communication to spoken words can help add clarity and reinforce important points.
• Regulating conversation : Nonverbal signals can also help regulate the flow of conversation and indicate both the start and end of a message or topic.

Nonverbal communication is important because it can provide valuable information, reinforce the meaning of spoken words, help convey trust, and add clarity to your message.

How to Improve Your Nonverbal Communication Skills

If you want to develop more confident body language or improve your ability to read other people's nonverbal communication behaviors, these tips can help:

• Pay attention to your own behaviors : Notice the gestures you use when you're happy versus when you're upset. Think about how you change the tone of your voice depending on the emotions you are feeling. Being aware of your own nonverbal communication tendencies is the first step to changing the ones you want to change. It can also give you insight into how you're feeling if you're having trouble putting it into words.
• Become a student of others : It can also be helpful to consider how others around you communicate nonverbally. What do their facial expressions say? What type of gestures do they use? Becoming familiar with their nonverbal communication patterns helps you recognize when they might be feeling a certain way quicker because you're actively watching for these cues. It can also help you recognize nonverbal behaviors you may want to adopt yourself (such as standing tall when talking to others to display self-confidence ).
• Look for incongruent nonverbal cues : Do you say that you're fine, then slam cupboard doors to show that you're upset? This can give those around you mixed messages. Or maybe when someone is speaking with you, they are saying yes while shaking their head no. This is another example of incongruent behavior. Both can be signs of feeling a certain way but not yet being ready to admit or discuss it.
• Think before you act : If your middle finger seems to automatically fly up when a car cuts you off—even if your young child is in the back seat, causing you to regret it as soon as it happens—you can work to stop this reaction. Train yourself to stop and think before you act. This can help you eliminate or replace nonverbal behaviors that you've been wanting to change.
• Ask before you assume : Certain types of nonverbal communication can mean different things in different cultures. They can also vary based on someone's personality . Before assuming that a person's body language or tone means something definitively, ask. "I notice that you won't look me in the eye when we speak. Are you upset with me?" Give them the opportunity to explain how they are feeling so you know for sure.

A Word From Verywell

Nonverbal communication plays an important role in how we convey meaning and information to others, as well as how we interpret the actions of those around us.

The important thing to remember when looking at nonverbal behaviors is to consider the actions in groups. Consider what a person says verbally, combined with their expressions, appearance, and tone of voice and it can tell you a great deal about what that person is really trying to say.

American Psychological Association. Nonverbal communication (NVC) .

Hull R. The art of nonverbal communication in practice . Hear J . 2016;69(5);22-24. doi:10.1097/01.HJ.0000483270.59643.cc

Frith C. Role of facial expressions in social interactions . Philos Trans R Soc B Biol Sci . 2009;364(1535):3453-8. doi:10.1098/rstb.2009.0142

Goldin-Meadow S. How gesture works to change our minds . Trends Neurosci Educ . 2014;3(1):4-6. doi:10.1016/j.tine.2014.01.002

Guyer JJ, Briñol P, Vaughan-Johnston TI, Fabrigar LR, Moreno L, Petty RE. Paralinguistic features communicated through voice can affect appraisals of confidence and evaluative judgments .  J Nonverbal Behav . 2021;45(4):479-504. doi:10.1007/s10919-021-00374-2

Abdulghafor R, Turaev S, Ali MAH. Body language analysis in healthcare: An overview .  Healthcare (Basel) . 2022;10(7):1251. doi:10.3390/healthcare10071251

Mccall C, Singer T. Facing off with unfair others: introducing proxemic imaging as an implicit measure of approach and avoidance during social interaction . PLoS One . 2015;10(2):e0117532. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0117532

Wiseman R, Watt C, ten Brinke L, Porter S, Couper SL, Rankin C. The eyes don't have it: lie detection and Neuro-Linguistic Programming .  PLoS One . 2012;7(7):e40259. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0040259

Sekerdej M, Simão C, Waldzus S, Brito R. Keeping in touch with context: Non-verbal behavior as a manifestation of communality and dominance . J Nonverbal Behav . 2018;42(3):311-326. doi:10.1007/s10919-018-0279-2

Bambaeeroo F, Shokrpour N. The impact of the teachers' non-verbal communication on success in teaching .  J Adv Med Educ Prof . 2017;5(2):51-59.

Dilmaghani M. Beauty perks: Physical appearance, earnings, and fringe benefits . Economics & Human Biology . 2020;38:100889. doi:10.1016/j.ehb.2020.100889

Darwin C. The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals .

Wood J.  Interpersonal Communication: Everyday Encounters .

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

+1 (603) 932 7897

[email protected].

8 Nonverbal Tips for Public Speaking

• Last modified 2024-03-29
• Published on 2021-05-14

Nonverbal tips help students significantly in communication because nonverbal communication and verbal communication are the two core components of public speaking. While verbal communication can be improved with extensive practice, nonverbal communication directly impacts the audience’s ability to comprehend the message. Every gesture, from the movement of your hands to eye contact, will send different signals to the audience about your capabilities and understanding of the subject. Imagine, if you see a public speaker who delivers their point coherently and comprehensively, what will you think if they keep looking down or sideways, and put their hands behind their back? 

Albert Mehrabian once wrote about the importance of verbal and non-verbal messages. He found out about the 7-38-55 rule : our words convey 7% of the meaning, our tone 38%, and our body language provides 55% of what the audience will remember.  

Nonverbal language is hard to control, especially when you are too focused on presenting. Therefore, to help you be aware of your nonverbal cues and improve your body language and eye contact for future group presentations, here are eight nonverbal tips for you. We will discuss nonverbal communication in two forms: body language and tone.  

Body language

1. the power pose by amy cuddy.

Amy Cuddy, the US social psychologist, suggests the “powerful pose” – spreading your arms wide and looking confident – to help people feel more powerful. According to her research with Harvard University, “ those who sat on the high-power pose, felt more powerful and had performed better in mock interviews than those who had not .” Our body influences our mind; therefore, by making the power pose, we feel more powerful and become more confident.  

2. Maintain consistent breathing

The second nonverbal tip is focused on breathing. Breathing is essential in the public speaking setting. Breathing is often an undervalued and underrated method in public speaking, even though proper breathing will help you with your vocal control, pitch, and tone. For many people who have a fear of public speaking, research indicates breathing is correlated with speech anxiety. Speech anxiety causes shallower breathing: the less air we inhale, the shorter we can talk, and the less effective the presentation will be.  

Before starting to speak, remember to take a deep breath by inhaling and exhaling for a quick second. This nonverbal tip allows the audience to have a short mental break before listening to your following sentence. There are multiple breathing exercises on the internet, such as from Harvard Business Review , to help you control your breathing while speaking as well.  

3. Use proper hand gesture to enhance your message and improve confidence

Pay attention to where your hands are and what you are doing with them . Besides PowerPoint, Prezi, Keynote, and other presentation tools, your hands are a great way to communicate and illustrate your point of view to the audience. Using hand gestures communicates with the audience and helps them memorize better.  

4. Movement - Moving your body around the stage

5. make eye contact with everyone in the audience, 6. control your voice with proper breathing, 7. consistency in public speaking.

8. Having a variety of vocal

According to  research , TED speakers delivering the most popular talks had 30.5% higher vocal variety. Having vocal variety will help you speak in an expressive and energized way, while helping the audience maintain interest for the whole speech. Memorizing a script and speaking like a script will turn the audience off and make them lose interest, because monotone = boring. We suggest you remember the main points of your speech, then allow for some spontaneity and flexibility in your actual presentation. In addition, depending on the environment of the stage or the amount of audience, have a higher vocal variety because the audience may have a hard time hearing you. 

Practice public speaking with Aralia College Accelerator Program

Aralia College Accelerator Program offers a diverse range of public speaking classes designed to nurture profound interests and improve their public speaking skills. Our classes cover various aspects of effective communication, including persuasive techniques, audience engagement strategies, and speech delivery mastery. 

The accent reduction course focuses on understanding and strengthening the unique sounds and structures that make up the “neutral” dialect. While there are many dialects throughout America, it is the neutral accent commonly practiced by public speakers and officials. Radio DJs, TV news anchors, and even most Hollywood movie actors use the neutral accent to convey their message to the largest group of Americans possible. By eliminating accents in communication, we can more easily connect to our audience and erase any misunderstandings or unconscious bias from a foreign dialect, whether domestic or international.

In this English Speaking course, each class will focus on different topics: sports, volunteer experience, current affairs, politics, culture, education, literature, technology, and the environment. These various themes are based on real situations that students will encounter when they come to the United States. Learning to discuss these topics will be very useful when interacting with native English speakers. Students will build a solid foundation in oral expression and learn how to express themselves confidently and clearly in English.

This Public Speaking and Debate class will offer the opportunity to speak and listen to others talk only as much as possible. We will alternate between learning the structure of different types of speeches and making presentations by one student to the rest of the class. After each speech by students, we will have a critique from the peers, and the teacher. They will also be required and coached on how to participate in the discussion and to critique their peers.

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What is Non-Verbal Communication: Examples, Types & Importance

Table of Contents

Definition of nonverbal communication by authors

According to David Matsumoto , a leading expert in the field of nonverbal communication, it is “the process of sending and receiving messages without using words, either spoken or written” “Nonverbal communication includes all those communication processes that do not involve words.” – Albert Mehrabian

What is nonverbal communication 

Nonverbal communication is the art of conveying meaning through actions and behavior, rather than relying solely on words. It includes a wide range of cues and signals that we employ unconsciously or consciously to express our thoughts, feelings, and intentions. 

Nonverbal communication plays a crucial role in interpersonal interactions, influencing how messages are perceived, understood, and remembered.

It is a powerful tool for conveying meaning and enhancing the overall effectiveness of communication. Furthermore, nonverbal language is vital in situations where verbal communication may have limitations .

What are nonverbal communication skills? 

Nonverbal communication skills involve the use and interpretation of gestures, body language, and other nonverbal cues to convey and understand messages without relying on words. These skills play a vital role in human interaction, as they complement and add depth to our verbal exchanges.

Proficient nonverbal communication skills enable individuals to be more effective communicators, enhancing their ability to connect with others and understand unspoken messages in interpersonal interactions.

Characteristics of nonverbal communication

Nonverbal communication serves as a continuous flow of information, shaping our interactions with others in significant ways. Thus, an awareness of these characteristics empowers us to navigate the complex landscape of nonverbal communication with greater sensitivity and authenticity.

1/ Continuous and Inevitable: Nonverbal communication is constantly present and ongoing, even when we are not actively speaking. Our behavior, gestures, and expressions continuously transmit messages to others, whether intentional or unintentional.

2/ Ambiguous and Subject to Interpretation: Nonverbal cues can have multiple meanings and are open to interpretation. A single nonverbal signal can be perceived differently by different individuals, leading to potential misinterpretation. Understanding nonverbal communication requires considering the specific context in which it occurs.

3/ Relational and Emotional: Nonverbal communication is primarily used to express emotions, and feelings, and establish and maintain interpersonal relationships. It allows us to convey liking, attraction, anger, respect, and various emotional states that may be difficult to articulate through words alone.

4/ Reveals Deception: Nonverbal cues can often reveal inconsistencies or discrepancies between verbal and nonverbal messages, potentially indicating deception. Nonverbal behavior, such as changes in facial expressions, gestures, or voice, can leak information that contradicts spoken words, making it harder to conceal true feelings or intentions.

David Buller and Judee Burgoon , prominent researchers, have carried out a variety of studies in which they instruct participants to engage in deceptive behavior. The following example demonstrates on of their deceptive behavior theory.  Imagine you face the following situation: You and your BFF have agreed that you would see a new film together during winter break. Prior to the break, however, your significant other surprises you by taking you to see the movie you had agreed to see with your friend. What do you do when you return home for winter break and your friend comes over and says, “We’re going to be the last people to see that movie, but I didn’t want to see it without you. Can we go tonight?”  ( Source for the example ) According to the Interpersonal Deception Theory developed by Buller and Burgoon , individuals have several options for responding to a situation. If you opt not to be truthful, one choice is to deceive your friend by expressing your enthusiasm for finally being able to watch the movie. Alternatively, you could say, “I changed my plans. Let’s watch something else. I’ve heard that movie received negative reviews.”

5/ Information Leakage: Nonverbal communication can unknowingly reveal information about our thoughts, emotions, and attitudes, even when we are not consciously aware of it. Increased self-awareness and conscious management of nonverbal cues can help us control the impressions we convey to others.

8 types of nonverbal communication 

Nonverbal communication can provide valuable insights into our thoughts and emotions, often speaking louder than the words we choose. Understanding the different types of nonverbal communication can enhance our ability to interpret others’ intentions and effectively express ourselves in any given situation.

1/ Kinesics: Kinesics refers to the study of body movements and facial expressions as a form of nonverbal communication. It encompasses gestures, postures, facial expressions, and eye movements.

Body movements can convey a range of meanings, such as nodding to indicate agreement, crossing arms to signal defensiveness, or leaning forward to show interest. Facial expressions, such as rotating eyes, or raising eyebrows in surprise, have the power to convey a wide range of emotions, attitudes, and intentions.

2/ Haptics: Haptics is the study of touch as a form of nonverbal communication. Touch can communicate a variety of messages, including affection, comfort, support, power, and aggression.

Various forms of physical touch, such as a firm handshake, friendly pat on the back, or gentle touch on the arm, possess the ability to communicate diverse meanings, which are influenced by cultural and social norms. It’s essential to consider context and the relationship between individuals when interpreting touch communication.

3/ Physical Appearance: Physical appearance involves the way an individual presents themselves visually, including clothing, hairstyle, grooming, and overall attractiveness. It can communicate information about personality, status, culture, and professionalism.

People often form initial impressions and make judgments based on physical appearance alone, highlighting the role it plays in nonverbal communication.

4/ Artifacts: Artifacts refer to objects or accessories that individuals use or wear as part of their nonverbal communication. This can include items like clothing, jewelry, accessories, or personal belongings. Artifacts can communicate aspects of one’s identity, cultural affiliation, social group, and personal style.

For example , wearing a religious symbol may indicate religious affiliation or a person carrying a laptop bag can convey their professional occupation.

5/ Proxemics: Proxemics refers to the examination of how people utilize and interpret space in the context of communication. It involves the concept of personal space and physical distance. Different cultures have varying norms regarding personal space, and violations of these norms can affect interpersonal dynamics.

Edward Twitchell categorized Proxemics into four different zones,

• Intimate distance (close interactions with loved ones)
• Personal distance (interactions with friends and acquaintances)
• Social distance (formal or professional interactions)
• Public distance (interactions in public settings)

6/ Chronemics: Chronemics refers to the use of time as a nonverbal communication cue. It includes the perception and use of time, such as punctuality, waiting, and response time. Cultural norms and individual preferences influence how time is valued and interpreted.

For example , some cultures prioritize punctuality and view being on time as respectful, while others have a more relaxed approach to time management.

7/ Paralanguage: Paralanguage encompasses the vocal aspects that accompany speech, including tone of voice, pitch, volume, and speech speed, These aspects can convey additional meaning beyond the actual words spoken.

For example , a soft and soothing tone can indicate comfort or empathy, while a loud and aggressive tone may signal anger or dominance. Paralanguage plays a significant role in expressing emotions, attitudes, and intentions.

8/ Silence: Silence holds great influence as a form of nonverbal communication. It refers to the absence of speech and can convey various meanings depending on the context.

Silence can indicate respect, agreement, disagreement, discomfort, or even power dynamics. Different cultures and situations interpret silence differently, and it’s essential to consider cultural norms and the specific context to accurately interpret its meaning.

Check out our detailed article on: 8 Types of Non-Verbal Communication With Examples & Competences 

Why is nonverbal communication important? 

Nonverbal communication is important because it is a powerful way of conveying messages and establishing relationships with others. In fact, research by Albert Mehrabian concluded that up to 93% of our communication is nonverbal , meaning that the way we communicate with our body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice can often be more telling than the words we use.

Here are some specific reasons why nonverbal communication is important:

• Conveying emotions: Nonverbal communication can often convey emotions more effectively than written communication . For example, a bright smile can effectively communicate joy and an open palm can effectively communicate trust. 
• Establishing rapport: Nonverbal communication can help establish rapport with others. For example, making eye contact and smiling can help build trust and establish a connection with others.
• Providing context: Nonverbal communication can provide important context for the words we use. For example, the tone of our voice can indicate whether we are being sincere or sarcastic.
• Interpreting messages: Nonverbal communication can help us interpret the messages of others. For example, if someone is fidgeting or looking away while orally communicating , it may indicate that they are nervous or uncomfortable.

Significance of nonverbal communication 

Nonverbal communication is an integral part of human interaction . It is particularly significant because it is often more powerful than verbal communication.

For example, someone’s facial expressions or posture can reveal their true thoughts or emotions, even if they are saying something different with their words. Nonverbal cues also provide additional information about the context of a message, such as the speaker’s level of confidence or their relationship with the listener.

Another key role of nonverbal communication is in helping people to communicate effectively in situations where verbal communication is not possible, for example communicating with individuals with disabilities. 

What are the 5 examples of nonverbal communication? 

Nonverbal communication examples of sentences 

• Sarah’s raised eyebrows and wide smile when she saw her friend walk through the door conveyed her excitement and happiness.
• During the presentation, the speaker’s confident posture, with arms open and relaxed, signaled their confidence and authority on the topic.
• As the coach patted his player on the back and gave him a thumbs-up, it communicated encouragement and support after a successful play.

Examples of positive and negative nonverbal communication

Positive nonverbal communication:.

• A warm smile and eye contact when meeting someone new conveys friendliness and openness.
• Giving a firm handshake during a job interview demonstrates confidence and professionalism.
• Leaning in and nodding while listening to someone indicates attentiveness and interest in what they’re saying.

Negative Nonverbal Communication:

• Rolling one’s eyes in response to a comment conveys annoyance, disrespect, or disbelief.
• Crossing arms tightly across the chest can be seen as a defensive gesture, signaling disagreement or resistance.
• Avoiding eye contact and looking away during a conversation might indicate disinterest or lack of engagement.

Example of nonverbal behavior 

Imagine a group of friends sitting together at a restaurant. One of the friends starts tapping their foot rapidly on the floor while looking at their watch frequently. This nonverbal behavior indicates impatience and suggests that the person wants to leave or feels restless.

Example of kinesics nonverbal communication

Imagine two friends having a conversation. One friend is speaking passionately about a topic and is using expansive hand gestures, sweeping arm movements, and animated facial expressions to emphasize their points. These kinesic behaviors indicate enthusiasm and engagement

Example of chronemics in nonverbal communication

In a business meeting, the manager arrives late while the team members have been waiting for a while. This use of chronemics communicates a lack of respect for others’ time and can convey a sense of unprofessionalism or disinterest.

Functions of nonverbal communication

The following functions demonstrate the significant role of nonverbal communication in shaping and enhancing the effectiveness of interpersonal interactions and conveying messages beyond spoken language.

1/ Contradiction and Negation: Nonverbal cues can contradict or diverge from verbal messages, creating a double-message situation where the words convey one meaning, while the nonverbal cues indicate something contrary.

2/ Emphasis and Accentuation: Nonverbal cues can emphasize or underscore a verbal message, using techniques such as raising or lowering the voice, changing the rate of speech, or deliberately stressing certain words.

3/ Regulation and Control: Nonverbal cues can regulate or control person-to-person interaction by establishing rules of order or turn-taking during the conversation. By employing eye contact, gestures, and voice, individuals can influence the sequence of speakers and guide the direction of verbal exchanges.

4/ Reinforcement and Complementation: Nonverbal cues can reinforce or complement a verbal message by adding depth, sincerity, or clarity to the spoken words. Actions and behaviors align with the verbal message to strengthen its impact.

5/ Substitution and Symbolism: Nonverbal cues can serve as substitutes or alternatives to spoken words in situations where words are insufficient or unnecessary. Nonverbal actions, such as embracing someone to express sorrow or raising one’s shoulders in a gesture of uncertainty, can effectively convey meaning without verbal communication. In some cases, specific nonverbal cues, like nods or hand gestures, function as widely understood symbols.

Extra Learnings: In addition to the above metioned functions, Argyle (1988) reached the conclusion that human communication relies on five fundamental functions of nonverbal bodily behavior. Express emotions Express interpersonal attitudes To accompany speech in managing the cues of interaction between speakers and listeners Self-presentation of one’s personality Rituals (greetings)

What are the 5 principles of nonverbal communication?

1/ Conveying Interpersonal and Emotional Messages: Nonverbal communication plays a significant role in conveying important interpersonal and emotional messages. It can provide additional meaning and depth to verbal messages, especially in situations where verbal and nonverbal messages conflict or when emotional or relational communication is involved.

2/ Involuntary Expression: Nonverbal communication is often more involuntary than verbal communication. While verbal communication can be consciously controlled to some extent, nonverbal cues are often below our consciousness and more difficult to control or fake.

Peter A. Andersen in his publishing “Nonverbal Communication: Forms and Functions” states that nonverbal communication is “irrepressible. Thus nonverbal signals tend to leak out, revealing our underlying thoughts or feelings.

3/ Credibility: Nonverbal communication often carries greater credibility. People often put more trust in what others do rather than what they say. The involuntary and subconscious nature of nonverbal cues adds to their genuineness and perceived honesty, making them more credible indicators of thoughts, feelings, and intentions.

4/ Ambiguity: Nonverbal communication tends to be more ambiguous than verbal communication. Many nonverbal signals can be linked to multiple meanings, and they often lack specific, universally agreed-upon definitions.

Surrounding indicators from the physical environment, other nonverbal cues, and verbal communication are used to interpret and make sense of nonverbal expressions, adding to the complexity and ambiguity of nonverbal communication.

5/ Adaptability: Nonverbal communication is adaptable and can vary based on individual preferences, cultural norms, and situational factors. Different individuals may have unique nonverbal styles, influenced by factors such as personality, upbringing, and cultural background.

Additionally, nonverbal cues may change depending on the social context or specific situation. The ability to adapt and interpret nonverbal communication effectively requires sensitivity to individual differences and an awareness of cultural and contextual nuances.

Elements of nonverbal communication 

Nonverbal communication includes various elements that contribute to the overall understanding of communication, such as body language, eye contact, touch, tone of voice, and personal space. In fact, Albert Mehrabian discovered the 7-38-55 rule for the distribution of nonverbal components:

Here’s a description of some key elements of nonverbal communication:

1/ Body Language: Body language includes the various movements, positions, and postures of the body that effectively convey meaning and messages. It includes gestures, facial expressions, body orientation, and overall body movements. For example, when someone crosses their arms, it can signal defensiveness or disagreement, whereas adopting an open and relaxed posture can convey openness and receptiveness. 

2/ Facial Expressions: The face is a powerful communicator, capable of expressing a wide range of emotions and reactions. Facial expressions include smiles, raised eyebrows, wrinkled foreheads, and narrowed eyes. They can convey happiness, sadness, surprise, anger, or fear, among other emotions.

3/ Gestures: Gestures involve movements of the hands, arms, or body to emphasize or enhance communication. Common gestures include waving, pointing, thumbs-up, or the use of specific hand signals to convey meaning. They can vary across cultures, so it’s important to be aware of cultural differences in interpreting gestures.

4/ Posture: Posture refers to the alignment and positioning of the body while standing, sitting, or moving. It can communicate confidence, attentiveness, relaxation, or tension. A slouched posture might indicate disinterest, while an upright posture can convey attentiveness and engagement.

5/ Eye Contact: Eye contact plays a crucial role in nonverbal communication. It involves looking directly into someone’s eyes during a conversation. Maintaining appropriate eye contact signals interest, honesty, and attentiveness. Lack of eye contact may suggest shyness, discomfort, or disinterest.

6/ The tone of Voice: Nonverbal communication also includes how we use our voice to convey meaning. The tone, pitch, volume, and rhythm of our speech can affect the message being communicated. For example, a soft and gentle tone may indicate kindness, while a loud and harsh tone may convey anger or frustration.

7/ Touch: Touch can communicate a wide range of emotions, intentions, and messages. It can convey comfort, affection, support, or aggression, depending on the context and cultural norms.   

What is nonverbal communication in the workplace? 

Nonverbal communication refers to the messages that we send and receive through means other than words in the workplace. These can include eye contact, gestures, and posture. In the workplace, nonverbal communication can play a critical role in how individuals perceive one another, form opinions, and build relationships. 

For example, if a colleague avoids eye contact or has closed-off body language during a meeting, others may interpret this as disinterest or lack of engagement. On the other hand, if a coworker uses open body language and maintains eye contact during a conversation, it can convey confidence, honesty, and attentiveness. 

Therefore, understanding and effectively using nonverbal communication in the workplace can be crucial for building strong working relationships and achieving the objective of business communication . 

How important is nonverbal communication in the workplace? 

Nonverbal communication plays a pivotal role in the workplace, influencing various aspects of professional interactions and overall organizational dynamics. Its importance cannot be overstated, as it significantly impacts the overall effectiveness of communication. Here are some key reasons why nonverbal communication is crucial in the workplace:

• Conveying confidence and credibility: Nonverbal cues greatly contribute to how individuals are perceived in the workplace. A strong and confident posture, firm handshake, and assertive tone of voice can enhance one’s credibility and influence, enabling effective leadership and persuasion.
• Facilitating effective teamwork: In collaborative environments, nonverbal communication helps facilitate effective teamwork. Understanding the nonverbal cues of team members can provide insights into their level of engagement, agreement, or disagreement, enabling better coordination and conflict resolution.
• Nonverbal Feedback: Nonverbal cues serve as a valuable feedback system in communication . They allow individuals to gauge the level of interest, agreement, or disagreement of their colleagues, enabling them to adapt their communication style accordingly.
• Leadership and Influence: Nonverbal communication plays a significant role in leadership and influencing others. Effective leaders utilize nonverbal cues, such as confident body language, active listening, and appropriate facial expressions, to inspire and motivate their teams.

Example of nonverbal communication in business 

• Handshake: When people meet for business, the handshake is a common form of greeting.
• Personal appearance: Dressing appropriately for the business environment and maintaining good grooming can convey professionalism. 
• Hand movements during presentations: Using hand gestures to illustrate points or emphasize key concepts during presentations enhances clarity. 
• Use of space in meetings: Leaders sit at the head of the table or in a central position to demonstrate authority.

What is the impact of managers using nonverbal communication with the workgroup? 

Nonverbal communication can have a significant impact on how managers interact with their workgroups. For example, a manager who uses open body language, such as uncrossed arms and an upright posture, signals that they are approachable and willing to listen to their employees’ concerns. 

This can create a sense of trust and openness that encourages team members to share their ideas and opinions freely. On the other hand, when someone portrays closed body language, like crossing their arms, it often indicates defensiveness or disinterest. This type of nonverbal behavior forms a barrier that hampers effective communication and collaboration.

Therefore effective use of nonverbal communication by managers can create better understanding with the workgroup, fostering engagement, motivation, and productivity.

How important body language and non-verbal communication is during a job interview 

Body language and nonverbal communication play a crucial role in job interviews. Research has shown that up to 55% of the cues we receive during a conversation come from our body language , which means that what we say is only a small part of what we communicate.

During a job interview, your body language can convey confidence, competence, and interest in the position, or it can reveal nervousness, discomfort, or disinterest.

Christina Pucci from Ukcareersfair has given a few effective ways in which body language and nonverbal communication are important during a job interview:

1/ First Impressions: Your first impression is vital in a job interview. You want to make a positive impact on your potential employer. Your nonverbal cues will be the first thing the interviewer notices about you. Therefore, it is essential to ensure your posture is upright, you make eye contact, and greet the interviewer with a confident smile and handshake.

2/ Body Posture: Your body posture can reveal a lot about your confidence level. If you are sitting with your arms crossed, it might indicate you are not confident. Sit up straight, and keep your arms and hands relaxed. This can indicate to the interviewer that you are confident and approachable.

3/ Eye Contact: Making eye contact during an interview is critical as it conveys trustworthiness and confidence. It shows that you are attentive and engaged in the conversation. 

4/ Facial Expressions: Your emotions can be easily conveyed through facial expressions, providing valuable insights about your inner feelings. It is important to genuinely smile when the situation calls for it. Similarly, nodding your head can indicate that you are interested and engaged in the conversation. 

How to improve nonverbal communication

Improving our nonverbal communication skills can significantly enhance our ability to express ourselves, understand others, and establish meaningful connections. Courtland L. Bovee , in his book business communication today has given some top tips on improving verbal communication skills.

Top tips to improve nonverbal communication:

Pay close attention to nonverbal signals:.

• Avoid giving conflicting signals by ensuring your verbal and nonverbal cues align.
• Be honest in expressing your emotions, as authenticity is key.
• Smile genuinely, as fake smiles are easily noticeable.
• Maintain appropriate eye contact with your audience.
• Be conscious of your posture and use gestures that enhance your message.
• Use vocal signals effectively, while minimizing unintentional messages.
• Adapt your appearance to match that of the people you want to impress.
• Respect the personal space and comfort zone of your audience.
• Customize your handshake to reflect your personality and intention.
• Be aware of cultural differences in attitudes towards time.
• Use touch only when it is appropriate in the given situation.

Interpret nonverbal signals carefully:

• Recognize that people may give false nonverbal cues, so consider the context and other cues before drawing conclusions.
• Understand that gestures alone may not convey specific meanings; interpret them in conjunction with other nonverbal and verbal cues.
• Take into account the situational and cultural context when interpreting nonverbal signals, as meanings can vary across cultures.

By incorporating these strategies, you can enhance your nonverbal communication abilities and significantly improve the accuracy and authenticity of your message delivery.

Guidelines for sending nonverbal messages 

1/ Understand the Multichannel Nature: Recognize that nonverbal communication occurs through multiple channels, such as posture, touch, eye behavior, and gestures. Be aware of the nonverbal clusters created by combining different cues, aiming for consistency to enhance credibility.

2/ Recognize the Impact on Interactions: Realize that nonverbal communication influences both your own and others’ behaviors and communication. Being conscious of your nonverbal signals allows you to have more control over your communication path and intervene in negative cycles.

3/ Utilize Nonverbal Communication to Create Rapport: U nderstand that humans possess a natural inclination to imitate one another’s nonverbal expressions and gestures. Use mirroring techniques, slightly matching the nonverbal cues of others, to establish subconscious cooperation and create a sense of similarity.

4/ Regulate Conversations Effectively: Develop competence in encoding appropriate turn-taking signals to control conversations smoothly. Avoid interrupting others and use nonverbal cues such as leaning in, increased eye contact, or gentle gestures to signal your intention to speak.

5/ Leverage Nonverbal Communication in Listening: Display nonverbal feedback, such as head nods, eye contact, and posture, to demonstrate active listening. Maintain eye contact, minimize distracting movements, and use nonverbal signals that convey attentiveness to enhance the listening experience for both parties.

Guidelines for interpreting nonverbal communication

1/ Recognize the complexity: Understand that there is no definitive nonverbal dictionary that provides precise meanings for nonverbal signals. Nonverbal communication is highly contextual, influenced by individual, social, and cultural factors. Avoid relying on strict rules and instead, develop adaptable tools to interpret nonverbal cues.

2/ Consider related signals: Nonverbal cues are often layered and progressive, rather than isolated. Look for clusters of related nonverbal signals that build upon each other, indicating the intensity of emotions or reactions. By recognizing these accumulations of cues, you can intervene or understand the developing meaning behind them.

3/ Contextual interpretation: Nonverbal communication varies across different contexts, such as relational, professional, and cultural settings. People may exhibit idiosyncratic nonverbal behaviors that deviate from societal norms. To prevent misinterpretation, it is important to compare the observed nonverbal cues with an individual’s baseline behavior.   Contextual knowledge and relational history can aid in understanding nonverbal messages.

4/ Detecting deception: Nonverbal cues play a role in detecting deception, although it is challenging to rely solely on them. Recognize that there is no foolproof nonverbal lie detector. People tend to overestimate their ability to detect deception, and our biases, such as truth bias or lie bias, can influence our judgments. Be aware of these biases and consider multiple factors when assessing truthfulness.

Note: These guidelines serve as a general framework for interpreting nonverbal messages, but the context and individual differences should always be taken into account for accurate interpretation.

Cross-cultural meaning of nonverbal communication

Cross-cultural meanings of nonverbal communication can vary significantly.  Eye contact, for instance, holds distinct interpretations across cultures.

 In the United States, maintaining strong eye contact is considered attentive and interesting, whereas in certain Asian cultures, direct eye contact can be perceived as disrespectful, with lowered eyes indicating politeness. 

Similarly, touch, referred to as “haptics,” carries cultural significance. Americans tend to engage in less physical contact compared to many other cultures. 

Being aware of these differences is crucial, as misinterpreting touch can lead to misunderstandings or discomfort. Furthermore, “chronemics,” the timing of verbal exchanges, plays a role in nonverbal communication. 

While a long pause before a reply might indicate inattentiveness in some cultures, in others, it signifies a polite and thoughtful response. Lastly, personal space, which varies across cultures, is another aspect of nonverbal communication that influences interactions. Deviating from culturally expected personal distances can result in confusion or discomfort during communication. 

Overall, understanding and respecting these cross-cultural variations in nonverbal communication is essential for effective intercultural communication.

Effect of nonverbal communication on interpersonal relationships

Nonverbal communication has significant effects on interpersonal relationships. It encompasses various aspects such as general appearance, dress, body movements, and posture. When it comes to general appearance and dress, people tend to make judgments based on how someone looks and presents themselves. 

Dressing appropriately according to age, class, occupation, and cultural norms can facilitate effective communication and prevent misunderstandings. Body movements, known as kinesics, play a crucial role in conveying messages related to attitudes, emotional states, and desires to control the environment. 

However, the interpretation and use of body movements can vary across cultures. Posture is another important nonverbal cue that communicates various messages and reflects cultural values and hierarchy.

Different postures hold different meanings, and understanding and using them correctly can contribute to balanced interpersonal relationships. 

Overall, being aware of nonverbal communication cues such as general appearance, dress, body movements, and posture can enhance communication, foster understanding, and promote positive interactions in interpersonal relationships.

How nonverbal communication affects communication

Nonverbal communication plays a critical role in shaping the meaning and effectiveness of our communication. By paying attention to our own nonverbal cues and those of others, we can better understand and communicate with each other.

Here are some ways that nonverbal communication can affect communication:

• Enhancing or undermining the verbal message: Nonverbal cues can enhance or undermine the meaning of our words. For example , if you say “I’m fine” with a smile on your face, your nonverbal cues may indicate that you are actually happy, whereas if you say it with a frown, your nonverbal cues may indicate that you are upset.
• Conveying emotions: Nonverbal cues possess the remarkable ability to express a wide range of emotions, including not only happiness and excitement but also anger and frustration. In fact, research suggests that nonverbal cues can be even more powerful in conveying emotions than verbal cues.
• Regulating the flow of conversation: Nonverbal cues can help regulate the flow of conversation, such as indicating when it is someone else’s turn to speak or when you want to interject.
• Expressing cultural norms: Nonverbal cues can also express cultural norms, such as how close individuals stand to each other, how they use their hands while talking, and how much eye contact is considered appropriate.

In what situation is nonverbal communication applicable 

Nonverbal communication is applicable in virtually every situation where people interact with each other. This is because nonverbal cues can convey important information about a person’s thoughts, intentions, and attitudes, often more effectively than words alone.

Some common situations where nonverbal communication is especially important include:

1/ Job interviews: Nonverbal cues such as eye contact, facial expressions, and body posture can significantly influence the interviewer’s impression of the candidate.

2/ Presentations and public speaking: Effective nonverbal communication can help a speaker convey confidence, authority, and passion for the topic.

3/ Negotiations and conflict resolution: Nonverbal cues can help participants gauge the other person’s level of engagement, trustworthiness, and willingness to compromise.

4/ Social interactions: Nonverbal cues play a key role in forming and maintaining relationships, from initial attraction to ongoing intimacy and connection.

5/ Cultural and linguistic barriers: Nonverbal communication can be especially important when people from different cultures or with different linguistic backgrounds interact, as it can help bridge gaps in understanding and facilitate communication.

Related Reading : What are Cultural Barriers To Communication

What is a nonverbal communication gesture?

Nonverbal communication gestures refer to the physical movements, postures, and expressions we use to convey messages without using words. These gestures can include hand movements, body language, and eye contact. They play a crucial role in communication, often adding depth and clarity to our spoken words or expressing emotions and intentions.

Nonverbal gestures can vary across cultures and contexts, but they are universally present in human interaction, allowing us to communicate and understand each other on a deeper level.

What is Active listening in nonverbal communication?

Active listening in nonverbal communication refers to the practice of attentively observing and interpreting the nonverbal cues and signals conveyed by the speaker. It involves maintaining eye contact, nodding or using appropriate facial expressions to show understanding and engagement, and using nonverbal cues such as leaning forward to demonstrate interest.

Active listening through nonverbal communication helps to enhance understanding and establish effective communication between individuals without relying solely on verbal language.

What is proxemics in nonverbal communication?

Proxemics, an aspect of nonverbal communication, refers to the examination of how individuals utilize and interpret space during interpersonal exchanges. It focuses on the distances we maintain between ourselves and others in different social contexts.

Proxemics involves various categories, including intimate distance, personal distance, social distance, and public distance, each with distinct interpretations and consequences. By understanding proxemics, we can gain insights into the cultural, psychological, and relational aspects of human communication without relying on verbal language.

What is paralanguage in nonverbal communication?

Paralanguage involves the nonverbal elements of communication that go along with speech, like the tone of voice, pitch, volume, rhythm, and speed of speech.

These elements convey additional meaning and emotions beyond the words spoken, influencing the overall message being communicated. Paralanguage plays a crucial role in understanding the speaker’s intentions, attitudes, and emotions, as it provides cues for emphasis, sarcasm, excitement, or sadness, among other emotions.

Verbal vs nonverbal communication

Further Reading: Ten differences between verbal and non-verbal communication

Advantages and disadvantages of non-verbal communication 

Advantages of non-verbal communication .

• Non-verbal cues frequently enhance verbal messages, offering added meaning and context.
• Non-verbal cues, including body movement, tone of voice, and hand gestures, play a crucial role in enhancing the effectiveness of emotional expression for individuals.
• Non-verbal cues, such as eye contact and body posture, can help establish trust in interpersonal interactions.
• Non-verbal communication is adaptable to various situations and can be used in different contexts, such as noisy environments or situations where verbal communication is restricted.

Disadvantages of non-verbal communication

• Unlike verbal communication, non-verbal cues typically do not leave a documented record of the interaction.
• Non-verbal communication may not always adequately convey complex or abstract ideas.
• Non-verbal cues can be misinterpreted or misunderstood, leading to incorrect assumptions or judgments about a person or situation.
• Non-verbal cues may vary across cultures, and what is considered acceptable or meaningful in one culture may not be understood or may have a different interpretation in another.

Further Reading: Major Advantages and Disadvantages of non-verbal Communication

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1) what is nonverbal communication and its types.

Ans: Nonverbal communication refers to the communication of messages without the use of words. It involves conveying information through, gestures, eye contact, posture, touch, and paralanguage. There are several types of nonverbal communication, including kinesics (body movements), proxemics (personal space and distance), haptics (touch), chronemics (use of time), oculesics (eye behavior), and paralanguage (tone of voice, pitch, etc.).

Q2) Where is nonverbal communication?

Ans: Nonverbal communication is present in all aspects of human interaction. It can be observed in face-to-face conversations, public speaking engagements, written messages, and even in digital communication through video calls, text messages, and emails.

Q3) What is nonverbal communication class 11?

Ans: Nonverbal communication in Class 11 refers to the study of communication without the use of language. In Class 11, students explore the importance of nonverbal communication in conveying meaning, emotions, and intentions. They learn how to interpret and use nonverbal cues effectively to enhance communication.

Q4) What is nonverbal communication in business communication?

Ans: Nonverbal communication in business refers to the exchange of information and messages through nonverbal cues. Nonverbal cues can impact business interactions, including meetings, presentations, negotiations, and networking.

Q5) What is verbal and nonverbal communication short answer?

Ans: Verbal communication involves the use of spoken or written words to convey messages. It includes conversations, speeches, emails, and other forms of language-based communication. Nonverbal communication, on the other hand, involves transmitting information without the use of words. It includes eye contact, hand movements, proximity, and other nonverbal cues.

Q6) How does nonverbal communication occur? 

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• 18. How to Improve Nonverbal Presentation

You may have the best political ideas in the world (from PLI’s Progressive Agenda !) and employ the best messaging (from PLI’s Voicing Our Values !) but still communicate ineffectively because of a failure in non-verbal communication.

In face-to-face communication—whether you are giving a speech, making a fundraising pitch, or talking to neighbors at their doors— what you say can be overridden by how you say it . That’s because your listeners rely on non-verbal information, like body language and verbal tone, to determine what you really mean.

A famous study by Albert Mehrabian, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at UCLA, found that an audience interprets a speaker’s words:

• from visual clues (facial expression and body language) about 55 percent of the time;
• from tone of voice about 38 percent of the time; and
• from the speaker’s actual words only about 7 percent of the time.

Mehrabian’s work also demonstrated that when a speaker’s words and non-verbal messages are in conflict, the audience consistently defaults to the non-verbal. There are several common situations where this research is important to you.

First, when people are trying to decide whether or not they like you, they will pay most attention to your non-verbal expression. Politics is a popularity contest of sorts and whether you win or lose often depends on whether people like you enough to listen.

Second, when people are trying to decide whether they trust you, they will again pay most attention to non-verbal cues. For example, if you use strong words about a policy problem but your shoulders are slumped, your hand gestures are weak, and your voice is high, they simply will not trust what you are saying.

Third, when people are trying to decide whether to believe what you are telling them—because they aren’t familiar with the facts of the matter—they focus on non-verbal “proof” of the matter. This is very important when communicating with persuadable Americans because they pay the least attention to the nuances of politics or policy.

Fourth, if people disagree with your position on an issue, they will still use non-verbal cues to make up their minds about you. For example, they may disagree with particular facts or ideas but decide to support your side anyway because you come across, non-verbally, as a stable and trustworthy person.

In short, we all use our emotions to help us decide what to think. Oftentimes we will first form an opinion based on our emotions and then look for facts to support that opinion. When the verbal and non-verbal are in conflict, people trust the non-verbal. So it is essential to make your best possible non-verbal presentation.

About your posture: You don’t want to give the appearance of weakness or insecurity. So don’t stand with your feet too far apart, or locked side by side. Don’t sway forward, slouch, crouch over or put all your weight on one hip. Don’t let your arms hang limply at your sides, droop your shoulders or look down. Don’t cross your arms, clasp your hands in front of you, put your hands on your waist or in your pockets.

Instead, adopt a posture that projects confidence. Stand up straight, with your feet shoulder width apart, and balance your weight over the balls of your feet. Keep knees and hips in line with the middle of your feet (not forward or back). Relax your shoulders, keep your chest up and stomach in. Hold your head upright and straight with your chin elevated slightly. Hold arms at your sides, in a controlled manner with fingers slightly curled; (this takes a little getting used to, but it is a very open posture to assume). Overall, stay alert, but relaxed.

About your movement and use of space: Don’t move just for the sake of moving; don’t rock, sway, pace, or race back and forth across the stage. Don’t move forward toward the audience too suddenly (aggressively), and don’t lean on the podium.

Instead, own your space; give the appearance of control and purpose, in a natural manner. Use gestures as you move, then re-establish good posture when you stop. Scale your gestures to the size of the audience/room. Step forward to establish a connection with an audience member, or to signal you are about to make an important point. Step backward as you conclude an important point, or to create a verbal and physical pause. Move laterally to strengthen a transition between thoughts.

About your gestures: Don’t over-gesture. Don’t use gestures that don’t feel natural to you, in other words, don’t try to “play” politician. Don’t cross your arms (cold, closed), or clasp your hands in front of you (weak), or put your hands on your waist (too parental), or put your hands in your pockets (nervous). Don’t touch your hair, face or neck (nervous), or put your hands behind your back (what are you hiding?), or use gestures that are much wider than your body (out of control), or use too many large gestures (chaotic).

Instead, use gestures that match your presentation. Incorporate natural gestures that you do spontaneously when practicing your remarks. Film yourself if that helps. You can use hands open, palm up at a 45-degree angle, to express honesty and openness; hands open, palms down, to express certainty; and hands open, palms perpendicular, to express measurement or movement. Use gestures that go somewhat wider than your body (for a large concept or idea), but “stay in the frame” even if there’s no camera. Be sensitive to cultural differences; use gestures that mean the same thing to the audience as they do to you.

About your facial expressions: You want to avoid looking nervous, harsh or wooden. Don’t smile constantly, lick or bite your lips, or tighten your jaw. Don’t scowl, sneer or shake your head “no” when you mean “yes” (you’d be surprised how many people do this).

Instead, use facial expressions purposefully. Smile but make sure your expressions match your points. Practice in front of a mirror, especially if you are naturally prone to having a “poker face.” Arch your eyebrows to indicate skepticism.

About your eye contact: Don’t scan the room generally, or look only at one area of the room, or dart your eyes around the room, or try to look at everyone, or methodically work through the room section to section. Don’t look at your notes or slides more than you look at people. Don’t bore down on people, or look at the top of people’s heads, or just at the back row.

Instead, try to maintain eye contact 90 percent of the time—natural eye contact. Make eye contact with individuals in the room, make a connection with people who are nodding and frowning, and connect with people who help humanize your points (i.e. look at a parent with her child when making a point about education). Maintain eye contact with the same person for one complete sentence or thought. In a large room, focus on the sections about two-thirds of the way back from the front. Be sensitive to cultural and gender differences; gently look away if it seems someone is uncomfortable with you looking at them.

About your breathing: Don’t forget to breathe, or forget that shallow breathing will make your voice sound more shrill (louder, maybe, but not more powerful).

Instead, practice breathing deep and exhaling slowly. Take a breath before you start speaking, use deep breathing to form a natural, powerful sound, breathe during pauses, and breathe through verbal tics (i.e. “um,” “ah”).

About your voice: Don’t speak in a monotone, or speak too quickly or mumble. Don’t use words you can’t say, (i.e. avoid “s” words if you have a lisp, and don’t use words you routinely stumble over).

Instead, practice an even but slightly varied tone. Employ breathing exercises if your voice is squeaky and high (more common with women). Pause just before and after an important word or concept to allow your audience to absorb that you are making an important point, and speak in an appropriate voice, (i.e. conversational at a house party, authoritatively in a debate).

About your volume: Don’t raise and lower your volume too many times (erratic). Don’t try to use volume to convey power; a powerful voice comes from proper breathing. And don’t speak over applause, laughter, etc.

Instead, project your voice and articulate clearly. Use volume purposefully, make sure you are using it to convey the proper tone. Raise the volume to convey excitement, anger, indignation, energy, and lower your volume to convey seriousness and draw people in. Learn how to use a microphone properly and practice raising your volume if you are soft-spoken and generally hard to hear. Conversely, lower your volume if you are a naturally loud speaker. Minimize noise distractions (i.e., ask for lunch to be served before your speech, and close windows).

About your pitch: Don’t keep your pitch high (unless you want to be perceived as weak, nervous and less truthful), and don’t vary your pitch too frequently.

Instead, lower your pitch to convey authority and credibility (women naturally have a higher pitch than men, but both genders usually benefit from lowering their pitch somewhat). Relax and take deep breaths, and vary your pitch (higher to convey excitement, lower to convey seriousness). Practice your inflection.

About your tempo: Don’t lift the end of your sentences unless you are, in fact, asking a question, and don’t lose the audience with long, run-on sentences.

Instead, vary the tempo, or pace, of your speech. Practice speaking 150-160 words per minute (a slow speaker speaks 120/minute and a fast speaker 190; planning 150-160 will allow you to vary your tempo). Use a faster tempo to convey excitement, importance, and a slower pace to convey seriousness. Use appropriate sentence length to match your speaking style and to allow the audience to absorb what you are saying. And use pauses to transition between ideas, call attention to an important thought and capture attention.

All of you public speakers out there, think about how you spend your time when preparing to give a speech. Are you like most policymakers and leaders we’ve worked with—focusing exclusively or almost exclusively on the words ? We urge you to thoroughly practice your non-verbal presentation. That’s what friends (and mirrors) are for!

• 1. The Science of Persuasion
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Voice – Non-Verbal

Your body communicates as well as your mouth. Don’t contradict yourself. Allen Ruddock

Introduction

In this section we are going to look at voice in terms of Non-Verbal , which is style e.g. pauses and rate of speech and tone e.g. pitch and loudness. You can find the Verbal page here .

We are defining verbal as the words we use and nonverbal as the “nonverbal elements that accompany the spoken word” such as pause, pitch, loudness, rate of speech etc. These nonverbal elements are “as important as the actual words in creating meaning.” (Kostić & Chadee 2015 p, 92)

They are important because people are more likely to remember information that is presented by a speaker with more variable pitch and amplitude in his or her speech than one who has less. Also people are more likely to be persuaded by people who not only vary pitch and amplitude, but also speak with fewer pauses, shorter latencies, and faster speech. (Kostić & Chadee 2015 p, 105)

As depicted in the diagram above Kostić & Chadee have split nonverbal into two parts style and tone. We will cover each of these off here.

Interestingly tone and style are described as prosody or the “music” of speech. Perhaps we could view the words as notes in the music and the tone and style as the instrument.

Lets have a look at the different components of style which are more quantitative in nature. Since they are quantitative there are a number of apps that you can use to analyze your voice. In the web version of PowerPoint you can use the Rehearse with Coach functionality which will give you feedback on pace, your pace over time and filler words.

Another app called Voiceable will give you feedback on Pitch, tempo, intensity, melody, articulation and rhythm.

The website Science of People also has some suggestions on some useful voice apps.

Speech Rate

Speech rate is represented by words per minute and we speak at anywhere from 100 to 160 wpm. If you put this in the context of the importance of varying our rate as mentioned above, then knowing what rate we speak at is crucial. Record your next presentation on your phone and use an app such as Speech Master for Android and iPhone and you’ll get feedback not only on your pace but your pitch and volume as well.

Here’s a demonstration of speech too fast and then at a better rate.

Response Length

This is the amount of time someone spends talking. People who speak in shorter sentences may give the impression that they are unsure about what they are saying, therefore lacking knowledge and credibility. This is another reason to write out your presentation.

Speech Latency

This is the time it takes someone to respond to someone else. When we are presenting and there is a discussion going on, or there are questions at the end, you need to think about how you use the time to respond. Longer gaps between question and response show that you are thinking. Your body language is really important here as you want to show that any gap shows that you know the answer, you are just taking your time organising your thoughts.

This gap of silence can be useful because the person asking the question may continue to rephrase or add to the question, giving you more time to think.

Another technique is to not have a gap but fill it until you are ready to respond. Such as “that’s a really good question, one that I often ask myself, so to give you my best answer, could I clarify one thing, when you said x, do you mean y or z? etc….”

Pauses are the gaps or silence between words or phrases. Some people don’t have gaps because they speak so quickly. Other people have too many. Pauses are important because they give your audience time to think and digest what you just said. They dont need to be long 2-3 seconds is typically duration.

If you do speak quickly and have problems slowing down, keep your pace as is, but introduce more pauses to give your audience the break they need.

You can also use pauses to create an effect, for example at the end of a rhetorical question or after reading a quote.

When the pauses are filled, they are usually filled with ums and ahs. In this case we want to get rid of as many of these as we can. Having one or two in a presentation within a paragraph is ok as it would be perceived as more conversational. However ums and ahs in-between those paragraphs are not viewed the same as they give the impression that you have lost your way which impacts your credibility.

Here’s a demonstration of speech with and without pause.

Speech Errors

These are things such as repeating words, grammar errors, slips of the tongue, false starts, and any incoherent sounds. These can be due to nerves or a lack of rehearsal. If it’s due to nerves have a look at the section here on this topic.

If its a rehearsal issue, then find the time to work on those specific areas. If there is a tricky word use a thesaurus to a different word or phrase. If its a grammatical error this should be overcome by getting some one else to read or listen to your presentation. If you write out your speech then the Microsoft Editor or Grammarly, can be very useful in picking up these errors.

Rehearsing out loud will also shine a light on any gaps in our vocabulary where we find ourselves using the same word repeatedly to describe different things. The impression this creates is a lack of effort in preparation and consequently some audiences may be offended.

Here is a recording of some typical fillers.

One of the key determinants of Tone is our emotional state. And this emotional state directly effects our voice through the limbic and autonomic nervous systems. We hear this when people are upset, anxious, excited, relaxed, angry or sad. So it makes sense that we need to be able to control our emotions so that we deliver our message in a way that achieves our objective for the presentation. Once again have a read of the material in the section on managing nerves to understand how we can manage our emotional state.

But what are the individual components that we need to be aware of?

Pitch is how high and how low the voice sounds. Women speak at a higher pitch—about an octave higher than men. An adult woman’s average range is from 165 to 255 Hz, while a man’s is 85 to 155 Hz. Have a look here for more information

Knowing this range is important because we want to know what our conversational frequency is so we can stay in that range when we present. Use an app like Voice Tools to measure your conversational pitch. You now know what your normal presenting voice should be. Then you can vary it higher and lower from this point to make it more interesting and dynamic.

Loudness is the measure of the intensity or energy of the voice. You can think of this as being on a scale of 1 to 10, where one is what we call a stage whisper and 10 is really loud. If our loudness or volume is usually between 4 or 6, think about how you might sound a little louder or a little softer during your presentation.

There are certain phrases that lend themselves to changes in volume:

Louder: “this is a big opportunity” “the crowd was really loud” or “we need to drive this point home really hard”

Softer; “let me tell you a secret” “this is just a small change” or “we just scrapped through”

Typically words that are onomatopoeic, words are that sound like the thing they describe, lend themselves to changes in volume. For example : boom, crash, thump, bang, giggle, growl, whine, murmur, blurt, whisper, hiss splash, drip, spray, whoosh, buzz, rustle.

Here’s a demonstration of unmodulated and modulated speech.

Timbre is a representation of the quality of the voice. It’s everything that is not pitch or loudness. This is also an inherent trait something that you are born with as it has to do with the configuration of an individual’s mouth, nose, throat and vocal cords. So there’s not much we can do about this one – however you can always engage a voice coach if it’s a concern for you.

These are the specific pronunciation sounds of different consonants, vowels and other sounds. These sounds are created by a number of factors including the position of the tongue, lips and larynx. Singers talk about how to create different resonances by letting voice resonate in different cavities of their head such as the throat, mouth and nasal cavities. Here’s a good clip to explain this.

This is important because we have all heard someone’s voice that “really grates on our nerves”. If that grating turns people off listening to you, or they just find it annoying and distracting, then its time to do something about it!

Ask someone what words you need to change – Google “How to pronounce ….” and then practice.

Kostić, A & Chadee, D 2015, The social psychology of nonverbal communication, Palgrave Macmillan, New York.

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Bud Bilanich

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Non Verbal Communication in Presentations

Today is Thursday, so this post is on communication skills.

Presentation skills, conversation skills and writing skills are the three keys to effective communication.  In this post, I’d like to focus on some tips for using non verbal communication to improve your presentation skills.

Eye contact helps indicates your interest in the people in the audience.  It increases your credibility.  When you make eye contact with people in the audience, you increase your chances of getting your message across.  Eye contact helps you establish a connection with the audience.  When you make eye contact with people as you are speaking, you build one to one bonds with them.

Smiles are powerful .  I always try to keep a smile on my face when I am speaking.  Smiling makes a speaker more warm, likable and friendly.  When you smile, people see you as happy – and this makes them more receptive to you.  People react positively to smiles.  When you smile, the audience smiles.  And a smiling audience is a receptive audience.  Smiling will help you get your points across and accepted.

Gestures are another important form of non verbal communication.  But you have to be careful with gestures.  I practice my talks in front of a mirror.  As I’m speaking, I watch my natural gestures.  Then I enhance them.  Usually, I amplify my gestures, because big rooms demand big gestures.  However, sometimes, I tone them down – depending on the audience.  Regardless, I focus on making my gestures natural and reflective of what I’m saying.  I try to avoid choppy, sudden gestures when I’m speaking.  Instead, I focus on making my gestures fluid.

Posture and body orientation : I always stand up straight and look directly at the audience.  Standing straight and looking directly at the audience indicates confidence.  I use posture to make points though.  If I am speaking about confidence, and want to give an example of an unconfident person, I slump my shoulders and look at the floor.   Spend most of your time oriented toward the audience.  If you’re using slides, speak to the audience, not the slide.  It’s OK to look at a slide – especially if you want to draw the audience’s attention to it, but always turn back to the audience after a few seconds.

Proximity : Unlike many speakers, I like to get away from the platform and walk the room.  This means that I get up close and personal with people in the audience.  I have a wireless device to advance slides, so I am not tied to my computer.  I find that audiences like it.  As I walk the room, people feel that I’m more a part of them, having a conversation with them, rather than talking at them.  This doesn’t work with very large audiences – which I define as over 100 people.  However, even if you are speaking to a large audience and need to remain on the platform, I suggest using a wireless device to advance your slides.  You won’t be tied to your computer, and you’ll appear more natural.

Your voice : Be animated – avoid speaking in a monotone.  Show excitement for your material with your voice.   I always practice my talks out loud – that way I hear my voice and the words I am using.  This helps me modify my delivery in ways that will improve my impact with my audience.

If you use these non verbal communication ideas you’ll become someone whose presentations carry an impact – and you’ll be on your way to career and life success.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for reading.  Log on to my website www.BudBilanich.com to subscribe to my monthly ezine and for more common sense.  Check out my other blog: www.CommonSenseGuy.com for common sense advice on leading people and running a small business.

I’ll see you around the web, and at Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

PS: Speaking of Alex’s Lemonade Stand – my fundraising page is still open.  Please go to www.FirstGiving.com/TheCommonSenseGuy to read Alex’s inspiring story and to donate if you can.

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