How can you improve your nonverbal communication skills? Paying closer attention to your nonverbal signals is an excellent place to start. You can also focus on factors such as tone of voice, eye contact, body language, and the context in which the communication occurs. The following tips can help you learn to read other people’s nonverbal signals and enhance your ability to communicate effectively. With practice, you can become more adept at conveying meaning without saying a word.
Body movements Eye contact Gestures Posture Tone of voice
All of these signals can convey important information that is not put into words. For example, eye contact can help establish how attentive a person is. Tone of voice might reveal hints about their emotional state. Even posture can help convey how interested and engaged a person is in a conversation. When words fail to match up with nonverbal signals, people often ignore what has been said and focus instead on unspoken expressions of moods, thoughts, and emotions. Therapists, for example, utilize these incongruencies to look for how a client might feel during a session. So when someone says one thing, but their body language suggests something else, it can be helpful to pay extra attention to those subtle nonverbal cues. Be aware that other factors might contribute to these differences. Physical challenges may affect a person’s ability to convey signals, so consider other reasons why words and behaviors might not match up. For example, if you want to show genuine interest in something, express your enthusiasm by using an animated tone of voice. Such signals not only convey your feelings about a topic; they can also help generate interest in the people listening to you speak. Researchers have found that tone of voice can affect how people respond to healthcare practitioners. Patients report greater satisfaction when treated by surgeons who use a non-dominant tone of voice. People who use more vocal variety in tone of voice are rated as more trustworthy and attentive. While eye contact is an essential part of communication, it’s important to remember that good eye contact does not mean staring fixedly into someone’s eyes. How can you tell how much eye contact is appropriate?
“So what you are saying is that…““Do you mean that we should…““What I’m hearing is that you think…”
Such questions can help clarify a conversation and encourage the other person to keep talking. These questions are part of active listening and help demonstrate your interest and engagement in the conversation. For example, a person might be giving off certain nonverbal signals because they have something else on their mind. By inquiring further into their message and intent, you might get a better idea of what they are really trying to say. For example, suppose your goal is to appear confident and prepared during a presentation. In that case, you will want to focus on sending nonverbal signals that ensure that others see you as self-assured and capable. You can strike a self-confident stance by:
Standing firmly in one placeKeeping your shoulders backKeeping your weight balanced on both feet
Matching your body language to your verbal messages can help convey greater meaning and clarify your intentions. Body movements and stance are important, but facial expressions, eye gaze, mouth movements, gestures, and personal space are also essential components. If you place too much emphasis on just one signal out of many, you might come to an inaccurate conclusion about what a person is trying to say. For example, imagine that a person sounds and looks confident in their words and body language, but you notice that they don’t make much eye contact. If you were to base your assessment on eye gaze alone, you might conclude that they were anxious or unsure, when in reality, they are just tired or distracted. For example, the body language and nonverbal communication you utilize at work are probably very different from the sort of signals you would send on a casual Friday night out with friends. Strive to match your nonverbal signals to the situation to ensure that you are conveying the message you really want to send. Interpreting nonverbal communication is complex and relies on various abilities, including interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence. Understanding that situations can be misread, different factors can affect how a person comes across, and the impact of your own biases can help you better interpret different nonverbal signals. In reality, nonverbal communication is a skill you can improve. You can build this skill by paying careful attention to nonverbal behavior and practicing different types of nonverbal communication with others. Nonverbal communication is complex and varied. There’s is no single approach or signal that is appropriate in every context. Being more aware of how nonverbal signals impact interpersonal relationships can help you learn to use nonverbal communication more effectively
