The Difference Between Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

Have you ever heard the expression, "What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you're saying"? This quote has been recycled in many different ways but the sentiment is the same, and that is, actions speak louder than words.

Most might associate this with big grand gestures (or lack thereof), but what about smaller nonverbal cues, like your facial expressions, hand gestures, or body movements that can inadvertently influence an entire conversation without you even realising it.

Communication is the lifeblood of human interaction, allowing us to express feelings, thoughts, and ideas. Verbal communication is usually what people are referring to when they talk about communication but a lot more is said in the nonverbal cues and signals from your body movements than the words coming out of your mouth.

Today we're going to delve into the world of communication, the verbal and non-verbal, and how you can leverage both to foster effective communication.

Verbal communication

Verbal communication is how many of us communicate with others. It is essentially oral communication through the use of words to exchange information, emotions, and thoughts. However, it's not just our words that are impactful in oral communication. Our tone of voice, volume and inflection while speaking can also alter the meaning behind the words. A sentence said in different ways can have different meanings.

An example of the difference in tone of voice or inflection can be seen in the following sentence, "You want to go there?" This sentence can be a generic question if said with no emphasis on any of the words. However, once you add emphasis on one of the words, such as "you want to go THERE?" the meaning of the sentence completely changes to be more of surprise or disbelief as to why someone would want to go somewhere.

The subtle shift in tone of voice can create fundamental differences in meaning and impact. These subtleties and the ambiguous nature of language can lead to misinterpretation or misunderstanding. This is where non-verbal communication comes into play.

Nonverbal communication

It's said that most of our communication is actually non-verbal. Experts have yet to agree on an exact percentage as there haven't been enough studies, but the general consensus is that 70 to 93% of all communication is nonverbal. Though silent, nonverbal cues can express feelings and attitudes to other people more effectively than speaking sometimes.

When we interact with others, we are constantly giving and receiving nonverbal signals. Forms of nonverbal communication include facial expressions, hand gestures, eye contact and body movements.

Facial expressions

Facial expressions can intensify or diminish an emotion that you're feeling. Many facial expressions are seen as universal, such as raised eyebrows to express surprise or upward-curved lips to express happiness. It's been found that most facial expressions transcend language and are perceived in the same way by different cultures. A smile means the same thing in all parts of the world, regardless of cultural differences.

Gestures

Hand gestures can add a lot of emotion and emphasis to the words you are speaking to help you express yourself. Large and sweeping hand gestures and movement create greater emphasis while smaller gestures communicate something more specific, like holding up your thumb to express a positive reaction.

Another gesture that is commonly looked at to express emotion is head movements. Nodding or shaking your head can indicate a positive or negative response depending on what part of the world you are in. In Bulgaria, shaking your head up and down is seen as a negative response in comparison to most other parts of the world.

Eye contact

How you make eye contact is an important part of non-verbal communication. Looking someone in the eye and making strong eye contact demonstrates respect and interest. Just making eye contact with someone is usually seen as a signal to initiate conversation. It's also important to note that for those who have hearing loss, eye contact aids in lip-reading, making communication more effective.

Eye movement can also convey nonverbal messages. For example, rolling your eyes is seen as a sign of frustration or annoyance. Squinting eyes indicate stress or anger. Pay attention to the micro-expressions in someone's eyes to truly understand how they're feeling.