Verbal and Nonverbal

Communication

Non Verbal
Verbal Communication
Communication
Two Essential Tools
 Verbal Communication – How you
use words and language

 Nonverbal Communication –
Message components other than
words that generate meaning
Verbal Communication
 The basis of communication is the interaction
between people. Verbal communication is one way
for people to communicate face-to-face. Some of
the key components of verbal communication are
sound, words, speaking, and language.
 Verbal communication is communication that uses
words, either written or spoken. This is in contrast
to non-verbal communication, such as body
language.

"Verbal" is sometimes used colloquially in the sense

of "spoken", but it is better to use "oral" in that
context, to avoid ambiguity
1. Verbal Communication
 Verbal communication is an act of
conveying messages, information, ideas or
feelings through the use of words spoken or
written
 It consists of
 Speaking
 Listening
 Writing
 Reading
Forms of Verbal
Communication
 It may be Oral or Written
 Oral: Meetings, Discussions, Seminars,

Workshops, Video Conferencing, Oral

Presentations, Lectures, Conversations and
Interviews
 Written: Letters, Memo, Reports,

Applications and Drafting

Characteristics of Effective
Verbal Communication
 Consider the objective
 Be sincere
 Use simple language, familiar words
 Be brief and precise
 Assume nothing
 Use polite words and tone
 Say something interesting and pleasing
Merits of Verbal (Oral)
Communication
 More personal and informal
 Makes immediate impact
 Provides opportunity for interaction and

feedback
 Help us correct ourselves (our messages

according to the feedback and non-verbal

cues from the listener)
 It is fastest and less expensive
Demerits of Verbal
Communication
 Itcan be quickly forgotten
 A word once uttered cannot be taken back
 There is no legal evidence of oral

communication
 Impact may be short lived
 Very difficult to be conscious of our body

language
2. Nonverbal
Communication
 Nonverbal communication is the process
of communication through sending and
receiving wordless (mostly visual) cues
between people
 Transmission of messages by a medium

other than speech or writing

“Actions speak louder than words.”
 • Humans
communication
has existed for
about 30,000 BC .

In the
•

beginning There
Cave –men and Non verbal communication
was non verbal
communication
not verbal.
Child looks and
recognizes before it
2. Nonverbal
Communication
 Nonverbal communication involves those
nonverbal stimuli in a communication setting
that are generated by both the source
[speaker] and his or her use of the
environment and that have potential message
value for the source or receiver [listener]
 Basically it is sending and receiving message
in a variety of ways without the use of verbal
codes (words). It is both intentional and
unintentional. Most speakers / listeners are
not conscious of this.
Example
 A very good example is: A man comes home late,
hears from the kitchen the slamming of pots and
pans and cupboard doors. He enters the kitchen,
asks his wife "What's wrong, honey?" She answers,
"Nothing!" as she slams another cupboard door and
rolls her eyes toward the ceiling.
 She has spoken the word "Nothing", but it is her
unspoken communication that tells him that
"nothing" is not the real answer. It is clearly
communicated by her actions.
 A truly effective communicator will train him or
herself in nonverbal communication as well as verbal
and oral.
Merits of Nonverbal
Communication
 You can communicate with someone who is hard of
hearing of deaf
 You can communicate at place where you are
supposed to maintain silence
 You can communicate something which you don't want
others to hear or listen to
 You can communicate if you are far away from a
person. The person can see but not hear you
 Non-verbal communication makes conversation short
and brief
 You can save on time and use it as a tool to
communicate with people who don't understand your
language
Demerits of Nonverbal
Communication
 You can not have long conversation
 Can not discuss the particulars of your
message
 Difficult to understand and requires a lot of
repetitions.
 Less influential and can not be used
everywhere.
 Not everybody prefers to communicate
through non-verbal communication.
 Can not create an impression upon
people/listeners
Importance of Nonverbal
Communication
 Sometimes nonverbal messages contradict
verbal; Often express feelings more
accurately than the words spoken or written
 Studies suggest that from 60-90% of a

message’s effect comes from nonverbal

cues
Components of Nonverbal
Communication
 Nonverbal Communication consists the
following three components
1. Appearance
2. Body Language
3. Silence, Time and Space
1. Appearance
 Appearance conveys nonverbal impressions
that affect receiver's attitudes towards the
verbal messages
 Appearance as a Nonverbal Communication

concept effects in following two ways

i. Effect on Written Messages
ii. Effect on Oral Messages
1. Appearance
i. Effect on Written Messages:
 An envelope's appearance (Size, color, weight,
postage) may impress the receiver as important,
routine or junk mail
 Mailgrams, Express mail and Pvt. Courier mail also
have distinctive envelopes that shows urgency and
importance
 Letter, Report or Title Page communicates nonverbally
by the kind of paper used, its length, format and
paper used before its contents are read by the reader
 Language itself communicates nonverbally and it
must be carefully worded and generally correct in
mechanics as spelling, grammar and punctuations
1. Appearance
ii. Effect on Oral Messages:
 When you communicate face to face or
to a group in a meeting personal
appearance and appearance of your
surroundings convey nonverbal stimuli
that affects attitude towards your spoken
words
 It consists of the following two
appearances
1. Personal Appearance
2. Appearance by Surroundings
1. Appearance
• Personal Appearance
 Clothing, hairstyles, neatness, jewelry,
cosmetics, posture, stature are part of
personal appearance
 They convey impressions regarding
occupation, age, nationality, social and
economic level, job status and good or
poor judgment, depending on
circumstances
1. Appearance
• Appearance by Surroundings
 Aspects of surroundings including room
size, location, furnishings, machines,
architecture, wall decorations, floor,
lightening, windows, views and other
related features wherever people
communicate orally
 Surroundings will vary according to
status and according to country and
culture
2. Body Language
2. Body Language
Definition:
“The conscious and unconscious movements and
postures by which attitudes and feelings are
communicated, is called body language”.
 Body language can also vary depending on the

culture. There are a set of universally recognized

gestures but many are influenced by our social
settings
 Body language may provide clues as to the attitude

or state of mind of a person. For example, it may

indicate aggression, attentiveness, boredom,
a relaxed state, pleasure, amusement,
and intoxication
2. Body Language
 Body Language consists of the following
four components
 i. Facial Expressions
 ii. Gestures, Postures and
Movement
 iii. Smell and Touch
 iv. Voice and Sounds
2. Body Language
i. Facial Expressions:
 It is said that face is the index of mind
 Eyes and face are especially means of
communicating nonverbally and they can
reveal hidden emotions including anger,
confusion, fear, joy, surprise, uncertainty and
others
 Conventions of eye contact are specific to
each culture (e.g. In USA direct eye contact is
encouraged and eye drop or shift away from
listener is thought to be either shy, dishonest
and untrustworthy)
2. Body Language
ii. Gestures, Body Postures and
Movement:
 Gesture and Body Movements: A movement of
part of the body, especially a hand or the head, to
express an idea or meaning, is called Gestures
 Gestures and body movements of a person reflects
his state of mind
 One can be easily judged from the gestures and
movements either he is confident or nervous
 Handshakes reveal attitude
 Gestures may be warm or cold
2. Body Language
 Postures:
 Posture is the position of a body while standing or
sitting
 The way a person stands, sits, leans or shift
expresses his interest in the matter under discussion
 The posture of a person expresses his personality
 An unbecoming and bad posture sends a bad signal
 An interested listener may lean towards the speaker,
and one who is bored may lean away, slump or
glances towards the clock
2. Body Language
iii. Smell and Touch:
 If receiver is sensitive to scents then
various odors and fragrances convey the
emotions of the sender and affect the
reactions of receiver
 Touching people can communicate
friendship, love, approval, hatred, anger
or other feelings
 A mother’s kiss on cheek of her son, pat
on a shoulder or slap on the back is
prompted by various actions
2. Body Language
iv. Voice and Sounds:
 Paralanguage: While speaking the extra sounds you
make and voice quality also a part of nonverbal
communication
 Paralanguage includes voice, volume, rate,
articulation, pitch and other sounds you make such as
clearing and sighing
 Examples: A loud voice shows urgency and soft one is
something calming
 Lack of pitch variation becomes monotone and too
much variation becomes artificial and dramatic
 Throat clearing may distract from the words spoken
 Emphasis on certain words in a sentence indicate the
importance of message
3. Time, Silence and
Space
i. Silence:
 How silence communicates?
 Consider how do you feel when you make an
oral request that is met with silence
 Think about the confusion you feel when
your written message generates no response

Example:
Please see the book (Page No.
26)
3. Time, Silence and
Space
ii. Time:
 In the preceding example should you ask again?
 How do you feel when you are kept waiting two hours
after the scheduled time for an interview?
 In US culture being on time is to be considered
communicating nonverbally favorable
 Concept of time varies across cultures
 For Example: Americans and Germans are quite
punctual
 Middle eastern people think little to be on time in
office on agreed time, which shows that tasks will be
completed regardless of time
 In Portugal, if you reach on time for a meeting then
your host will be wondered that why you came so early
3. Time, Silence and
Space
iii. Space:
 If you step into an empty elevator, where do you
stand?
 If elevator fills up with the people, where do you
move?
 Where do you stand when you communicate with your
boss, teacher, parents and friends?
 The need for personal space decreases as the number
of people increases
 In the USA, the need for the personal space between
two people is about 18 inches
 The need for space is less in many middle eastern
countries and more in most Scandinavian countries

Example: See Book-Page No 26