The Importance of Nonverbal Communication

          During the initial two weeks of class meetings the communication model and its basic elements have been frequently discussed and mentioned in the readings. The communication model allows us to explain the bits that combine to form the communication process between a sender and receiver. One of the most notable things learned during these lessons was the topic of nonverbal communication and how use of this vital aspect of communication is important in any conversation that one might have in today’s world. Nonverbal communication gives us a sense of self through our appearance, body movements and expressions, gestures, and even our paralanguage (such as tone of voice or laughter). Before continuing, it should be made clear that not every culture’s nonverbal communication contains the same context. One such example would be how many people of Italian heritage greet friends and family with a kiss on each side of the cheek. In America it may be normal to do that to a family member but if I did that to my 6’4 230 pound roommate, the only thing I would be kissing may be the ground.

It is essential that nonverbal communication be used in daily communication because it allows us to self-express as well as express ourselves to peers and others with whom we come in contact. Many people do not fully understand nonverbal communication and therefore would think nonverbal communication is always used by the person who is speaking, however, it is as essential for the listener as it is for the speaker. One example of how a listener would use nonverbal communication is by actively listening. Active listening is defined as: one pays attention to the speaker, tries to understand what he or she has said, and responds by actions or gestures to make it known that listener understands what the speaker is saying.

Nonverbal communications has a wide range of signs that could be utilized in both listening and speaking. One sign I never really thought about prior to this class was how one’s appearance, how one dresses, their haircut or the way one presents themselves outside of their home, can leave a lasting impression both good or bad regarding how others form an opinion about you. During my first semester of college, I was the stereotypical college freshman male: shaggy hair both facial and on my head, sweatpants all the time, a t-shirt, sneakers or sandals. As I progressed through college I began to care more about how people thought of me and the impression I left on others. I realized wearing the same outfit every day must have given the impression to my classmates that I was a bit of a “scrub”. I realized by cleaning myself up a bit more, changing my attire habits and taking better care of myself actually better represented who I am as a person and would leave others with a much more appropriate impression. Some cultures place big emphasis on their appearance, and not strictly from a trying to look good perspective but from a religious one. Muslim women, for instance, must be covered from head to toe when out in public.

                Often people use nonverbal communication in conversations or in class even when they don’t realize it. A student who doses off in class while the teacher is speaking is sending off many different signals to the teacher. This nonverbal communication can be taken in many ways by the teacher. Did the student not sleep much last night, did he/she party too much, is he/she being rude, or can they not handle participation and hope to simply be ignored. Whatever the teacher may think, the overall view of this student sleeping in their class is likely negative. In reality, the student may have been sick the past week not gotten any sleep and simply can’t keep their eyes open.  

                Certain people also don’t realize nonverbal communication plays an extremely big part during arguments and/or formal or informal discussions. A person who may roll their eyes while another is talking immediately gives the impression that what the speaker is saying is either unimportant or unbelievable. Simple eye contact is another role nonverbal communication plays in cultures around the world. Most cultures believe that eye contact shows respect and maturity, believability and non-weakness. I believe nonverbal communication a vital skill set to understand and to use during all communications with other individuals. It is also a vital skill for professions such as teaching. If a teacher is speaking on a the subject matter in a monotone voice chances are their students won’t see the topic as interesting no matter how exciting or important it may be. On the other hand if this teacher is enthusiastic and lively about the topic, students will become more engaged, interested and probably get more from the discussion/topic. As the teacher’s enthusiasm rubs off on the students the class becomes more enjoyable and worthwhile for all involved.  Some teachers may use slide shows to teach a subject or topic. If there is little or no engagement with the class the interest level and amount of knowledge being transferred may be, in most cases, is limited. That may sound harsh at first but if you want the experience of learning to be engaging then you must engage. Nonverbal in conjunction with verbal communication is essential. When you choose to attend or teach at the college level your communication skills on both sides are vital, especially nonverbal.

                Overall, nonverbal communication is always going to be in our daily conversations whether we like it or not or unless one day robots take over the world for some odd reason. Anyways, it’s important that one expresses his or her own thoughts no matter what they may be, however, it is always important to respect what others say and feel. So always be respectful to others, as bad as you want to roll your eyes at the teacher, hold it back, as bad as you want to flip off that Temple student screaming “F Penn State!” just realize they look like the fool not you… but in reality we all know you will flip them off. The basic point of nonverbal communication I am trying to get across here is, if you whisper and not yell “We Are!”… Will people even think you are a Penn State Student?