Functions Of Nonverbal Communication

To communicate well, use the same language as the person you're in touch with, writes Edward de Bono in his "Thinking Course." Language includes a collection of nonverbal activities. The visual, tactile and vocal elements of your message, together with pictures or other objects, convey more than 90 percent of your message, suggests Albert Mehrabian in "Silent Messages."

Types

On the Northeastern University website, Edward Wertheim describes the elements of nonverbal communication. You can use physical closeness and posture alongside hand and arm gestures. Use the many muscles of your face to move your eyebrows, eyes, mouth and nose. Your voice can vary in tone, pitch and loudness to make your meaning clear and you can use touch, such as a handshake or a pat on the back.

Features

Your nonverbal signals support, explain, contradict, expand or change the words you use. You may reinforce your speech, emphasizing your meaning with a nod, or you can shake your head to negate your words. Raise your eyebrows to show surprise, and you need say no words at all. You might touch a friend's arm to emphasize your expression of sympathy. To strengthen the impact of your message, you can turn to a powerful gesture, such as thumping the table.

Considerations

To receive a message, you take account of nonverbal clues without always being consciously aware of them. Careful watching and listening improves your understanding by offering insights into the person talking to you. Sue Knight, in "NLP at Work," explains how each person may use nonverbal signs differently. She warns against making the assumption that common gestures, such as folded arms, always mean the same thing.

Expert Insight

Your nonverbal behavior gives clues to the way you think. A con artist carrying out a coin trick looks for the subtle "tell" as you give tiny clues, through a look or a movement, that show him which hand holds the coin, according to Rider University. You give further clues to the way you think through your eye movements. Sue Knight points out that you're likely to look upwards when you think of a picture, sideways when you remember music and down when you think about your feelings.

Warning

Nonverbal clues can confuse because they change according to culture, nationality and communities, Wertheim says. You can easily offend by standing less than two feet from an American stranger, while people in some cultures may find this acceptable. Take care with your hand gestures, such as a sign of agreement made with your thumb; some cultures may consider this obscene. A head nod can mean "yes" in America, but people in India might use a sideways motion.