Language is a powerful and amazing tool. With words, you can communicate unbelievably complicated ideas to complete strangers or record all manner of thoughts and experiences. With modern technology, it's possible to communicate with people without seeing them, or even without hearing their voice. Even though words are an incredible tool for communication and learning, they are not the only way we communicate, nor are they necessarily the most effective.
Body language
In his 1981 study "Silent Messages," Albert Mehrabian, professor emeritus of psychology at University of Southern California at Los Angeles, concluded that as much as 93 percent of communication is done by nonverbal means in certain situations. This includes 38 percent by tone of voice, and 55 percent by body language. For example, if you said "I am confident," but your voice was trembling and you were cowering in fear, then your nonverbal communications would carry far more weight than your words.
Significance
Mehrabian's findings concluded that how you said things and the way you acted filtered the meaning of your words, potentially revealing deceitful or misleading behavior through inconsistencies in your words and the manner in which you say them. However, the study was only relevant to situations in which the communicator is talking about feelings or attitudes in person. In other situations, such as on the telephone or via email, the proportions will be different.
Other nonverbal communication
Body language and voice tone are important in conveying your personality and emotions. However, there are many situations where this is not available to you, such as on the telephone. In that instance, you become more aware of words spoken and the vocal tone. If communicating via email or by some kind of chat function, then most of the focus is on the words used. Even so, using emoticons such as smiling or unhappy faces helps convey our feelings in different ways, such as showing when we are joking.
Nonverbal learning
Words also play an important part in conveying more complex ideas. Voice tone and body language are less important when it comes to explaining calculus, describing how to change spark plugs or perform a double leg shot. However, any student can tell you how a good teacher can transform dry words from a textbook into fascinating facts, while a bad one can suck the fun out of your favorite activity.
Learning systems
Some people prefer to learn nonverbally. Neuro Linguistic Programming categorizes different representational systems that people use to learn information, some of which are verbal and some of which are not. Common learning systems are visual, or learning through seeing something done or through pictures; auditory, where you learn through hearing instructions; reading, where written words convey information; and kinesthetic, where you learn by doing. Most people favor a specific type of learning mechanism over the others, making it important to know the best way of connecting with your audience or your most effective way of taking on new information.
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