There are scores of definitions that
researchers and scholars use to define non-verbal communication. Among the
definitions we have studied, we chose and developed the points that seemed
essential to us with respect to the frame of interpretation that is given for
this essay.
Non-verbal communication consists of
all the messages other than words that are used in communication. In oral
communication, these symbolic messages are transferred by means of intonation,
tone of voice, vocally produced noises, body posture, body gestures, facial
expressions or pauses
When individuals speak, they
normally do not confine themselves to the mere emission of words. A great deal
of meaning is conveyed by non-verbal means which always accompany oral
discourse – intended or not. In other words, a spoken message is always sent on
two levels simultaneously, verbal and non-verbal.
Non-verbal behaviour predates verbal
communication because individuals, since birth, rely first on non-verbal means
to express themselves. This innate character of non-verbal behaviour is
important in communication. Even before a sentence is uttered, the hearer
observes the body gestures and facial expressions of the speaker, trying to make
sense of these symbolic messages. They seem to be trustable because they are
mostly unconscious and part of every-day behaviour. People assume that
non-verbal actions do not lie and therefore they tend to believe the non-verbal
message when a verbal message contradicts it. This was proven in tests in which
subjects were asked to react to sentences that appeared friendly and inviting
when reading them but were spoken angrily. In short, people try to make sense
of the non-verbal behaviour of others by attaching meaning to what they observe
them doing. Consequently, these symbolic messages help the hearer to interpret
the speaker’s intention and this indicates the importance of non-verbal
communication in the field of interpretation. In daily conversations it often
happens that we do not understand what the other person wants to say. Thus we
ask questions such as “What do you mean by this” so that the speaker clarifies
his message. The interpreter is deprived of this possibility and therefore has
to fall back on other means allowing him to understand the speaker. This is the
moment when non-verbal communication comes in, giving him subtle hints on how
the message is to be understood.
From the speaker’s point of view,
however, there are numerous functions of non-verbal behaviour – even if he or
she is not aware of them. Human beings use non-verbal means to persuade or to
control others, to clarify or embellish things, to stress, complement, regulate
and repeat verbal expressions. They can also be used to substitute verbal
expression, as this is the case with several body gestures .
Non-verbal communication is emotionally expressive and so any discourse
appealing to the receiver’s emotions has a persuasive impact.
Although many non-verbal means are innate and
universal, (i.e. people in different cultures have a common understanding of
these cues), the contribution of non-verbal communication to the total meaning
of a discourse can be culturally determined and differ in different countries
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