Nonverbal Communication

Body Language

One of the common phrases used when talking about nonverbal communication is "body language." Body language can include gestures, movements, and even posture that is used to send messages about what you mean – most of which are defined at length below. Sometimes body language doesn't match what is being said, and having an understanding of how to read it can be very helpful in determining what another person really wants or needs.

• Eye contact is an important component of nonverbal communication. If someone is interested in what is being said, he or she will engage in more eye contact with the speaker. Too much eye contact, however, signals that the listener is somewhat aggressive or distrustful. Too little eye contact is often a sign that the listener is either not really interested or feels negatively about what is being said.
• Speaking of eye contact, it is possible to determine that someone is bored by noticing that they looking directly at the person speaking, but that the eyes are a little unfocused. This may be accompanied by a tilt of the head and fiddling with the hands.

• People who cross their arms over the chest are often keeping something to themselves, or they may even be protecting themselves from something. Of course, this has to be related to the situation. If the people speaking are very comfortable with one another, the crossed arms could signify that one person is thinking very deeply about what is being said.
• The appropriate amount of personal space is something that can vary from person to person, but it is more-or-less dictated by social norms within a culture. U.S. norms dictate approximately an arm's length between two people. Someone who is very engaged in what another person is saying will be more likely to lean forward or to touch the other person.
• Facial expressions convey a lot about what a person is thinking. While we can control our facial expressions to some degree, there are many times when they just naturally occur (as is common with verbal cues, as we learned in the previous section).

In addition to body language, we are able to pick up cues about others through their style and other physical characteristics such as clothing, hairstyle, home decor, etc.

For example, consider military officers. Their uniforms can tell you what branch of the military they belong to, as well as their ranks and positions. Even knowing that the person is in the military gives clues to their ways of thinking and interacting with others. Like the uniform, there are many objects in our day-to-day lives that have symbolic meaning, and this is also a matter of nonverbal communication.