Importance of Nonverbal Communication

Importance of Nonverbal Communication

Communication can be defined as the act of transferring information from one place to another or in other term from transmitter to a receiver. Although this is just a simple definition, human and animals are different means to convey any information (sound, noises, gestures, smells etc.) toward a designated receiver. According to BBC Language, “it is estimated to have up to 7,000 different languages spoken around the world. 90% of these languages are used by less than 100,000 people. Over a million people converse in 150-200 languages and 46 languages have just a single speaker”.

In spite of the number of languages spoken on earth, studies from Dr. Albert Mehrabian, author of “Silent Messages”, suggests that 93% of all daily communication is nonverbal communication. He found that 7% of any message is conveyed through words, 38% through certain vocal elements, and 55% through nonverbal elements (facial expressions, gestures, posture, etc.).  Subtracting the 7% for actual vocal content leaves one with the 93% statistic.

Indeed, ones can sometime tell what to expect from a facial of another person. Growing up, I always able to tell whenever I was in trouble based on facial expression of my parents.                    Also, I have experienced more with nonverbal communication while in a love relationship. How many relationship started with an eye contact or a simple wink? While in a relationship, we sometimes try to convey a message to our significant other via facial expressions or change of mood so they know how we feel toward a past action or behavior. Based on these data, it is very clear that nonverbal communication is a very crucial aspect of communication.  Whether it is a moment of guilt, happiness, sadness, surprise, disgusts or shame, body languages can speak louder than words. Our daily lives depicts most of these expressions without enunciating a word; from a quarrel between friends or lovers to a police investigation for a crime, we witness body languages every day. We sometimes combine a nonverbal communication with a verbal communication. The way we say yes or no by simple movement of our head. Blue collar workers such as crane operators, forklift operators, or special military forces use hand signals in their daily works routine.