Paralinguistics II

Nonverbal communication is important because:

It affects how we understand others and how they understand us.

Nonverbal communication plays an important role in how we convey meaning and information to others, as well as how we interpret the actions of those around us.

Whether you are aware of it or not, when you interact with others, you are continuously giving and receiving wordless signals. All of your nonverbal behaviors—the gestures you make, your posture, your tone of voice, how much eye contact you make—send strong messages. They can put people at ease, build trust, and draw others towards you, or they can offend, confuse, and undermine what you’re trying to convey. These messages don’t stop when you stop speaking either. Even when you are silent, you are still communicating nonverbally.

Sometimes there are differences or inconsistencies between verbal communication and nonverbal expression. It is important to be aware of these inconsistencies in ourselves as well in as others.

In some instances, what comes out of your mouth and what you communicate through your body language may be two totally different things. If you say one thing, but your body language says something else, your listener will likely feel that you are being dishonest. When faced with such mixed signals, the listener has to choose whether to believe your verbal or nonverbal message. Since body language is a natural, unconscious language that broadcasts your true feelings and intentions, they’ll likely choose the nonverbal message.