Non-Verbal Communication: Types, Importance and Practices

This report discusses the importance of non-verbal communication and its various types such as kinesics, gestures, eye contact, haptics and vocalics. It explains how non-verbal cues play a crucial role in communication and suggests practices to improve them.

Running head: NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
Non-Verbal Communication
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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Necessity of Non-verbal communication...................................................................................2
Types of Non-verbal communication.........................................................................................2
Kinesics..................................................................................................................................3
Gestures..................................................................................................................................3
Eye contact.............................................................................................................................4
Haptics....................................................................................................................................4
Vocalics..................................................................................................................................5
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................5
Reference....................................................................................................................................6

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Introduction
Non-verbal communication refers to everything other than words that is shared
between two individual to transmit a meaning (Burgoon, Guerrero & Floyd, 2016). When two
or more people are communicating, other than the words that are being spoken, their action
towards each other emits deeper meaning to convey. Non-verbal kind of communication
includes various kinds of tonal variations in the pitch and body languages of the people
involved in the communication process (Knapp, Hall & Horgan, 2013). Multiple elements of
voice and body language end up creating significant impact in the communication process
rather than the words that are being spoken (Siegman & Feldstein, 2014). The report will
delve deeper into the various elements and practices of Non-verbal communication and
suggest practices to evolve those in an individual.
Necessity of Non-verbal communication
Communication is a process that strengthens unity between the sender and receiver of
the message and it allows for an interaction between the two (Habermas, 2015). Non-verbal
communication is the emitting of certain cues that decide the fate of the communication. The
importance of the non-verbal communication remains the fact that it sets up an ambience for
the communication taking place and it ultimately decides that whether the communication
will be successful or not.
Types of Non-verbal communication
There are various types of Non-verbal communication and just like verbal language; a
categorization of all the types is present. The categories of Non-verbal communication are-

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Kinesics
Kinesics comes from the word kinesis that refers to ‘movements’. Movement of the
body and its various parts are referred to as kinesics and it determines a lot when it comes to
non-verbal communication (Hans & Hans, 2015). Kinesics involves eye contact, posture and
facial expression as non-verbal communication cues.
Gestures
The three main categories of gestures are- Emblems, adaptors and illustrators.
Emblems are known as gestures that contain a defined agreed-on meaning. However, this is
different from the sign language which is used by deaf and mute people who use the
American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate. These are certain signs that have their
meanings set by a group of people and this meaning for the selected sign may differ from
group to group (Matsumoto & Hwang, 2013). Adaptors are acts of touches and such
developments that show inward states regularly identified with elation or uneasiness.
Adaptors can be emphasized towards the individual-self, articles, or others. In normal social
situations, adaptors result from feelings of unease, nervousness, or a general sense that an
individual is not accountable for the environment. Many individuals subliminally fiddle with
pens, shake legs, or take part in different connectors amid classes, public gatherings, or while
presenting to accomplish a target. In situations of Public speaking, individuals most usually
utilize self-or question centered adaptors. Regular self-touching practices like scratching,
playing with hair, or squirming with fingers or some body parts are referred as self-adaptors.
The sound produced by a person for clearing the throat is also referred to as a self-adapter.
Illustrators are simple gestures that accompany the verbal message and people both
consciously or not perform the gesture.

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Eye contact
While eye contact is frequently examined as a subject of kinesics, their own specific
nonverbal communication branch is known as oculesics, which has its root from the Latin
word oculus, meaning "eye." The face and eyes are the basic responders when it comes to
communication, and alongside the ears, the eyes also take in the large amount of the exisiting
open data. Eye contact enables regulating and monitoring interactions and it essentially works
as a cue to show that a person is willing to communicate or not (Freeth, Foulsham &
Kingstone, 2013). Eyes allow the speaker to understand the state of the audience and
understand whether they are engaged or bored in the ongoing communication. Eye contact
allows understanding if an individual is interested in the communication or not, eyes reflect
the kind of approach an individual possesses towards another person or the topic of
communication.
Haptics
Touch plays a very important part in non-verbal communication and Haptics is known
the study of touch in the field of communication (Hannaford & Okamura, 2016). Touch has
the power of creating an emotional connect more than words do and this has made touch a
must when it comes to creating a proper amount of connect with an individual. A firm
handshake or a pat on the back may boost up the confidence sky high and motivate the person
a lot in his approach towards any topic. Touch is a very sensitive issue and inappropriate use
of touch may lead to dire consequences, as touch is something that is related to sex and
violence. The amount of touch should be regulated and carefully dealt with because too much
of touch can often signal sexual intention whereas lack of touch can be something that
reflects a negative attitude or unfriendliness on the part of the communicator.

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Vocalics
Vocalics is known as the study of voice and its various trends such as pitch, volume,
quality, rate and verbal fillers (Phillips, 2017). Pitch is something that assists in conveying a
meaning; regulate the flow of a conversation and the intensity if a message. Vocalics provide
insight into the content of a speech. A soft voice with a specific tone and a critical facial
expression can be an intense conversation. While soft and low tone usage for flirting or
romantic conversation is appropriate, the same can be touted as unprofessional when
practiced at a business meeting.
Conclusion
Non-verbal communication skills are mandatory for an individual to master so that
they can excel in their work and private sphere as good communicators. People who display
positivism in their non-verbal cues are often taken as people who are more friendly and
approachable when needed for any help or task. People like dealing with people who display
an overall good communication level and their image in the public is respectable than of
those who emit negativity through their non-verbal communication cues. The purpose of
communication can be served only when an effective communication is practiced by keeping
in mind all the requirements of making a communication competent in all respects.

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Reference
Freeth, M., Foulsham, T., & Kingstone, A. (2013). What affects social attention? Social
presence, eye contact and autistic traits. PloS one, 8(1), e53286.
Habermas, J. (2015). Communication and the Evolution of Society. John Wiley & Sons.
Hannaford, B., & Okamura, A. M. (2016). Haptics. In Springer Handbook of Robotics (pp.
1063-1084). Springer, Cham.
Hans, A., & Hans, E. (2015). Kinesics, Haptics and Proxemics: Aspects of Non-Verbal
Communication. Journal Of Humanities And Social Science, 20(2), 47-48.
Knapp, M. L., Hall, J. A., & Horgan, T. G. (2013). Nonverbal communication in human
interaction. Cengage Learning.
Matsumoto, D., & Hwang, H. S. (2013). Body and gestures(pp. 75-96). Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.
Phillips, M. (2017). Talking the Talk: The Effect of Vocalics in an Interview.
Burgoon, J. K., Guerrero, L. K., & Floyd, K. (2016). Nonverbal communication.
Routledge.
Siegman, A. W., & Feldstein, S. (Eds.). (2014). Nonverbal behavior and communication.
Psychology Press.