Session 5 - Non-verbal Communication

Non-verbal communication is the act of conveying a message without speaking. Though the idea of this sounds difficult, most/nearly all actions are understandable through body language and posture. For example, if we nod our head up and down, we have interpreted this action as a way of saying ‘no’. This is one of the simplest ways of non-verbally communicating.

We can also express more advanced messages by using our body. We can point at something to get the attention of another person. Since we have associated pointing with an action that informs others that there is something there, we can further say that this action is more advanced than just nodding to answer simple yes/no questions.

Moving onto more advanced actions, we can use emotions to help display/convey messages to others. For example, if someone were to bang their foot against something hard, their primary action would be to hop around on one leg, holding their foot whilst giving a sad/angry expression on their face. From this, we can tell that this person is in pain from his actions and that sometimes, we can either relate to this persons unfortunate experience or we can understand his situation.