6 Keys To Understanding How Non-verbal Communication Works
Non-verbal communication is a fascinating area of study, the knowledge of which can be applied in a wide variety of situations.
For this reason, year after year, a multitude of research is carried out on this topic, which contributes to better understanding the different ways in which what we do not say directly gives clues about our intentions, our emotions, our interests, etc.
However, to fully understand how non-verbal communication works, it is first necessary to discard some myths and question several preconceived ideas about this field of study and analysis of human behavior. Therefore, here we are going to see a summary of the main keys to understanding how non-verbal communication works from which it is possible to begin to build useful knowledge to better understand others and adapt to what conversations reveal about the people who talk to us.
The keys to understanding non-verbal communication and how it works
These are some key aspects that will help you understand how non-verbal communication works.
1. Not all parts of the body provide the same information
The human body is made in such a way that there are a series of muscles that are especially sensitive to psychological processes, both cognitive (that is, those based on ideas and concepts) and emotional ones.
Therefore, people trained in non-verbal language analysis They focus especially on these areas, to make good use of their attention span which is limited.
2. We must take into account the chameleon effect
For better and for worse, human beings have a tendency to imitate our interlocutor when we speak face to face, even if we do not realize it. This means that the non-verbal information we collect from the other person when they are talking to someone is almost never “pure”, since it has this tendency to behave in accordance with what the other person does.
However, this also It implies that if we learn the keys to non-verbal communication well, we can take advantage of this “chameleon effect.” ; For example, to calm someone who is initially defensive, showing in certain ways that we are relaxed and that our breathing is not accelerated.
3. Intonation is essential
Not all the information that is exchanged in non-verbal communication processes has to do with muscle movements that we can see directly. The case of intonation when speaking is the most paradigmatic example of this: the fact of expressing oneself verbally by modulating the voice in one way or another can provide us with many data to take into account, even though we do not see the movements causing it.
In fact, paying attention to intonation is a very good way to know the way a person moves. the muscles involved in speech, which have the characteristic of leaving their “imprint” on the voice with the minimum change that occurs in them. This is especially interesting if we take into account that these structures are very sensitive to the emotional state of the sender.
It would be a mistake to analyze someone’s body language assuming that it is made up of moments, “photographs” that give us clues about that individual’s mental state. On the contrary: this type of communication that goes beyond words is characterized by its dynamism, by the fact that it cannot be completely “enclosed” in the pages of a book, because it is not static.
That’s why, You have to pay attention not to specific moments, but to sequences of movements with a beginning and an end This explains that one of the most interesting areas of non-verbal communication, proxemics, which gives us information based on the position and distances that some people adopt with respect to others, must be analyzed by looking at the direction of those movements. Seeing an image in which two people are very far apart is not the same as seeing how two people are together and little by little one of them moves away.
5. Moments of disruption provide more information
The moments in which we “caught the other person off guard” are especially valuable from the point of view of non-verbal communication, because they give us clues about whether there is a disruption in their flow of thoughts.
For example, in interrogations carried out by investigators or police officers, it is common to make the other person “lower their defenses” by talking about topics in which they feel comfortable, only to make a sudden change of topic at a certain moment. towards what might bother you the most and see how you react.
People who don’t have much to hide appear somewhat surprised but do not make micro-expressions associated with stress but those in which a disruption occurs on a psychological level (the transition from speaking almost without thinking to having to invent something almost on the fly) these subtle gestures do appear.
6. There are cultural differences to take into account
People who have developed knowledge in non-verbal communication are experts on the subject, among other things, because they know how to recognize what they cannot know, and they are aware that there are aspects that they ignore.
For example, they know that most of the knowledge generated by science about this area has to do with the non-verbal language of people from Western culture, or from societies highly influenced by this culture. And it is known that Gestures, proxemics and the use of intonation can vary greatly depending on the ethnicity to which the person we observe belongs.
Are you interested in learning about non-verbal communication? Try this course
If you are thinking about training in the interpretation and management of non-verbal language, you will surely be interested the course “The power of non-verbal communication: keys to interpreting body language”, promoted by the European School of Coaching (EEC). This is a 15-hour program designed to teach the theoretical and (mostly) practical aspects of non-verbal communication and body language, and is taught online with live classes through EEC’s synchronous classroom system. It is a course designed primarily for professionals who work in areas where it is essential to manage human interactions, such as Human Resources and Personnel Selection technicians, psychotherapists, coaches and salespeople.
