Use of Verbal and Nonverbal Communication
Verbal and nonverbal communications are both important ways of passing information from one person to another. As such, they play a key role in our day to day life. Verbal is the oral or unwritten way of communication and uses words, vocabulary, numbers and symbols as well as organization in sentences. Nonverbal communication refers to the process of communication through sending and receiving wordless messages, that is, through gestures, body language, posture, facial expression and eye contact.When we communicate verbally, be it in a presentation or in a conversation, the objective is get the message we are trying to pass understood.
The receiver could be an individual, a group of people or an audience. Spoken words, unlike written communication, cannot be referred to unless they are recorded. Therefore, word choice is critical to ensure that the message is communicated. For instance, in our group of five people, we communicated with each other by speaking to each other as we discussed on different forms of communication. In verbal communication, how the message is communicated is as important as the message itself. According to Warren & Windle (2010), Para verbal messages refer to the message that we transmit through tone, pitch and pacing of our voices and is said to account for 38% of what we communicate.
As a result, in some cases, one of us could raise the tone of his or her voice in amazement while in other cases lowering this tone to make drive a point home.There are many ways in which nonverbal communication is realized and as such they form part of everyday communication through clothing, hairstyle, symbols or even architecture. A policeman salutes to show allegiance to authority. On the day we held discussions on different forms of communication, we were wearing very casual clothes since it was on a Saturday. One of the males in this group had unkempt hair since to him one was supposed to be rough on a weekend. Gesturing on the other hand is non-vocal bodily movement which may express warm and closeness or rejection, and is articulated using arms, hands or body and may also include nodding and rolling of one’s eyes Warren & Windle (2010).
For example, one of our group members kept on raising his hand to motion others to keep quiet when he wanted to speak.Posture is also part of non-verbal communication and is understood through such parameters as leaning, arm position, body orientation and body openness. Posture can communicate a person’s degree of attention, the degree of involvement; assess the status of a communicator or even the fondness of an audience to a communicator Warren & Windle (2010). Sometimes, nonverbal communication can replace verbal communication. Instead of saying “hello” or “goodbye”, for example, a wave can be used. In regard to this, I remember we waved to each other after leaving the hall where we were discussing on verbal and non-verbal communication.
Gestures are also used with speech simultaneously and are closely coordinated with the speech and serve to elaborate the meaning of the co-occurring speech. Sign language involves the use of visually transmitted sign patterns that can combine orientation and movement of hands, arms or body to express the speaker’s thoughts. Thus, we made different signs that are used to communicate in different areas of life. For example, one of the group members raised his hand just the way police men does on the road to motion vehicles to a halt.In conclusion, verbal and nonverbal communications interact to bring about meaning.
Sometimes, nonverbal communication comes before verbal, but it has not been successfully argued out which of the two ways is more effective. Both ways of communication interact in these constructive ways: repeating, complementing, substituting, accenting and regulating and ensuring of the message communicated.
