Verbal and Non Verbal

Verbal communication is primarily based on vocabulary - both the use of it and the understanding of it. The goal of verbal communication is to ensure that the person conveying the message and the audience receiving the message are both interpreting the information in the same manner. This can be accomplished through non-verbal communication.

Non-verbal communication is best defined as "communication without words." Only when non-verbal communication comes into play, does the meaning of the vocabulary being used take on completely different meanings. For instance, the words "I love you" mean just that - I love you. Without any non-verbal influences, there really is not any misinterpretation. However, when emphasis is put on different words, the meaning of those three words can take on a whole new twist. Think about this, and how you interpret the different meanings. I love you. i LOVE you. i love YOU. In the first example, it could imply that only "I" love you, and no one else does. In the second example, it could emphasizing the fact that I love you, not just have an interest in you, or like you. In the last example, it could be conveying the fact that I do not love anyone else but you, or that I could not love anyone else any more than you.

Verbal communication uses a singular channel, whereas non-verbal communication uses multiple channels. It can take the form of codes that you can see and hear (visual/auditory). This includes kinesics, facial expression, paralanguage, and physical appearance. It can come in the form of contact, such as haptics (touch) and space (personal and territory). Codes also include place and time such as physical environment and chronemics (time).

Kinesics is the most obvious form of non-verbal communication and involves body position and movement. Body orientation is characterized by the degree to which we face toward or away from someone. Posture is important in conveying the way one feels. If you want to convey that you...