Silence speaks Volumes..

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Posted by Radhika

Non-Verbal Communication as we all know contributes to more than 50% of getting the message across. We see a person walking towards us and in those few moments we notice his walking style, dressing, posture. During our meeting, we observe his facial expressions, speech, and eye contact. If we are to sync the verbal and non-verbal communication, our mind would be bombarded with a million cues that would be difficult to comprehend. The growing hoopla related to Impression management, Professional behaviour, Interviewing skills ensure that such knowledge be mandatory for success.

The emphasis on Non-Verbal behaviour in the last couple of decades have exposed many to umpteen readings, sessions, seminars that teach non-verbal communication. Thus, if the process is not natural anymore then the word Deception glows in the neon sign ahead! It is going to be a while before biometric systems like Lie-Detection tests, Iris recognition, Polygraphy, Brain observations will start being used extensively and commonly. But before that with the tools in hand what are some ways in which we can differentiate between the genuine and fake, natural and unnatural. (Warning: Beware of differences pertaining to culture and society.)

For starters, one must consciously be aware of non-verbal cues. Observation may not come naturally to all but we must inject this in our behaviour pattern. Secondly, there is a set of non-verbal behaviour like posture, dressing, eye contact about which awareness is well spread. Thus, it would not be wise to make these the key influencers of non-verbal communication. Apart from these, behaviour related to Hands and Legs are lesser tapped and people are still not very conscious in moderating related behaviour patterns. For example, space between fingers, fingertips' steepling, handshake, touch are important indicators of confidence levels, anxiety, dominance when it comes to Hand gestures. So, Third, pick an area of study that is not well explored.

The Synchrony of the Human Body gives us enough choices to choose our area of specialization so that we can gain mastery in understanding related non-verbal behaviour. It may even lead to new career paths as perhaps a "Fingerologist" or a "Toeologist!" Subtle techniques like Handwriting analysis may be more intriguing to oneself and those around you! (Being a palmist or pretending to be one also holds similar advantages)

And Hell, they make a damn good read!