15+ Examples of nonverbal communication – (with Infographics)

There is a popular saying,”Actions speak louder than words”. This simply means how we show our actions are much more powerful than our words.

These actions can also be our nonverbal communications while we are making a verbal communication. 

I have gathered a list of examples of nonverbal communication, those are vital for making a successful and productive communication. Remember you may deliver very important messages through verbal communication which mean by speaking orally, but if you are not careful enough about your nonverabal communication then you will make your whole communication an unproductive one. 

The examples of nonverbal communication are: Maintain good body language, do not shake your limbs, establish regular eye contact, look at everyone you are speaking to, talk with cheerful face, Show your professional attitude during serious matter, do not scratch your body part while talking, do not interrupt others while still speaking, Make head movement to show your interest, do not be distracted, be attentive and focused, have a calm and relaxed attitude while facing pressure, talk with professional tone of voice, be careful in touching others, display an professional appearance, Never invade another’s personal space, maintain good posture and gesture.  

TABLE OF CONTENT

1. Do not shake your body or body parts during communication
2. Make regular eye contact
3. Turn your eyes to everyone
4. Show smiling and cheerful face
5. Be serious when the matter is serious
6. Avoid touching or scratching your body parts
7. Do not interrupt others
8. Nod your head to display interest in listening
9. Avoid being distracted 
10. Be attentive, focused, calm and relaxed (even in pressure)
11. Maintain a professional tone of voice
12. Be careful of bad touch and good touch
13. Display appealing appearance
14. Maintaining appropriate personal space
15. Being careful about your postures

1. Do not shake your body or body parts during communication

Can you remember a time when you were speaking to someone and the listener was busy shaking the legs or hands etc, how did you feel? Most probably, you felt disturbed by that manner.

This is what another person feels when you do the same with others. Keeping your body and body parts still and straight is considered as the way of good nonverbal communication. It shows respect towards others hence creating better communication.

2. Make regular eye contact

Establishing regular eye contact while speaking with others shows your confidence and respect to the audience. Most of the cases, nervousness does not allow you to make regular eye contact. 

Conveying your message with eye contact makes your communication effective and successful. 

Therefore, if you have a habit of looking at the ceiling or some object rather than the person while speaking then you must work on this example of nonverbal communication, which is making regular eye contact with your listener. 

3. Turn your eyes to everyone

While you are speaking to a group of people, it is compulsory that you turn your eyes to everyone listening to you. 

Looking at a single person or not looking at everyone, gives a signal that you are ignoring them or they are not so important to you. 

This intentional or unintentional ignorance can cause others to feel offended, hence become a barrier to successful communication. 

So, while you are delivering your thoughts, ideas, knowledge or any sort of information to others, make sure you are shifting your eyes to everyone on a regular basis. 

4. Show smiling and cheerful face

Our emotions are contagious. Have you ever observed that when you watch a comedy movie you feel laugh while others are laughing, or sorrow when the others are in sadness. This also happens in our day to day life, a happy  and cheerful face is contagious enough to create a positive charge in us and make us feel happy. 

It is one of the best methods of nonverbal communication to make your veral words really effective and productive. 

Every morning as you wake up from bed, make sure you make a promise to keep your face cheerful at your friends, family, relatives and the people at your professional workplace.

5. Be serious when the matter is serious

Without doubt it is a terrible manner when one does not understand the serious matter and displays a casual attitude. Being not serious while the matter is truly serious proves that you are not a professional person.

This can produce an irritative feeling to others and hence create poor communication.

Remember, there is time to be humorous and there is also time to be serious, understanding this time and situation and reacting accordingly will make you a better communicator. 

6. Avoid touching or scratching your body parts

Touching body parts or scratching them may be done by you unconsciously but know that it is under observation of your audience. 

While you make a verbal or oral communication, do not think that the listener is only listening to your words rather they are actually observing you each  and every nonverbal expression. 

Touching or scratching your body parts depicts a negative impression on the audience and can become a barrier to your communication. 

7. Do not interrupt others

Listening with patience without interrupting the speaker is considered as a valuable nonverbal way of communication. 

You may not take it so seriously while you are interrupting others, but it really expresses your aggressive attitude towards others. 

So, make sure you do not interrupt others while they are speaking, and allow them to complete their statements and delivery of messages. 

8. Nod your head to display interest in listening

As you want others to listen to you attentively, in the same manner others also want you to listen with undivided attention, and this is expressed through your head movement and facial expression. 

When someone is speaking to you, make sure you nod your head to display your attentive listening, it makes the speaker feel that they are listened to and therefore they get interested in you and this also contributes to successful communication. 

9. Avoid being distracted

 Being distracted several times is a clear signal that you are not interested in listening. Avoid looking at different directions and focus on the speaker. 

Always be careful of your attitude during listening or communication, because you may not be serious about it but the speaker is really serious about your attitude. Being distracted by looking at different directions rather than looking at the speaker creates a negative impression on the speaker and as a result, you may experience poor communication.

10. Be attentive, focused, calm and relaxed (even in pressure)

Keeping yourself attentive, focused, calm and relaxed in every situation are great nonverbal ways to communicate. 

Especially keeping yourself calm and relaxed during pressure helps you a lot to perform better communication. 

It is very easy to be disturbed while you are in pressure, but developing an attitude of being relaxed in pressure will contribute a lot of positive impressions on your entire communication.

11. Maintain a professional tone of voice

Your tone of voice is a powerful way to communicate nonverbally. Tone of voice reveals many aspects like your level of confidence, manner and respect towards others etc. 

During the verbal communication, you may need to understand the context and make your voice modulation accordingly. 

Being wise and using your voice in an appropriate manner makes your communication successful and productive as desired. 

12. Be careful of bad touch and good touch

Touch is a strong way of nonverbal communication. But you should also know that your touch can be considered as bad touch or good touch according to situation and person. 

Touch is especially considered a good means of nonverbal communication between the persons having very close relationships, like couples, parents and kids etc. 

But touching a stranger or not too close person may indicate a bad touch and establish poor communication. 

13. Display appealing appearance

Your appearance is a matter to others. Having a good and pleasant appearance makes a positive contribution to communication. 

The way you dress, maintain your hairstyle, use of perfume everything reveals your personality and they all affect your communication. 

Appealing appearance is pleasing to everyone, especially understanding the place and culture and displaying your appearance accordingly makes you more accepted by people and hence can become effective nonverbal communication.

14. Maintaining appropriate personal space

There is a certain area of space around us, we consider as our own space. We do not like others to invade that space. We feel secure and comfortable in our personal space. 

So, while you are speaking or listening to others make sure you are maintaining the appropriate personal space. 

Remember this personal space can vary according to country, culture and location.

15. Being careful about your postures

Posture is an effective way of nonverbal communication. Holding our body in the right posture along with delivering the message or while listening to a message makes the communication successful. 

Leaning on a wall or table, sitting with an informal style in your office, keeping your legs in an unprofessional way etc, are all negative contributors to communication. 

Some other examples of nonverbal communication are:

• Talking with a  clear speed of speech
• Keeping your teeth, tongue and lips relaxed
• Sit or stand straight before others
• Master your emotion during communication

Let me know your suggestion in the comment section below for adding more life to this article and helping others to grow.

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