Non-verbal communication is as important as verbal communication across the world. Non-verbal communication is not only important in the business environment; but it is important in our day to day living. Non-verbal communication consist of more than just hand gestures, it includes the way you dress, facial expressions, the way you walk, eye contacts, hairstyles etc. In this article, I will concentrate on the affect of how hand gestures, facial features, and clothing can serve as non-verbal communication vehicles.

First, facial expression is one of the most important part of your body you can’t hide. Your face can speak volume, and if you are not careful, others may interpret your facial expressions in a negative way. According to (Ekman, Friesen, and Ellsworth 1972, 1) there are about 1000 different facial expressions. We can demonstrate many different emotions using facial expressions. The way we move our eyebrows can suggest to the observer many different meanings, depending on the country where you reside.

The next nonverbal communication is hand gestures. We can have an entire conversation with someone just by using our hands. In America, certain hand gestures can convey meaning of argumentative or moment of happiness. I have witness many traffic incident caused by one driver using a hand gesture the other driver was not pleased about. Today, as I look at hand gestures, I can’t imagine us communicating without it.

Our way of dressing is also an important part of our communication. Before you open your mouth to speak, the observer had already made an observation based on the way you dress. And if your attire is what they are expecting, they probably will be receptive, but if your attire is not what they used to, their reception of you will be close.I can’t talk about clothing without mentioning jewelry.

In some countries, a lot of jewelry is a sign of a well dress person. But in America, a person wearing a lot of jewelry can be seen as a person with no fashion sense.Non-verbal communication is as important as verbal communication. The country where you reside will determine which one of these non-verbal communications are of the most importance.

Facial expressions are important and can convey different messages; and because you can’t hide your face, one has to be very careful of how you use it. Hand gestures can be a great way to communicate and many people do communicate using their hands. Hand gestures have also caused many arguments. When it comes to the way you dress, your clothing can dictate an illusion of your status. Others can look at what you wearing and from that, they can decide if they will offer you a job or engage in a conversation with you.

When it comes to communication, verbal communication is not the most important part of communication; non-verbal communication is as equally as important. So next time you are engage in conversation with anyone, be mindful of your non-verbal gestures, because non-verbal communication can relate a different message to the individual than what you are trying to communicate.