Verbal and Non-verbal communication

[pinksmartie]

I didn't really know where to put this, but it's sorta linked with the body so here it is:

non-verbal communication is where you can see the expressions and body language of another person right?

If that's so, then what is verbal communication? Just speaking where you can't see their expressions?

I'm a little confused :-S

[eaglchris]

The game of charades perfectly demonstrates the difference between verbal & non-verbal communication;
we all know how long it takes to get the answer to someones charade (is it T.V., book, film, etc), takes ages sometimes, but speaking what you are trying to convey brings almost instant recognition; therefore I would say verbal communication is a faster way of communicating: after all, we are all pressed for time, aren't we!!

[LazyGun]

This is a similar topic to the post above, I guess. The words of a message are obviously important, but certainly in conversations the body language is equally as important in emphasizing points, or conveying humour, irony, etc. Eye contact or the lack of it, facial expression, the posture of the body and hand/arm gestures are all important in conveying what you actually mean rather than what you just say :)

I am sure you have seen comments about misunderstandings on bulletin boards or in chat rooms because the humour or sarcasm attached to a particular point was not communicated through the message that was written. Thats why people use emoticons or smilies in their messages... but these are a poor substitute for viewing their body language.

[robbo82]

Taken from an article in the Times Educational Supplement:

"Only about 6 per cent of our communication involves words. The remaining 94 per cent is in how and where we stand, our facial expression, tonality and inflection