Our ancestors hunted and lived as a collective, on which they depended on each other to feel protected, accompanied and to survive. Our success as a species and as individuals depends on our ability to communicate effectively. Communication is a natural phenomenon, it is an act of interaction with people in which we share information. There are two types of verbal and non-verbal communication.
Verbal and non-verbal communication shape our interactions with others in business and relationships interpersonal, as well as in our financial and personal success and in our physical well-being and psychological. Understand the different aspects of verbal and non-verbal communication, and the important roles that they play in our interactions with others, is the first step to improve the communication. In this Psychology-Online article, we explain the differences between verbal and non-verbal communication.
Index
- Verbal communication: characteristics
- Non-verbal communication: examples and types
- Differences between verbal and non-verbal communication
Verbal communication: characteristics.
Verbal communication is one in which the sender uses words, whether spoken or written, to transmit the message to the receiver. It is the most effective form of communication because the exchange of information and feedback are very fast. There is less chance of misunderstandings since the communication between the parties is clear, that is, the parties are using words to express what they want to say.
Communication can be done in two ways:
- Communication face to face: oral, lectures, phone calls, seminars, etc.
- Written: letters, emails, text messages, etc.
There are two main types of communication:
- Formal communication, also called official communication: it is a type of communication in which the sender follows a predefined channel to transmit information to the receiver.
- Informal communication: It is the type of communication in which the sender does not follow any predefined channel to transmit the information.
Non-verbal communication: examples and types.
Non-verbal communication is based on the understanding or interpretation of each of the parts that make up part of the communicative act, since the transmission of messages does not occur through words but through signs. Therefore, if the receiver fully understands the message and adequate feedback occurs, the communication will be successful. A very clear example of this type of communication is facial expression, gestures and body position when speaking.
In many situations it complements verbal communication to obtain a more global vision of the situation, understand the state of the people (if they are nervous, relaxed, sad ...) and certain personality characteristics (if the person is shy, extroverted…). Therefore, it serves to obtain that information that the speech does not provide us. The types of non-verbal communication are as follows:
- Chronic anemia: it is the use of time in communication. For example: punctual or unpunctual people, speed of a speech, etc.
- Proxemia: It is the distance maintained by the person with respect to others during the communicative act. Proxemia tells us when communication is intimate, personal, social and public.
- Vowel: the volume, pitch, and voice timbre used by the sender
- Haptic: is the use of touch in communication that expresses emotions and feelings
- Kinesia: It is the study of the person's body language: gestures, postures, facial expressions ...
- Artifacts: It is the appearance of the person that shows aspects of her personality, for example: the way of dressing, jewelry, lifestyle, etc.
Differences between verbal and non-verbal communication.
Verbal communication is a form of communication in which words to exchange information with other people, either in the form of a speech or in writing. On the contrary, non-verbal communication does not use words, but other modes of communication are used such as body language, facial expressions, sign language, etc. These are some of the differences between verbal and non-verbal communication:
- In verbal communication, words are used, while non-verbal communication is based on signs.
- There are less opportunities for confusion between sender and receiver in verbal communication while in non-verbal communication understanding is more difficult since language is not used.
- In verbal communication, the exchange of messages is faster which makes feedback very fast. Non-verbal communication relies more on understanding, which takes time and is therefore slower.
- In verbal communication, the presence of both parties in the place is not necessary, since it can also be done if the parties are in different places. On the other hand, in non-verbal communication both parties must be there, at the time of communication.
- In verbal communication, documentary evidence is maintained whether the communication is formal or written. But there is no conclusive evidence for nonverbal communication.
- Verbal communication fulfills the most natural desire of humans, speak. In the case of non-verbal communication, feelings, emotions or personality are communicated through the acts performed by the parties in the communicative act.
- It is important to mention that both types of communication complement each other and, on many occasions, occur simultaneously.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Differences between verbal and non-verbal communication, we recommend that you enter our category of Social psychology.
