Nonverbal communication or body language is a vital form of communication.

It
happened when we interact with others as give and receive countless wordless signals.
The gesture we make, the way we sit, how close we are and how much eye contact we
make will send a strong message. Burgoon, Buller and Woodall(1996) state that
nonverbal behaviors are typically sent with intent, are used with regularity among
members of a social community, are typically interpreted as intentional, and have
consensually recognized interpretations However we dont agree with this definition
because to us it sounds too much like verbal communication.
When a teacher teaching in class he or she can observe the nonverbal
communication of the pupils; they leaning back in their chair, keep looking their watch,
or slouching, the teacher can make assumption that they are bored, tired, sleepy or
worrying about something.
Nonverbal communication can be defined as any meaning conveyed through
sounds, behaviors, and artifacts other than words.
Verbal communication and non verbal communication has minimal differences. They
are sharing something extraordinary common. Both of them reveal emotion. Verbal
communication can be conveyed in a somber, happy, unhappy, angry, informative or
loving mood or attitude through words. Non verbal communication can express the
same sentiments through gestures, facial expression and physical actions.
Other than that, verbal communication and non verbal communication use different
types of channels. Verbal communication use single channel (words), non verbal
communication use multiple channels. As example; we cannot say words at the same
time, we have to say word by word. By the way, non verbal communication can be done
at the same time; we can smile while shrugging the shoulders and chewing gum at the
same time.
Next, verbal communication is distinct (linear) and nonverbal communication is
continuous (in constant motion and relative to context). Distinct means that messages
have a clear beginning and end, and are expressed in a linear fashion. It make easier
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for others to understand. Non verbal communication is continuous; means messages

are ongoing and hard to understand.
We also use verbal communication consciously (think about out communication
before we communicate) while we generally use nonverbal communication
unconsciously (we do not think about every nonverbal message we communicate).
Would you think before you smile? It spontaneously happened.
Nonverbal communication is universal but verbal communication is exclusive to the
users of a particular language, whereas some nonverbal communication is recognized
across cultures. As everyone across the world know the meaning of some expression
such as smiles, frowns and the pointing of the finger at an object.
There are a few types of non verbal communication such as kinesics, haptics,
personal appearance, object and artifacts, paralanguage and silence. Kinesics is the
study of how we use body movement and facial expressions.A picture is said to be
worth a thousand words this is a form of visual nonverbal communication. Facial
expression revels much through nonverbal communication. By the way, it is impossible
to determine an exact meaning for gestures, facial expressions and eye contact.
However some expressions are universally known. A smile is still a welcoming form
of nonverbal communication. Frowns can indicate disappointment or anger. A persons
eyes appear to light up this telling us that the person is happy and if the eye going
downcast it telling us that the person is sad or unhappy.
Haptics is the study of touch. According to Dolin & Booth-Butterfield ( 1993) sate that
touch is the first type of nonverbal communication we experience as humans and is vital
to our development and health. Touch is use to share feelings and relational meaning.
Example of touch are handshake, tap on the shoulder, a warm bear hug, and a
reassuring pat on the back or a controlling grip on your arm.
Paralanguage is the term we use to describe vocal qualities such as pitch, volume,
inflection, rate of speech and rhythm. Some nonverbal communication is actually vocal.
Sarcasm and congruency are the two example of paralanguage.
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Silence is a type of non verbal communication. Silence is one of the powerful

nonverbal communication because the person using silence maybe refusing to engage
in communication with you. Actually, silence has a variety of meaning.
What is the function of non verbal communication? Even though it is not through
words non verbal communication serves many functions to help us communicate
effectively. One of the functions is to duplicate verbal communication. When we use
nonverbal communication to duplicate, we use nonverbal communication that is
recognizable to most people. Example of that is a head nod to duplicate the verbal
message of yes. When someone asks you about something, you might verbally say yes
and at the same time nod your head. This accomplishes the goal of duplicating the
verbal message with a nonverbal message.
Besides, non verbal communication is functioning to replace verbal communication.
When we replace verbal communication, we use non verbal behaviors that are easily
recognized by others such as a wave, head nod or head shake. If someone asks you a
question, instead of saying yes and nod you head, you may choose to simply nod your
head without the accompanying verbal message. Replacing verbal communication must
be learnt.
Non verbal communication also use as complement to verbal communication. As
a complement it cannot be done alone without verbal communication. If a friend tells
you that he got a new baby, you might congratulate him by saying Congratulation! Im
happy for you! and at the same time smiling and hugging your friend.
On the other hands, according to Mehrabian, 1981; Burgoon,Buller, Hale & de
Turck, 1984; Sallinen Kuparinen, 1992 we use non verbal communication to indicate
relational standing. For example a couple of lovers tend to stand close to another and
touch frequently. If you saw a couple of lovers had upset face, had red eyes from crying,
had closed to each other, were leaned into each other we spontaneously say that a
breakup conversation. Actually non verbal communication has many more functions
other than what have stated here.
In conclusion, we can define nonverbal communication as any meaning shared
through sounds, behaviors and artifacts other than words. Verbal communication and
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non verbal communication are best when used together. We also find that non verbal
communication have differences between verbal communications. Some differences
between verbal and non verbal include the fact that verbal communication uses one
channel while non verbal communication occurs through multiple channels
simultaneously.
People react to the unspoken, as much to how something is said as to what are
the explicit meaning of the words. Misunderstandings can often be clarified if the people
involved have the ability to notice and comment on the nonverbal communications in an
interaction. People will benefit from learning the range of nonverbal behaviors in order
to clarify the often subtle dynamics of the situations they find themselves in. For
example, in a marriage, sometimes the other person gets irritated by some mysterious
event. By making the nonverbal communication more clear, misunderstandings can be
resolved.
The field of nonverbal communications has grown rapidly over the last few
decades, and it has applications in business, media, international relations, education,
and indeed any field which significantly involves interpersonal and group dynamics.
Certainly there is a need for more psychological mindedness in all these realms.

REFERENCES
1. Burgoon, J.K., Buller, D.B., Hale, J.L., & de Turck, M. A (1984). Relational
Messages associated with nonverbal behaviors. Human Communication
Research, 10, 351-378.
2. Burgoon, J.K., Buller, D. B., & Woodall, W.G. (1994). Nonverbal communication:
the unspoken dialogue. Columbus, OH: Greyden Press.

3. Blatner, A. (1985). Becoming aware of nonverbal communication. In A. Blatner,

Role development: A systematic approach to building basic skills. San Marcos,
TX: Author.
4. http: //digilander.libero.it/linguaggiodelcorpo/nonverb/
5. http://iteslj.org/Articles/Darn-Nonverbal/