The previous post gave us an amusing glimpse into our dealings with verbal language...
In this post I want to give another glimpse: non-verbal language.
When I talk about non-verbal language, people think about body language, body gestures (I promise a separate post about this...) but it is more than that.
This time I want to write about the meanings that are beyond the word itself, about the spaces between the words.
When two or more people are in the same place, at the same time, and are aware of each other's presence, communication occurs, no matter how subtle or unintentional it is.
Interpersonal communication is the process during which people exchange messages (information, feelings, meaning, etc.).
It is measured not only by what is said during the conversation, but also how the things are said, what non-verbal messages are conveyed through voice, facial expressions, hand movements, posture and body language.
The use of certain words in French expresses distance from the person and indicates the nature of the relationship: the most common example is TU or VOUS... The chance of deep friendships decreases the longer you stay in the VOUS state...
Another very prominent type of message today relates to video calls: what is written on your screen? Your degree or occupation? Who darkens the screen? Who puts a virtual screen so that no one sees the room in which s.he sits? And there are more examples...
Or greeting gestures: Wow, how many times have I left a tilted cheek because I didn't realize that three kisses were needed... or a hand hanging in the air waiting to be squeezed...
Misreading messages creates communication problems. Of course there is something to be done through training for different thinking.
Waiting to hear your stories of body gestures and interpretations!