When most people think about communication, they imagine listening and speaking, but did you know that nonverbal communication is just as important? These are the silent signals that you send out to people. Nonverbal communication is the way you move, how you hold yourself, the expression on your face, and many other things that say much more than words.
We’ve all been faced with a person who is telling us something and we get an uneasy feeling as they speak. Even though words are being exchanged, most people exude what they are feeling deep down, so it is nearly impossible to hide what is going on inside of a person. Most of us don’t remember too much about a long conversation, but we do remember how the other person made us feel.
If you are uncomfortable, whether you like it or not, other people will pick up on it. You might also notice that people tend to be drawn to those who are in similar emotional states. For the most part, happy people tend to gravitate toward other happy people and the same can be said for people who are sad or angry. This isn’t always the case, but there is something to be said about likeminded people being drawn together.
So, what message are you sending out to others? Start by looking at how you feel. If you are feeling negative you might unknowingly repel positive people and cause them to reject or turn away from you. Your nonverbal communication message might look something like, “get away from me,” and this would be exuded as the expression on your face (frowning or angry) and how you hold yourself (slouching or arms folded), which will keep people from approaching you.
The great thing is that you can quickly change the message you are sending out and get different results. It works like this: put a smile on your face and eventually you will feel better and other smiling people will be drawn to you. When you smile also draw more positive energy into your life. Try it for yourself!
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