THE POWER OF NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION Experts contend that somewhere between hal
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Question
THE POWER OF NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
Experts contend that somewhere between half and up to 80% of all interpersonal communication is non-verbal. There’s no doubt, non-verbal communication is impactful, and can make or break a message. This type of communication goes far beyond simply lacking the spoken word. It’s hand gestures, eye contact, posture, body movement, and the way we tilt or nod our heads. It’s how we present ourselves and how audiences receive us. Non-verbal communication plays an important role in conveying intended – and unintended – messages, so it’s important to take it seriously and get it right. Students of communications study numerous examples of non-verbal communication, including noteworthy moments in history where our learning in this area grew. Consider the famous 1960 Nixon-Kennedy debate, the first of its kind to be televised. Up to this point, campaigners gave live speeches, spoke on radio, or appeared – often edited – in print. Most Americans didn’t see candidates outside of a still photo. In the Nixon-Kennedy debate, Nixon’s non-verbal communications did not match the intelligence or intent of his message. His facial expressions were dour. He appeared pale and sweaty from a recent hospitalization. He didn’t have a confident stance or posture. By contrast, Kennedy appeared calm, friendly, and confident. Both verbalized articulate messages to the 74 million people who watched the debate. Kennedy won the election by a narrow margin, and many historians attribute his win to this particular debate.
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Explanation / Answer
Verbal communication has been the popular form of communication recently but we cannot deny the fact that even Non-Verbal communication plays a very important role in our lives and also in forms of communication. A large percentage of communication is done non-verbally and it is through our body movements, posture, eye contacts and gesture we try to direct and convey our message to the audience. A non-verbal communication can also be misunderstood in various instances and that is one limitation that non-verbal communication may possess. The Nixon-Kennedy debate of 1960 is a great example of how non-verbal communication can create an impact. It was one of the first kinds in which Nixon was a bit inexpressive through his communication because facial expressions were not in sync with his message but Kennedy on the other hand made an impact which is also considered an attribute that led him to win the election too.
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