Non Verbal Communication - Talking with the Hands

Alena Oršulová

Non-verbal communication

KAA/NVKO/15 S

Alan Dykstra, M.A.

‘Talking’ with the hands

        Non-verbal communication is very important part of everyday conversations. It helps the addressee to better understand the behavior of the speaker or to uncover hidden message that is being exchanged. It is known as a soundless form of communication, influenced by different social background, gender, culture or race, and expressed, for instance, through facial expressions, gestures, proximity, etc. The most often used body part for non-verbal communication are hands. We use them, consciously or unconsciously, to articulate our ideas while talking and help the receiver to encode our messages more effectively. This essay will look at the significance of hands gestures in informal communicational environment.

        Even though gesturing does not seem to play important role in ordinary speech, it improves the perception of the addressee and reveals a lot about the speaker as well. From the point of view of the sender of the information, it helps him to be more fluent and articulate himself/herself better; ‘“Hand gestures are really a powerful aspect of communication, from both the speaker’s and the listener’s end,” Dr. Carol Kinsey Goman, body language expert and author of The Nonverbal Advantage: Secrets and Science of Body Language at Work and The Silent Language of Leaders, told The Huffington Post (Gregoire, huffingtonpost.com). Scientifically speaking, there are many studies that have proven the that disfluency in speaking increased as gestures were restricted. The usage of body language is human instinctive way how to express ourselves other than only verbally. When we are limited in what we do spontaneously, of course it affects our speech as well, because we do not feel ‘real’ and ‘free’; ‘The people who had their arms strapped down had a much harder time describing the cartoon than the people who could move their arms freely. Their speech slowed down, and they were more likely to stop and say things like uuuuuhhhhhh, to fill the pause while they searched for a word’ (Markman, psychologytoday.com). 

Secondly, gesturing influences the way our brain functions, too. Non-verbal communication does not just convey message to others, but shapes our own mental state as well. One great example is conversation through the phone. We use hands gestures and facial expression, even though we know that the other person cannot see us, and therefore cannot receive our body movements (Beilock, psychologytoday.com). Simply said, gestures help us to think; ‘“Gesture is really linked to speech, and gesturing while you talk can really power up your thinking,” Kinsey Goman said. “Gesturing can help people form clearer thoughts, speak in tighter sentences and use more declarative language”’ (Gregoire, huffingtonpost.com). Furthermore, hand gestures are helpful when our brain is searching for a specific word. So-called tip-of-the-tongue phenomena can be very disturbing, yet easily solved with the help of body language. Additionally, these gestures help us in quicker learning; e.g. little children, who are asked to count, make it easier for themselves by counting on their hands, with the usage of gestures; ‘[…] information that is often more easily expressed and remembered when it is conveyed with our hands […]’ (Beilock, psychologytoday.com).