Posture and Gestures in Effective Non Verbal Communication

Non-verbal communication is the type of communication that happens without the use of words. Non-verbal communication is about interpreting the unsaid message in order to have a deeper and more meaningful conversations with people. Let's watch the next video to understand the complete expanse of how non-verbal communication helps us in everyday communication.

Video 11.1.2: Postures

In this video, you learnt that there are two elements of non-verbal communication, which are as follows:

1. Body language 
2. Elements of voice

Under body language, there are several elements, which are as follows:

1. Postures
2. Gestures
3. Eye contact 
4. Facial expressions
5. Dressing and grooming 

There are two types of postures, which are as follows:

1. Open posture, which simply means that there is no barrier between you and the listener. It is indicated by an upright posture, with the shoulders straight and drawn back.
2. Closed posture, which means that you are closing the space between you and the listener by creating a barrier with your arms or legs or body. It is indicated by slouching, folded arms, crossed legs, trying to face away or leaning away from the other person.

It is extremely important to be mindful and maintain a distance of approximately 2-3 feet between yourself and the customer to ensure that they can not only hear you but are also comfortable in making a conversation with you.

Now that you have gained an understanding of postures, let’s watch the next video to learn about gestures.

Video 11.1.3: Gestures

In the video above, you learnt about some important gestures, which are as follows:

1. Open palm gesture, which denotes openness, honesty and trustworthiness and hence should be used when you want to discuss something.
2. Differentiation hand gesture, where you make use of both your hands to differentiate between two points.
3. Pointing gesture, which does not have a positive impact on the listener and hence should never be used to point at someone; however, if you need to point out a detail in a brochure or presentation, then you can use your finger to point it out.

Now that you have an idea about postures and gestures, in the next segment, you will learn about the other components of non-verbal communication: eye contact and facial expressions.