Skip to Main Content

Communication

Effective communication involves understanding your audience, being clear and concise, practicing active listening, and aligning verbal and non-verbal cues to convey your message confidently.

Non-verbal communication 

[insert image here] 

Non-verbal communication is expressed through body language, such as posture, eye contact, facial expression, appearance and gestures. 

In the book, Employability Skills (2nd Edition) (Page 57, 2011) the author gives the following examples of how to show friendliness: 

  • Smile. 
  • Use strong eye contact. 
  • Have a static body and posture. 
  • Stand or sit with open, unfolded arms. 
  • Use non-threatening gestures such as handshakes. 
  • Initiate and maintain conversation. 
  • Use humour in your speech. 
  • Be polite and courteous. 

When communicating with others, pay attention to their body language. The spoken word may not always convey their message accurately. 

The best example of this is when people say, “I’m fine,” whilst their posture or expression suggests otherwise. We can observe how a person actually feels from their non-verbal communication. Are they smiling, crying, frowning, standing tall or hunched over with their head down when they say, “I’m fine.” Reading these cues helps you to recognise their true feelings and will allow you to empathise, support, engage or even celebrate with them. 

Body language will also play a key role in some of your assessments. Whether you are presenting to a group of people on a topic or your research findings, how you convey your message and engage your audience will depend not only on your words but also on your physical presence and gestures. 

Take a look at this YouTube video on body language to find out more.