Q/A Friday: How Should I Interpret Non-verbal Communication?

Lou Priolo, the author of The Complete Husband, says that non-verbal communication is the 3^rd piece of the communication pie. He says when we communicate, we use…

1. tone

2. words

3. non-verbal communication

Remember in Proverbs 15:1 when Solomon said, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger”? He does not say, “Just say the right thing and you won’t make anyone angry.” He said, “Use a gentle tone WITH your answer.” That’s non-verbal communication. Communication experts say that our tone of voice can communicate up to 7x more of the message than our own words.

Our non-verbal communication has great variety – gestures, eye contact, posture, touch, facial expressions, etc. You can detect an angry person from a distance.

Now, let me give you this warning: if an example of non-verbal communication is given and it bothers or disturbs what you saw, don’t assume the worse in the person. That would be unloving (I Corinthians 13:7). Go and ask them about it – for clarification and understanding. And if your “guess” was correct, based on their non-verbal communication, then have the conversation that needs to be had.

If you have a question you would like to submit to our blog to be answered in the future, please email it to charlesheck@cox.net or post your question in the comments section.