CHAPTER 7

Body Language and Non-Verbal Communication

Information communicated nonverbally can constitute half the message, maybe even more.

Not everything we communicate is said in words. Sometimes two people can even speak exactly the same words and yet convey quite different messages, depending on whether they say them with a smile or a stare, a nod of the head to show approval or a dismissive wave of the hand.

Most of us would be at a loss to explain in any detail how nonverbal communication works, even in our own culture. Yet all of us use it and understand it every day, without any effort at all. From the day we’re born, while we’re busy soaking up the meanings of the words and phrases we hear around us, we’re also learning the meanings ...

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