Non Verbal Communication Skills Essay

People tend to identify their communication skills through verbal communication and at times, forget to identify their non-verbal communication habits. As a person who loves to speak and has always been described as an exceptional communicator, I was unaware of my non-verbal communication skills. After carefully examining my non-verbal cues through social interactions, I have identified the two areas I most need to improve, my listening skills and the overuse of my hand gestures. With extensive research and practice, I have created a plan and have significantly improved my non-verbal communication skills.

Many times, introverts, such as myself love socializing with others; we forget one of the most significant non-verbal communication skills,

I have created steps, to improve my habits which consist of a few simple steps. The most difficult step for me is, clearing my mind of any possible interference; interference creates a barrier between me and the message being conveyed. My second step will be to ask more questions; to better interpret the conversation, asking questions exhibits my concern for the conversation and also helps me identify any confusion. My third process is to not interrupt the listener, this step has dramatically improved my listening habits. When I don’t interrupt, it allows me to receive the entire message and most likely get an answer I was searching for; it also presents me as a more concerning listener. My final step is to repeat back what was said, this process is referred to as active listening “The goal in active listening is to develop a clear understanding of the speaker’s concern and also to clearly communicate the listener’s interest in the speaker’s message.” (McNaughton, Hamlin, McCarthy, Head-Reeves, & Schreiner, 2008, p. 224) This process has helped me and the speaker better identify if we both are grasping the same