Communication

Channels of Non verbal communication

Akeela Nazar
When sitting with a helpee (this could be a client or a friend you are providing emotional
support), you have multiple channels of non-verbal communication at your disposal.

Describe these multiple channels and discuss how you could use them effectively in counseling
setting.

Non verbal communication

Non verbal communication refers to the ways of communication and interpretation of information by
any means other than language. Non verbal communication includes the communication done through
behaviours like facial expression, gestures, vocal tones, pitch etc. Both the listener and the speaker are
liable to send non verbal cues during the communication.

This form of communication is unconscious and cannot be controlled, therefore it is reliable and it
expresses the person’s genuine feelings. It gives a great deal of information about the person’s
emotional state at the moment. Non-verbal cues can be as important, or in some cases even more
important, than what we say.

Non verbal communication reinforces or modifies what is said in words. For example, people may nod
their heads vigorously when saying "Yes" to emphasize that they agree with the other person, but a
shrug of the shoulders and a sad expression when saying "I'm fine thanks,” may imply that things are
not really fine at all! Non verbal communication also reinforces the relationship between people.

Non verbal communication provides feedback to the other person and regulates the flow of
communication, for example signaling to others that they have finished speaking or wish to say
something. Therefore it makes sense to conclude that non verbal communication gives insight to
therapy. A counselor who is attuned to the client’s non verbal communication as well as verbal
communication can easily identify if the client’s expressions are not congruent with what he is saying.
The lack of body language also conveys a message; it suggests that the client is carefully monitoring
his body language, therefore is trying to hide something. These kinds of cues will help the counselor to
gain access to the deeper emotional issues that the client is not aware of.

The non verbal communication of the counselor is also important as it creates an impact on the client.
It can affect the client’s adherence to treatment, client’s recovery and ultimately, the client’s survival.
Clients are sensitive to the behaviours of the counselor as they feel nervous and insecure and want to
discern the feelings of the counselor. So they pay close attention on how the counselor communicates
rather than what is said. A subtle gesture, change in vocal tone or too little or too much eye contact can
give the client a different interpretation. Therefore a counselor must be aware of these aspects.

Certain forms of nonverbal communication have different meanings in different cultures. For example
forming a circle by touching the thumb with the index means okay in western countries, in Japan it
means money and in Arabian countries it means threat.

Non verbal messages are communicated through 4 basic channels namely: the face, body, gesture and
voice. In this essay I will be discussing how these multiple channels can be used in a counseling
setting.
Channels of non-verbal communication

Face

The face is the most expressive channel to communicate information about our emotions. Emotional
expression through the face occurs primarily by the changes in the corners of the mouth, eyebrows,
colouring of cheeks, eye muscles, dilation of pupils and amount and intensity of gaze.

However there are specific facial expressions for specific emotions across different cultures suggesting
that facial expressions are universal. Some cultures are more restrained than others and refrain from
excessive displays of emotion in public. Some cultures may also suppress facial emotion, believing
that  an animated face to shows a lack of control over one’s emotions. Facial expressions such as
happiness, sadness, fear, anger and disgust are readily communicated across all the cultures.

Facial expressions help the counselor to decode information about the client’s emotions as well as
encode information such as empathy and positive regard. Different facial expressions convey different
meanings. For example if a client blushes, we can interpret that this is because he or she feels
embarrassed, shy, angry, shame or it can be due to physical exercise. If a client lowers his eyebrow it is
because he is thinking or concentrating, sometimes it can also be because of anger or displeasure. If the
client raises his eyebrows it gives a different meaning, it can be because of uncertainty, disbelief,
surprise, or exasperation. Lip compression and lip pout express negative feelings which could be
disappointment, displeasure, sadness or uncertainty. Lip purse expresses disagreement, scheming or
calculated thought. Even emotions of pain can be identified by the facial expressions.

Eye accessing cues- Eyes play a major role in expressing emotions through the face. Eye contact
determines whether a person is listening to your conversation. The clients will be using this means to
deduce whether the counselor is attentive to him. So a counselor should maintain sufficient eye contact
with the client. This doesn’t mean the counselor should stare at the client as this would be interpreted
as the expression of anger. If the client is feeling uneasy to maintain eye contact with the counselor,
this means the client is intimidated. Thus the counselor should realize this and should respond by
making the client feel more comfortable. Besides using eye contact is the best way a counselor can
connect with a client. It conveys the counselor’s empathy and genuineness. Eye cues also help the
counselor to determine whether the client is lying about his feelings. Gazing down and avoiding a
person’s eye are reactions of a person who is lying.

When you observe that a client’s eyes are dilated we deduce that it is because of stress. If the client
shows flashbulb eyes this could be because of an intense emotion the client feeling like anger, surprise,
and fear.

We should also understand that culture wise these meanings differ. Eye contact is another aspect of
nonverbal communication that differs across cultures. In the United States, direct eye contact is
generally considered to be a sign of trustworthiness and interest in an individual’s words. However, in
some instances, a prolonged gaze may be considered by some to be a sign of sexual interest or
attraction. In countries such as Africa and Japan, eye contact is generally avoided, as direct eye contact
may be considered to be disrespectful. Yet in Arabic cultures, the opposite is true: eye contact is
believed to show interest and honesty.

The counselor should be aware of the meanings lying behind these expressions in order have an
understanding of the client’s emotions. To detect these expressions in the client the counselor should
pay close attention to the client’s face. The counselor can also use these expressions to give a feedback
about his or her feelings to the client.

The counselor should respond to the client through facial expressions like smiling in order to
encourage the client to go on and to make the client feel his or her presence. If the counselor does not
respond with adequate facial expressions the client might think that he or she is not listening and may
get discouraged or the client might think that the counselor is judging him. If the counselor is
distracted due to some personal issues he or she has to inform this to the client to avoid
misinterpretations and misunderstandings from the client’s part.

Body

Bodily expression occurs through arm and hand gestures, positioning of the trunk, positioning of the
arms and legs, posture and the angle of the body. Our body gives information about our personality,
self-perception and mental disposition. For example a slouched posture and slow movement, excessive
fidgeting, and frequent use of adapters, such as scratching your head or picking lint off your shirt
conveys sadness and anxiety.

When we are feeling confident, we tend to hold our heads high and walk with smooth, consistent
strides. When we're nervous, we tend to walk more timidly, often stealing glances at the people around
us. This shows how the body can reflect our self perception.

Clients display simple “nervous habits,” through their body like playing with a tissue or objects on the
desk in session or clasping the hands together, as well as behaviors designed to decrease anxiety or
serve as self-soothing methods, including rubbing the forehead, crossing the arms across the body, or
running the palms over the lap. If the client keeps drumming his fingers on the table this conveys
impatience. Even the way the client is gripping the arms of the chair; whether it’s a power grip or
precision grip conveys his mood. A power grip would suggest that the client is angry.

The counselor’s posture has a large impact on the client as the posture often indicates his or her
disposition in a conversation. For instance if the counselor crosses his hands or legs or if he sits leaning
away from the client during a session, the client will be discouraged as the counselor’s stance conveys
that he is not interested in what the client has to say. So the counselor should sit in close proximity
facing the client, lean towards the client and adapt a open arm and open leg stance in order to create an
open, warm environment and establish a positive, involved relationship with the client. Here,
proximity between the counselor and the client depends on how comfortable the client is feeling. It is
more appropriate to sit angular to the client as this will be close enough and still the client won’t feel
uneasy. A counselor should place his hand either palm-up or palm- down as this indicates that the
counselor is listening. Tilting the head to a side would give a friendly attitude. However at the
beginning of counseling the counselor should mirror the posture and stance of the client to make the
client feel that the counselor is similar to him.
Gesture

Gestures can be an illustrator such as demonstrating the size of something while speaking, which
clarifies or supplements speech or an emblem such as wave hello, which replaces speech and have
direct verbal meanings.

When it comes to gestures there is vast difference across cultures. For example the thumbs up gesture
signals approval in English speaking countries but in some other countries like Greece, Italy and
Middle East countries, using this gesture is offensive. An American is likely to point with an index
finger; Japanese people will more likely gesture with a hand, as pointing with an index finger is
considered to be rude in many Asian cultures.

An important cultural difference when it comes to nonverbal communication is the display of emotion.
Italians show excitement more explicitly than the British, they use a lot of hand waving and loud and
excited shouting where as in UK this would be considered as been exaggerated.

Simple gesture like nodding the head and shaking the head is very important in a counseling session as
it lets the counselor know if the client is agreeing or disagreeing with what the counselor is saying.
Nodding the head indicates agreement and shaking the head indicates disagreement. The counselor
could nod the head in order to encourage the client, show that he or she approves and to convey
competence.

Shrugging the shoulders is also an important gesture as it conveys the client’s uncertainty, helplessness
and resignation. A counselor should be aware of these gestures in order to under what the client is
exactly trying to convey.

Voice

Voice is known as a paralinguistic channel which expresses feelings and emotions through pitch,
intonation, speed, rhythm, pitch range, volume filler words (e.g. "like," "um"), pronunciation (correct
vowel and consonant combinations), articulation (clarity of speech), accent (pattern of pronunciation
representative of a language or geographic area), and silence (the absence of sound). The voice is the
controllable of the 4 channels and therefore is more likely to bring about a leakage of the client’s true
emotions.

The rate of voice is the best way to detect if a person is having distortions in his self concept. For an
example if the client tends to speak more slowly than usual then the counselor can deduce that the
client is uncertain of himself. A faster than normal rate of voice would convey that the client is feeling
scared, a slightly faster would convey anger, a slightly slower would convey sadness and much lower
than normal, disgust. Voice tends to become faster when excited and slower when expressing content.

If a client uses more filler words this can be because the client is less competent and less sociable. But
if an adult with normally good articulation begins to slur, this can be a sign of fatigue. Change in pitch
or voice cracking indicates that the client must be lying.
The pitch of the client can give us clues to how he or she is feeling. Anger, surprise, happiness, fear,
and affection tend to result in a higher than normal vocal pitch, while disgust, boredom, and extreme
grief are marked by a lower vocal pitch. The counselor should be aware of his pitch as it gives the
client a cue of his mood. For instance the counselor will sound dull and uninvolved when he feels low
and sound relaxed and warm when he is in a good mood. An impression of credibility can be conveyed
by speaking loudly, quickly, and expressively, with a good deal of pitch variation and few filler words.

The counselor can use vocal nods such as “Mmhmm” and “Uh-huh” to show the client that he or she is
following the counselor.

Silence is a very important aspect that should be understood by the counselor as it can have profound
effects on the client during the counseling session. Silence in counselor’s part is crucial because
sometimes clients meet counselors just because they want to spill out all their feelings and thoughts to
someone. In that case the counselor should not interrupt the client. A client would choose to remain
silent when he does not wish to answer a question; this could be because he wants to avoid
embarrassment or offense.

Conclusion

Although these channels are described separately, the information from all these channels is integrated
to form an impression at a given moment. For example throat clearing, fidgeting with hands, moving
or leaning away from you, short breaths all taken together conveys uneasiness whereas leaning close to
you , open hands, tilted head, vocal nods and smiling all together conveys comfort and relaxation.

Nonverbal behavior contributes significantly to all interpersonal communication but unfortunately it is

often only a peripheral area of focus in the counseling setting. While listening carefully to the client is
obviously a fundamental aspect of counseling, there may be additional information that could be
gained from watching the nonverbal behaviours expressed by the client. Nonverbal signals can alert a
counselor to important affective states that may otherwise be overlooked or denied. They can also help
identify how comfortable a client is with a given topic of discussion. This information can then be used
to guide the counseling in a manner that is tolerable and therapeutic for the patient. Being aware of our
own nonverbal behavior and how it may impact interactions with client is central to improving our
ability to establish rapport and maintain a strong therapeutic alliance.