Communication between human beings would be dull if it were all done with words. We all communicate with one another nonverbally, as well as with words. We gesture with eyebrows or a hand while communicating with someone. These actions are almost consistent and comprehensible as language. Body language means your facial expressions, gestures, postures, movements, smell and touch, voice and sounds. Every culture has its body language.

Facial expressions: Eyes and face play an important role in communicating non-verbally. It is very difficult to conceal the emotions because they can get an outlet through the eyes and face. Whether it is anger, doubt, eagerness, fright, surprise, uncertainty or other emotions, the receiver can read clearly while communicating with the sender.

Eye contact: Direct eye contact is desirable when two people indulge in conversation. The person whose eyes shift away from the listener is considered to be either coy or cheat. But we mustn’t lose sight of individual differences and be careful in drawing conclusion about eye contact. It may happen that because of submissive nature or reticent personality, a person does not lift his eyes while talking.

Gestures: Gestures tell us about people’s internal emotional states. The physical movement of arms, legs, hands, torso and head is called as gestures. The gesture of a clenched fist pounding on a table shows ‘anger’, similarly a forefinger and a thumb touching to form a circle shows ‘all right’. We always try to co-ordinate our speaking with our gestures, and the intensity of speech is generally linked with the size of gestures.

Smell and Touch: If the receiver is sensitive to various odors and fragrances, then it affects the reaction of the receiver. Also, touching people can convey warmth, amicability, approval, hatred, anger or other feelings. A peck of the cheek, pat at the back is prompted by various emotions.

Voice: Your voice quality and extra sounds that you make while speaking also a part of the non verbal communication. A loud voice often communicates urgency while a soft one is calming. Speaking fast may suggest you are not confident about the topic. Similarly, too much variation in pitch can sound artificial or overly dramatic.