{"id":6580,"date":"2025-04-30T16:39:28","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T23:39:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/safecarebc.ca\/?post_type=safetytopic&#038;p=6580"},"modified":"2026-04-09T15:26:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T22:26:26","slug":"non-verbal-communication","status":"publish","type":"safetytopic","link":"https:\/\/scbcdev.safecarebc.ca\/?safetytopic=non-verbal-communication","title":{"rendered":"Non-verbal communication\u202f"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is non-verbal communication?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What we say matters\u2014but what we <em>don\u2019t<\/em> say often speaks louder.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Non-verbal communication\u2014things like body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice\u2014can have a large impact on how a message is understood. Statistics suggest that only 7% of communication occurs from our chosen words.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s an all too familiar example: Imagine you\u2019ve sent your colleague a text message explaining something at work. Their response? A simple \u201cOk.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You might think they\u2019re uninterested or even dismissive. It may affect how you feel about them. But without the benefit of non-verbal communication, the full meaning behind a message can be lost.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Communicating effectively<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Understanding the importance of non-verbal communication helps us become better communicators.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If we fail to recognize our non-verbal cues, we may unintentionally impact how our message is interpreted.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Telling our colleagues they \u201cdid a great job\u201d may come across as insincere if we are crossing our arms and avoiding eye contact while speaking.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That same message becomes much&nbsp;more effective if we say it with a smile while maintaining eye contact.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Strategies for non-verbal communication in the workplace<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Healthy non-verbal communication is key to fostering a respectful workplace and supporting clear, effective communication.\u202f\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Remember, the meaning of some non-verbal communication can vary from culture to culture. Understanding these differences can help build trust and avoid misinterpretation.\u202f&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Avoid jumping to conclusions based on a single incident. Instead, consider a person's pattern of behaviours and be mindful of your biases to get a more accurate understanding.\u202f\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Consider offering or participating in education and training on effective communication and cultural awareness.\u202f\u202f&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reflect on your learnings from the Provincial violence prevention curriculum:&nbsp;\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Relax your facial expression.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use respectful eye contact.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use the ready posture approach.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Touch with caution\u2014\u2013including a person\u2019s belongings (ask for permission).\u202f&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Reflection<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pick one interaction today (with a resident, client, or coworker). Pay close attention to the person\u2019s non-verbal cues. What do you notice about their posture, facial expression, and tone? Then reflect\u2014what was your non-verbal communication like at that moment?\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What we say matters\u2014but what we don\u2019t say often speaks louder.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":6581,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","tags":[],"audience":[118],"topic-type":[181,397],"topic":[174],"class_list":["post-6580","safetytopic","type-safetytopic","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","audience-audience","topic-communication"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scbcdev.safecarebc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/safetytopic\/6580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scbcdev.safecarebc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/safetytopic"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scbcdev.safecarebc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/safetytopic"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scbcdev.safecarebc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scbcdev.safecarebc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scbcdev.safecarebc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6580"},{"taxonomy":"audience","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scbcdev.safecarebc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Faudience&post=6580"},{"taxonomy":"topic-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scbcdev.safecarebc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftopic-type&post=6580"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scbcdev.safecarebc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftopic&post=6580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}