Discover the elements of communication

Categories: Learning, Tips
7 Jan 2020

On this article, I will talk about elements of communication on the basic principles. When you have a conversation with a person, the verbal part of that conversation corresponds to only 7% of comprehension. So imagine where the remaining percentages are? First, the body language that begins with your posture and what you are wearing. However, all this depends on the person you have in front of you, and in what context you are if it is for a job interview, or a classic day at work. After that there is also the facial expression that you can have, it is always more pleasant to see someone smiling, it is often said that the smile is communicative. It is also important to look the person you are talking to in the eye. There is physical contact that is important like shaking hands, which can mean a multitude of things depending on how you will be the hand:

1. The muscular handshake

As the name suggests, this overly strong handshake tears your wrist off. It is used to show dominance and superiority over the other person. Sometimes used by people who do not trust themselves, it can intimidate the other person to boost their self-esteem. It could also have been called the Donald Trump, because we have seen it used so much with other political leaders.

2. The soft handshake

Unlike the previous handshake, it will make you feel like you’re shaking hands with a dead body. It is used by people who have little energy and determination, often showing a lack of willingness to engage with their interlocutor. It may also indicate a lack of confidence in their abilities.

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3. The handshake + the other hand at the elbow or shoulder

A handshake often used by politicians; it can have several meanings. Some people think it is simply a friendly handshake, showing ease with the other person. Others believe it is a manipulative handshake, which shows a false friendly side and then negatively influences the other person.

4. The animated handshake

Did you shake hands with the one that reminds you of an elevator on the Red Bull? It’s the handle that moves your hand up and down in a frenetic way. It shows once again a feeling of superiority, a desire to impose oneself against the other, a bit like the muscular handshake.

5. The two-handed handshake

This handshake is widely used in the business world. Similar to a handshake with the other hand at the elbow or shoulder, it provides a feeling of friendly comfort. It is up to you to judge whether this feeling is sincere or manipulative…

6. The clammy handshake

A classic one, this handshake is made up of 50% fingers, 50% liquid. As you may have guessed, it means that the person is nervous, often by meeting a known or hierarchically superior person. It’s happened to all of us at least once, hasn’t it?

7. The handshake with your fingertips

It’s always fun to just squeeze your fingers when you meet someone. If it’s happened to you before, the person you were shaking hands with probably didn’t want to do it, showing you a lack of interest in getting in touch with you. Certainly not your best friend…

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So, as you can see, physical appearance is very important it’s like kind of 55% of the whole communication.

You think about what the rest is. The rest is the paralanguage, the paralanguage is the intonation we can give to our sentences, as in poems, in plays, or in politicians’ speeches. There are also breaks in sentences to make sense of a certain sentence or the volume to influence how you should feel what you say. Learn more in this video!