What is paraverbal communication? Here are the signals you transmit when you speak, those to avoid at school and examples of paraverbal communication.What usually comes immediately when we communicate with someone is undoubtedly the word, that is, verbal communication! The tone of voice , the inclination , the content and sometimes even the dialect or a particular inflection , have a great impact on the idea we form of that person.
It has happened to everyone sooner or later to hear a voice on the phone of someone they don’t know and to imagine it even aesthetically in a precise way, only to then be surprised by how it actually appears to their eyes! The way of speaking, what is said and how it is said is the main form of communication in humans, unlike animals for example or deaf-mutes who, as we know, use a language that passes through gestures, signs and facial expressions. Words, however, remain the most direct and widespread way of communicating, but not necessarily the most effective .
The importance of emotions in communication
At a subconscious level, that is, not directly conscious, what arrives is not so much the word, or its meaning, but the emotion that accompanies those contents: a strong, direct and aggressive tone, informs us much more about that person than the word itself and this leads us to think that they are made in a certain way, therefore extroverted, direct, sincere or maybe even aggressive…etc.
Even pauses, during a speech, accompanied by a certain facial expression, are very effective in communicating a thought or a state of mind , more than the words themselves. Speaking slowly, for example, makes listening much easier and communicates a greater capacity for reflection and greater competence of the person who is speaking.
Examples of paraverbal communication
Then there are real signals that arrive at a different level of our consciousness and that are therefore recorded by the brain of the person who looks and listens at a deeper level, conditioning our opinion and the idea of that person who wants to communicate.
Paralinguistic communication during interrogations
Let’s take an example: if you are in an oral exam, ready to repeat those chapters of history, you will be concentrated on the contents of course, on remembering dates and names, on the main facts that you have memorized and therefore the part of your brain dedicated to logical and memory functions will be well activated, but the part of the brain linked to emotional functions will probably be active, but it will not be under your full control. So then you might blush in the face, or turn your gaze away from the person listening to you, you might start to swing your body, or to squint more. You might then only notice, or not notice at all, that you are moving your hands in an agitated way, or that you are continually touching your hair or your arm, to the point of scratching it nervously and keeping many muscles tense, especially those of the neck.
These are just some of the non-verbal reactions and communications that come as a signal to the listener and in this specific case to the teacher.
Naturally, as you can already imagine, this will influence both the opinion that the professor will form over time of you and your character , and the performance itself, which will therefore depend on the content, but much more on how these have been accompanied by para-verbal communications. Communicating little, but well, has been shown by several scientific studies to be more successful in terms of the quality of the performance and normally allows you to achieve higher grades than those who speak a lot but in an ineffective way , with a tone that is too high or too low, for example, or looking elsewhere and becoming more physically agitated.
Varying tones and facial expressions, for example, draws more attention to what you want to say, and the use of pauses and a particularly joyful expression, for example, are effective and also very seductive methods, since they will communicate a tendency to think carefully before answering, to weigh wisely the quality of the content and to report with confidence and positivity. The joyful state of mind in this case will communicate in particular pleasure for studying, enthusiasm and participation … all very positive factors that affect not only the oral tests, but the perception of the entire person and his inclinations by the listener.
Even for communication between peers and for example for the purpose of conquering love or a new friendship, what we communicate passes through mostly non-verbal signals , which communicate embarrassment, security or insecurity, desire, sympathy, intolerance or contempt etc etc… often we are not aware of it, and we find ourselves suffering consequences precisely because of these, but sometimes we can have more control and awareness of these signals and it could therefore be very useful and effective to focus on these, rather than on words, to achieve a goal!
How to use paraverbal communication during interrogations
To make the best use of verbal communication during an interrogation, it will first of all be essential:
- having studied and keeping calm;
- use a calm, slow tone of voice (not too much), using pauses, which will certainly make you appear to the professor as a model student: prepared and ready to answer any question;
- be aware that even the tone, pace and volume of your voice will influence the outcome of your exam, so it will be important to have full control over it to pass the exam unscathed
