A liberal arts degree involves a lot of speaking. Whether it’s in class and lectures or communicating ideas to fellow students and professors, the ability to articulate your ideas is an essential part of the education experience. However, non-verbal communication skills are just as important when it comes to fostering great and lively discussions and forming opinions as great speaking skills are. The problem is that many people are completely unaware of how they communicate non-verbally, such as with facial expressions, gestures and arm movements.
Being aware of how you can better communicate in a non-verbal context will make not only academic speaking in your liberal arts courses, but also general social interactions much freer and more engaging to both parties.
You’d be surprised how many people don’t put forth the effort they should when listening to someone. You may have been at an event where most eyes were glued to phones, pretty much ignoring the presentation, making the presenter less and less invested in the lecture, with everyone worse off. Showing you’re actively listening by making eye contact, nodding, even writing things down, will ensure that the professor knows they’re getting their point across and is a basic sign of respect. Paying attention also means you can actively get engaged in the lecture, bring up points, and engage the professor about topics you find interesting. You’ll get much more out of the class if you actively listen.
The same is true for conversations. If you’re talking to someone about something you find really interesting, and they’re just mumbling “yeah,” and looking around distracted, are you really going to want to continue the discussion? By actually engaging with what’s being said to you, not only will you follow the train of thought better, but you’ll actually have points to make that further the discussion. This will make your time at a liberal arts university not only more useful, but much more interesting.
Pay Attention to Mood
However, this isn’t always the case. If someone is in a bad mood, for whatever reason, trying too hard to engage them in conversation when they don’t want to be talking isn’t good for either party. Pay attention to how they’re acting and speaking: is it curt and to the point? Do they seem disinterested or in a hurry? If someone’s having a bad day, the last thing they may want is to be stuck in a long, one-sided conversation.
Observe peoples’ body language: are they standing with their arms crossed? Do they have a frown on their face? You should also pay attention to facial clues, such as glancing around, rolling eyes and sighing. If someone looks uncomfortable or like they don’t want to be there, chances are they don’t, so give them their space.
Pay close attention to what your body language is saying as well. For example, are you doing any of the above? Sometimes we do it unintentionally and it can send the wrong message. If something’s on your mind and your face is in a quizzical frown, you can send the message that you’re not engaged in the conversation even if you are. Crossing your arms, for some people, is something that’s very comfortable for them and not a sign of trying to distance people or send the message you’re not interested.
The best way to ensure the most fluid and engaging interactions is just to be aware of how both you and the other party are acting. Awareness is key, because sometimes we don’t even realize we’re sending a certain message with our non-verbal cues.