Good day

Grade 9!
Verbal and
Nonverbal
Strategies
2
 What is verbal communication?

▧Verbal communication is any

communication that uses
words to share information
with others. These words may
be both spoken and written.

3
Improving Verbal Communication: More
Advanced Techniques

There are a number of tools and

techniques that you can use to
improve the effectiveness of
your verbal communication.
These include reinforcement,
reflection, clarification, and
questioning. 4
1. REINFORCEMENT
It is the use of encouraging
words alongside non-verbal
gestures such as head nods,
a warm facial expression and
maintaining eye contact.
5
The use of encouragement and positive
reinforcement can:
▧ encourage others to participate in
discussion (particularly in group work);
▧ pave the way for development and/or
maintenance of a relationship;
▧ allay fears and give reassurance;
▧ show warmth and openness; and
▧ reduce shyness or nervousness in
ourselves and others.
6
 2. QUESTIONING
It is an essential way of
clarifying areas that are
unclear or test your
understanding. It can also
enable you to explicitly seek
support from others.
7
 There are two types of questions:

1. Closed questions tend to seek only a

one or two word answer (often simply
‘yes’ or ‘no’). Examples are:
▧ “Did you travel by car today?” and
▧ “Did you see the football game
yesterday?”

8
 Closed questions continued. . .

Closed questions can be

useful for focusing
discussion and obtaining
clear, concise answers
when needed.
9
2. Open questions demand further
discussion and elaboration. They
include, for example,
▧“What was the traffic like this
morning?”
▧“What do you feel you would like
to gain from this discussion?”
10
Open questions will take
longer to answer, but they
give the other person far
more scope for self-
expression and encourage
involvement in the
conversation.
11
 3. REFLECTING AND
CLARIFYING
Reflecting often involves
paraphrasing the message
communicated to you by the speaker
in your own words. You need to try to
capture the essence of the facts and
feelings expressed, and communicate
your understanding back to the
speaker. It is a useful skill because:
12
 Reflecting and clarifying continued . . .
▧ you can check that you have understood the
message clearly
▧ it gives feedback about how the message has
been received and can then clarify or expand if
they wish
▧ it shows interest in, and respect for, what the
other person has to say
▧ you are demonstrating that you are considering
the other person’s viewpoint
13
 4. SUMMARIZING
A summary is an overview of the main
points or issues raised. Summarising
can also serve the same purpose as
‘reflecting’. However, summarising
allows both parties to review and
agree the message, and ensure that
communication has been effective.
14
 5. CLOSING
COMMUNICATION
The way a communication is
closed or ended will, at least in
part, determine the way a
conversation is remembered.
▧“Well, I must be going,” and
▧“Thank you, that’s really
helpful.” 15
Do you think this is the
whole picture of making
your communication
turn into success? Why?
16
 ONLY PART OF THE
PICTURE
Only part of the overall
message is conveyed by
verbal communication.
Chomsky (2006) suggests
that the verbal element is, in
fact, a very small part of the
overall message:
17
just 20 to
 NON-VERBAL
COMMUNICATION
Non-verbal communication includes
facial expressions, the tone and pitch
of the voice, gestures displayed
through body language (kinesics)
and the physical distance between
the communicators (proxemics).
18
These non-verbal signals can
give clues and additional
information and meaning over
and above spoken (verbal)
communication. Indeed, some
estimates suggest that around
70 to 80% of communication is
non-verbal!
19
 TYPES OF NON-VERBAL
COMMUNICATION
▧ Body movements (kinesics), for example,
hand gestures or nodding or shaking the
head, which are often the easiest element
of non-verbal communication to control;
▧ Posture, or how you stand or sit, whether
your arms are crossed, and so on;
▧ Eye contact, where the amount of eye
contact often determines the level of trust
and trustworthiness;
20
▧Para-language, or aspects of the
voice apart from speech, such as
pitch, tone, and speed of
speaking;
▧Closeness or personal space
(proxemics), which determines
the level of intimacy, and which
varies very much by culture;
21
▧ Facial expressions, including
smiling, frowning and blinking,
which are very hard to control
consciously. Interestingly, the broad
facial expressions that show strong
emotions, such as fear, anger, and
happiness, are the same
throughout the world; and

22
▧Physiological changes, for example,
you may sweat or blink more when
you are nervous, and your heart rate
is also likely to increase. These are
almost impossible to control
consciously and are therefore a very
important indicator of mental state.

23
 Unfortunately interpreting non-
verbal communication is not that
simple.
For example, a nod of the head
between colleagues in a committee
meeting may mean something very
different from when the same action
is used to acknowledge someone
across a crowded room, and again
when two people are having a social
conversation. 24
STOP, GET YOUR NOTEBOOK AND
ANSWER THIS…

What is the
implication of using
non-verbal
strategies in
communication?
25
▧ Non-verbal communication is an
extremely complex yet integral
part of overall communication
skills. However, people are often
totally unaware of their non-
verbal behavior. A basic
awareness of non-verbal
communication strategies, over
and above what is actually said,
can help to improve
26
interaction
PAUSE FOR A WHILE,
LET US TRY WHAT
YOU KNOW.
Write a situation wherein you
can apply 2-3 verbal and
nonverbal strategies. Write it
in a text. Have
27
someone
Ready for the
quiz?
Answer in your quiz
notebook.

28
1. Nonverbal and verbal communication are
interconnected in which of the following
ways?
A. nonverbal cues can repeat verbal
messages
B. nonverbal cues can substitute for verbal
messages
C. nonverbal cues can contradict verbal
messages
D. all of the above 29
2. Which of these is NOT an
example of a verbal
communication skill?
A. The speed of our speech
B. Eye contact
C. Language used
D.Volume of speech
30
3. One of the best ways to show
customers you are listening is
through
A. talking to the person next to you
B. frowning at the customer
C. appropriate amount of eye
contact
D. asking them to 31repeat what they
4. The gesture of crossed arms
means that the person is most likely
_____________,
A. protecting themselves
B. angry
C. selfish
D.upset
32
5. When you speak, your listener gets
messages from...
A. What you say and your vocabulary
B. How you look and your words
C. What you say, how you act, and your
accent
D. What you say, how you act, and how you
look

33