Non-verbal communication “Actions speak louder than ...”

What is non-verbal communication? Nonverbal communication is behavior, other than spoken or written communication, that creates or represents meaning. Non verbal communication includes: Facial expressions Body movements Gestures. Nonverbal communication is talking without speaking a word. It is very effective, maybe even more so than speech. Up to 93 % of communication is non-verbal.

Two main types of nonverbal communication Body language is the first. Body language is body movements that depend on a person’s attitude or feelings. Body language includes the way people walk, how they stand, and their facial features. The next main type of nonverbal communication is gestures. Gestures are communications like facial expressions, hand signals, eye gazing, and body . There are two main types of nonverbal communication.

 The thumbs up gesture is commonly used around the world in various different contexts. It is thought to of originally come from when the crowd would indicate if they wanted a gladiator to be spared (thumbs up) or killed (thumbs down), but now it generally has a good connotation. In the US and most of western Europe, the thumbs up means OK, cool, good job or go ahead.....or "can I hitch a ride."  In Australia, if you give a thumbs up with a slight up and down movement, it generally connotates something very obscene. In Iran, Iraq and Thailand, the thumbs up is a very obscene and offensive gesture, so I wouldn't start waving around your thumbs up in these countries.

The OK gesture means a variety of good and bad things according to the country you are in. Australia: Usually means ''zero'' rather than OK, not common. Canada, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and the US  - OK, alright, good. You can use it to signify approval. China- The OK sign is not used. France- Zero Finland. - military conscripts use the sign to signal that they have zero days left in the military service on their last day of the national service. Germany - Job well done or grave insult, depends on region. Japan- The general meaning is money, for young people it means OK. Venezuela, Turkey - Homosexual.

Nodding from side to side in Bulgaria means yes, whereas in most of the rest of the world it means "no." Nodding up and down means "no" in Bulgaria, where it is generally seen as a gesture meaning "yes" in most of the world.

The "V" hand gesture is commonly used to denote peace or victory The "V" hand gesture is commonly used to denote peace or victory. Although, in Australia, it often means ''Two beers please.'' In France it means "two.“ In Russia it is used to denote "victory," but is not commonly used, while In Turkey it is not used at all. In the US it generally means peace or two, but is also widely associated with the hippie culture. Although, according to which way your hand is facing, you may be offedning someone! In Great Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, turning your hand to the back and making the V symbol is taken as offensive, a mistake made by Winston Churchill.