Only 7% of communication is verbal and yet we all rely on the spoken word to communicate our needs, wants and desires on constant basis.
So imagine a world where there isn’t verbal communication, or not clear words and how would that affect your day?
Toby only has two sounds ‘da’ and ‘ah’ which he can put different emphasis on depending on what he’s doing or wants but that’s it, two sounds.
Does that mean that we don’t understand him? We don’t know what he wants? Of course not, we spend a lot of time with him so understand the nuances he puts on those two sounds, we can see what he wants to play with or be switched on or can clearly see him clambering onto the sofa and hitting the remote control because he wants to watch TV.
We’ve learnt to read his body language, his mood and his situation which allows us to effectively understand him and communicate with him.
This translates in to the ‘normal’ world too, we can be more aware of people’s body language and non verbal gestures which may give away how they feel about something.
Next time you’re with a friend, loved one or at work, just sit and observe, use silence as a way to encourage more non verbal communication and see what you understand.