From Management to Leadership: Strategies for Transforming Health, 3rd Edition

Nonverbal Communication

Intertwined closely with spoken communication is nonverbal communication. Sometimes referred to as body language, nonverbal communication is actually a broader term and can include the use of time, space, and the environment as well. Verbal and nonverbal messages must match, or they create confusion and frustration. Of these two channels of communication, nonverbal language can be more potent, as demonstrated by the childhood game of Simon Says. Simon gives rapid oral instructions while demonstrating the requested behavior. Participants follow the leader’s movements, and the unlucky players who continue to follow the leader even in the absence of the phrase “Simon says” lose the game. The point is that people are more ...