Role of Non-Verbal Communications in the Workplace

Journal Entry 2: Non-verbal Communication in the Workplace
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Journal Entry 2: Non-verbal Communication in the Workplace
Date: 06-07-2022
Non-verbal communication is significant in every workplace. The key benefits of non-verbal communication are increasing awareness, intimacy, and understanding of organizational directions. As a worker in Berkshire Hathaway, I noticed several situations where non-verbal communication occurred, which the journal entry addresses.
Situation 1: Meeting (Manager and Subordinates)
The first situation of non-verbal communication I noticed occurred in a meeting between the manager and subordinates in the conference room. The main aim of the meeting was to engage in training on a new organizational model which would boost the organization's plan. The key non-verbal communication I noted was a facial expression indicating that the employees were uncomfortable with the meeting. Most employees had gloomy faces, while some kept looking at their watches. The non-verbal communication was incongruent with the verbal communication since the participants seemed to be active as they responded to the questions, but their facial expressions contradicted such participation. The participants would have engaged the manager before the meeting to avoid such experiences.
Non-verbal communication plays different functions. It is a significant communication approach that indicates the actual feeling of the parties involved in a communication. The major function is to contradiction. In some cases, the non-verbal communication does not align with verbal communication; for instance, a participant's non-verbal communication cue may contradict the verbal cue, intentionally or unintentionally (Phutela, 2015). The non-verbal cue in the situation fulfilled the function of contradiction where the participants seemed to be verbally active; on the contrary, their facial expressions showed that they were uncomfortable with the meeting. The major reason for such behaviors was unconventional language which not all the participants embraced, such as denotative actions. Besides, the manager focused on paying attention to the listening technique, which was not appropriate. Paying attention was not significant since the meeting had more non-verbal cues than verbal ones. The manager opts to have observed the facial expressions to understand the participants' moods. The recommended listening technique focuses on feedback to understand the mood of the participants.
Situation 2: Conversation (Managers)
The second situation I noticed was a conversation between the manager and his peer while addressing organizational challenges in his office. The relationship between the two participants was mutual since they had the same power level. The main non-verbal communication I noted was nodding of the head. The non-verbal communication was congruent to the verbal communication since the two agreed on the common challenges facing the organizatio...