Conflict Resolution and Non Verbal Communication

It is common knowledge that non-verbal communication such as body language and eye contact can communicate our true feelings. Various statistics how been quoted which suggest that non-verbal communication makes up to 90% of communication, with our words only being 10%. This has led to a lot of articles and books on reading body language and how to manage your own body language. However, it should be considered that the reason somebody crosses their arms may not be because they are being defensive, but because they are cold. The reason that somebody shifts about a lot in their chair, may mean that they are not anxious, but in fact they have a bad back and continually move in order to manage the discomfort. A person may avoid eye contact, not because they are being dishonest, but because they are shy. Reading non-verbal communication and drawing conclusions from it, should be done with caution.

In saying this non-verbal communication can be useful in conflict situations, however we suggest that the key is to look for CHANGES in behaviour. As an example, if a person is giving you lots of eye contact, then upon changing subject, they begin to avoid your eye, this could indicate that they are no longer comfortable with the discussion. This is important in managing conflict as it helps you to tune in to other people’s emotions and manage conflict more effectively. You can learn how to manage conflict effectively in our Conflict Resolution Training Courses.