Difference Between Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

The difference between verbal and non-verbal communication is that the former is through words and signs, while the non-verbal is our gestures or visual behaviors.

Throughout its existence, the transmission of information between species has taken many forms and contexts, which basically boil down to two modes: verbal and non-verbal.

Verbal communication is the one that makes use of words and signs. It can be oral or written and the message is verbalized. Between two or more people. Easier to control if we master the language. Factors such as pitch, speed or volume influence the transmission.

For its part, in non-verbal communication gestures or visual signs are used: images, sounds, gestures, gestures... It is the most used daily and does not need words for its transmission. Of ancestral origin, it is the way people used when language did not yet exist.

Sometimes it is ambiguous, since there is no tight control over it and the message is distorted. Above all, its purpose is to reinforce the message that is transmitted verbally. A complement for its effectiveness.

The objective of both is to transmit a message between sender and receiver that is understandable. An art in itself. It is done through a channel using a specific code. Sometimes verbal and non-verbal communication are used in unison to make something known. They can also contradict each other.

Types of verbal and non-verbal communication

These are the most prominent:

• Unidirectional: There is only one issuer that sends a message. For example, a traffic sign.
• Bilateral: Any conversation between two or more people. There is a sender and a receiver.
• Audiovisual: The information that is transmitted through the media.
• Printed: Fashion communication sustained in a physical support that can be read (newspaper, magazine, brochure)
• Digital: Through technology (channels such as email or social networks) a communication between sender and receiver is established.

Within non-verbal language we find different modalities

Here are some options:

• gestures.
• facial expressions
• body movements
• Physical appearance.

If our intention is to sell or publicize our company or brand, communication seems essential.

Knowing how to do it well and that the message reaches the recipient is the key to our marketing strategy. In order for it to penetrate the potential consumer and be remembered over time, we must display efficient communication, whether verbal or non-verbal.

Only in this way can we publicize our product or service.