Communication that makes meaning without words is part of everyday life. Facial expressions, gestures, our use of time and space – ever our pauses and vocal intonations all communicate pleasure or anger, friendliness or distance, power, and status.

Non-verbal communication is older and more powerful than spoken language and its symbols can be misinterpreted just as easily as can verbal symbols (words). For example, a woman brought a new idea to her boss, who glared at her, brows together in a frown as she explained her proposal. The stare and lowered brows symbolised anger to her and she assumed that he was rejecting her idea. Several months later, she learned that her boss always frowned when he was concentrating. The facial expression she had interpreted as anger had been intended to convey thinking.

Misunderstandings are even more common in communication across cultures since non-verbal signals are culturally defined. An Arab student assumed that his North American roommate disliked him intensely because the roommate sat around the room with his feet up on the furniture, soles toward the Arab roommate. Arab culture sees the foot in general and the sole as unclean – showing the sole of the foot is an insult.

As is true of any aspect of communication, knowledge is power. Learning about non-verbal symbols gives you the information you need to project the image you want and makes you more conscious of the signals you are interpreting. Since experts claim that 93 percent of all our communication is based on non-verbal symbols, your awareness and correct interpretation of non-verbal communication is vital to your personal and professional development. Remember to check your perceptions before making assumptions about others’ non-verbal signals.