The Incredible World of Non-Verbal Communication

You probably have an idea of how many non-verbal signals you give during an average presentation. But when’s the last time you stopped to think about how often animals who can’t vocalize make use of those various physical cues?

In a recent post on the Ethos3 Presentation Science blog, we briefly touched on the differences in physiology that allow humans to produce the high level speech that even our closest evolutionary relatives are unable to match. Although researchers may commonly refer to the “language” skills that, for instance, some apes possess, it’s not entirely clear that their capabilities technically approach that level.

And it’s not just apes who have managed to overcome a lack of vocabulary and higher-order cognition to develop an effective array of physical cues and nonverbal communication skills. The Animal Kingdom is full of expressive if not vocal species, and here are a few of our favorite examples.

According to National Geographic, Meerkats are pack hunters who employ cat-like purrs to send messages amongst the pack. They are probably much more famous, however, for the behavior on display in the above video. What may seem to us like some silly grandstanding or goofing off is actually crucial to the survival of each meerkat in the settlement. Since a typical day for the meerkat involves a lot of digging and sniffing, they’d be easy prey for hawks and eagles without these dedicated sentries guarding the pack. A shrill call from that defensive stance is all the other meerkats need to hear to stay underground and out of harm’s way.

Although they have evolved an amazing silent defensive signal, some of us (especially dog owners) probably wish that skunks had a more direct way of communicating! Since their potential predators generally rely heavily on their sense of smell, a skunk’s spray is more than just an annoyance, says animal behaviorist Doug Stankowich, it’s an extremely effective chemical weapon.

We’re all familiar enough with snakes to know the visual cues most kinds will give off when they feel threatened: coiling, hissing, even striking. But since rattlesnakes aren’t in every part of the country, the tense feeling you experience when hearing an intimidating rattle while walking in the woods is thankfully not universal. It’s louder than you might think.

Comedian Louis CK has a great bit (warning: language) about the aggressive nature of, believe it or not, wild Italian ponies. If only he had known a bit more about the nonverbal cues that animals in the horse family give off when irritated, his daughter might still want to ride one someday!

But some animals, including the ones we regularly give belly rubs and feed table scraps, are better known for their physical expressions of happiness than of intimidation. Some dogs, as those of us in the Ethos3 offices found out today, even develop specific responses to certain aural stimuli!

We may be able to tie our shoes and use cell phones, but humans are animals, too. So just like dogs, snakes and all the rest, we’re communicating even when we aren’t using our ten dollar words. Non-verbal communication is crucial for us, too. Making sure to use your hand gestures effectively, mastering the not-aggressive yet confident posture and rotating your focus are all ways to make your presentation more effective without uttering a word, and just because we like you, here are a few dozen more.


Conclusion
If you’re not sure what to do with all those tips, or for more information about how we can help you become the best presenter you can be, check out our presentation training page. And we hope to “talk” to you soon!





New Call-to-action




Join our newsletter today!

© 2006-2024 Ethos3 – An Award Winning Presentation Design and Training Company ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Contact Us