77069 Reading Between the Lines

Did you know that verbal communication makes up only 7% of our communication with others?

Professor Mehrabian found that 93% of our communication is non-verbal - consisting of body language (55 percent) and tone of voice (38 percent).

 

Think about the types of conversations you have with your spouse throughout the day. What is your body/tone of voice communicating? 

HERE is an interesting article about the power of  our body language. The author suggests 5 ways we can use our nonverbal communication:

1. Power-posing postures boost confidence.
Research has shown that placing your body in an expansive “power pose” (like Wonder Woman) can increase your level of testosterone and commensurate feelings of self-confidence. 

2. The power of eye gaze.
For lovers, the amount of mutual gaze can be used as a measure of the degree of liking or loving.

3. Invading someone’s personal space causes arousal.
When someone gets into our bubble, we feel a sense of arousal - for better or for worse.

4. The subtle power of touch.
Touch, if done subtly and in a non-invasive way, can signal liking and create positive responses in others.

5. Smiling, even posed smiling, will make you feel happier.
Putting on a smiling face can actually trigger feelings of happiness. 

Here is a fun sketch that shows the power of body language by only using one word sentences:

For this date, check out Hurricane Grill and Wings.

http://www.hurricanewings.com/menu/

During dinner, pay attention to everything else besides the literal words you say to each other. Pay attention to:

• Posture
• Gesture
• Facial Expressions
• Eye contact
• Pitch
• Pace
• Volume
• Emotion
• Detail

After dinner, discuss all the things you noticed or appreciated that your spouse was communicating to you nonverbally during the date. Maybe it was a hand on the leg, or a long glance into each other's eyes. Maybe the phone was put down. Perhaps it was the gentle tone of voice, or the soft smile.