From the course: Communicating Nonverbally

Decoding and encoding nonverbal signals

From the course: Communicating Nonverbally

Start my 1-month free trial

Decoding and encoding nonverbal signals

“

- Most people do not realize there are two ways to communicate nonverbally. First is what's called decoding. Decoding is spotting all the signals being sent to you. This is probably the nonverbal skill you're more familiar with. You decode facial expressions, body language cues, and nonverbal messages all the time, even if you don't realize it. The second type of nonverbal communication is called encoding. These are the social signals we send to others. We're also constantly sending cues to others through our voice, body, and face. Let's do a little self-assessment. What do you think you're better at, decoding or encoding? Most people say they're better at decoding because that's the skill we think more about. But I want you to be strong at both reading and sending signals. This is the key to mastering your body language and communicating effectively. Learning to both decode and encode is also a new way of listening. Most of the time, we only focus on the words we're hearing or the words we're saying, but there is so much happening beyond the words. If you listen to someone and watch their nonverbal cues, you'll get so much more of their message and their emotions.

Contents