Your responses will of course be very personal, but it may well have been the case that you were initially put off by the tone of someone’s voice, by the way s/he looked at you (or didn’t) or by his/her stance. In other words, your impressions were influenced by your interpretation of the person’s body language. It is even possible that you were as unaware of the exact reasons for this unfavourable impression as was the other person. As you subsequently got to know this person better, and became more aware of his/her personality and attitudes, your initial disapproval might have been dispelled.

A vital point emerges here:

The importance of the message lies as much in how it is conveyed as in what is said.

Writers concerned with communication in the organisation are focusing more and more on the importance of non-verbal clues to the total understanding of a message. We are speaking at least one oral language, but everyone communicates a non-verbal language too. Many analysts agree that more feelings and intentions are imparted non-verbally than through all the verbal methods combined.

Non-verbal communication may be defined as all messages not coded in words. Non-verbal communication is used by individuals to express strong feelings, is received through several sense organs, and is a continuous factor in communication.

Non-verbal communication is often employed unconsciously, but a good manager will learn to understand and use it to reinforce his/her message.