Interpersonal communication is one of the most important aspects in human resource (HR) study for a very obvious reason, because HR practitioners need to communicate with vast amounts of people from different backgrounds, interests andambitions. Thus, possessing a set of effective interpersonal communication skills is an invaluable asset to any HR practitioners.
As most people know, interpersonal communication consists of verbal and nonverbal components. Verbal communication basically means talking in words. On the other hand, nonverbal communication involves facial expressions, gestures, touching, physical movement, posture, body adornment and even the tone, timbre, and volume of an individual’s voice. Nonverbal communication comprises of approximately 60- 65% percent of all interpersonal communication. Sadly, not even one subject in my 5 years of study in HR management teaches nonverbal communication. All the subjects are focused on written and verbal communication training. Therefore, I am often fascinated by TV shows about body languages like “The Mentalist” and “Lie To Me”. I always wonder how true these shows really are. Can a person read everything about other people’s thought barely based on body language? Can they really detect liars based on this science?
