The Power of Non-Verbal Acknowledgement

Have you ever been in a situation on the road, where you have left someone else pass the road ahead of you and the person has acknowledged your act through thumbs up sign?

Alternatively, a scenario where the road ahead was too narrow and you have reversed your car to let the car on the other side to come across before you went ahead on that road, and the other car driver has held out his hand to acknowledge and thank you for your act.

On the other hand, what about a situation where you were presenting something to a room full of people and you said something that you wanted validation for, you gave a quick glance to your boss and she/he gave a slight nod of validation and acknowledgement that what you said is absolutely fine.

How about a romantic scenario where your spouse or your partner is sitting a little away from you in a party and you both look at each other and blink and smile to say that I hope you are enjoying the party.

Moreover, how can we forget the many non-verbal acknowledgements that we give and receive on a daily basis on social media in the form of likes, retweets, hearts, etc.

There could have been many other situations like where the person inside the elevator held the door for you as you made a rush towards it and you just smiled in a thanking way, or you stopped on seeing a pedestrian as he crossed the road and he held up his hands to thank you and acknowledge your act. These are just a few examples but I am sure that you may recollect many such situations where there wasn’t any conversation through words but yet there was an exchange that took place through non-verbal acknowledgement.

The beauty of an acknowledgement is that you do not need to know the person, it does not come with the inhibitions of a conversation where an icebreaker is needed and it is a universal language that is understood by all, even though the receiver and the giver may speak completely different languages.

It is an extremely powerful non-verbal tool, which doesn’t have a fixed way and each and every non-verbal cue is acceptable – be it a thumbs up, a nod of the head, a smile, blinking of eyes or any other non-verbal movement as long as the people involved in the exchange of this understand it. It is a small act but it makes both the receiver and the giver feel positive, where the person who is acknowledging appreciates the act of the other and the person who is being acknowledged feels nice that his act has been noticed.

Quite often, in our busy lives, we forget the power of such non-verbal cues, but it is one of the simplest, purest and easiest forms of communication that any two individuals can participate it. It doesn’t take much of an effort but the positive feeling that it leaves you with can suddenly uplift your mood, improve your day, energize you and make you feel thankful for the beautiful life around. Next time, pay attention when you get acknowledged or take the effort to acknowledge someone and you will see the power of this universal language.