People say a lot about how they feel without speaking a word. Individuals express themselves through body language, including hand gestures, posture, and eye movements. Healthcare professionals must be attuned to these unspoken forms of communication to provide the best care for clients seeking help. Body language allows medical professionals to identify if clients feel anxious, scared, or in pain. Driftwood Recovery ensures staff members know how to respond appropriately to nonverbal cues, allowing them to provide compassionate care and support to clients in recovery.
What Are Nonverbal Cues?
Nonverbal cues are body movements or actions that convey an emotion or communicate an intent. According to Perspectives on Psychological Science, “[O]nce in a particular setting, people’s behavioral options are constrained not only by the physical environment, but also by that setting’s social norms.” Many nonverbal cues are instinctual, and people may be unaware of them. However, they can also be a powerful way to express emotion when people feel uncomfortable voicing their thoughts aloud. For example, someone uncomfortable with how close a doctor is sitting may lean away and cross their legs or arms to create a barrier. Healthcare professionals rely on nonverbal cues to help them navigate complex conversations with individuals and families.
The meaning of nonverbal cues may change depending on multiple factors, including:
- Personal habits and individual differences
- Cultural context
- Relationship dynamics, including familiarity between individuals
- Situational context
- Mood or emotional state
- Intentional or unspoken power dynamics
- Topics being discussed
Cultural gender norms and other factors also influence how people translate nonverbal cues. No two people have the same nonverbal “language,” and context is essential in determining what specific actions may mean. Body language and other physical cues can communicate distress, acceptance, fear, joy, and many other emotions. Knowing how to correctly translate these cues helps healthcare professionals create a deeper bond with clients.
Common Nonverbal Cues
Some examples of common nonverbal cues include:
- Using open posture, eye contact, and movements of affirmation to show understanding and compassion
- Maintaining consistent and approachable body language to set clients at ease and create a sense of reliability
- Using gestures and facial expressions to reinforce verbal messages
- Offering a warm smile and steady presence to comfort anxious clients
- Leaning forward and mirroring the client to show attentiveness and genuine interest
- Ensuring body signals align with verbal messages to avoid confusion
Focusing on client feedback and being mindful of responses allows professionals to build the foundation for a collaborative and healthy relationship. Clear and open communication creates a welcoming environment where clients feel comfortable expressing themselves and actively participating in their recovery. Every interaction is unique, and it is important for healthcare professionals to monitor how their nonverbal cues are being received.
Body Language and Compassionate Client Care
How staff members stand and sit during client interactions will be interpreted as part of the overall experience. If a client feels a doctor, nurse, or front desk staff member does not value their time or concerns, it can undermine the entire appointment. Workers in healthcare should remain mindful of how their body language may be interpreted by onlookers and adjust their posture and gestures to fit the message they want to convey. Compassion, empathy, and openness can be communicated through posture, hand gestures, facial expressions, and paralinguistic vocalizations.
Using Nonverbal Cues to Make Clients Feel Comfortable
Standing with arms down and palms open is much different from standing with arms crossed and hands balled into fists. No matter what words people use, their body language and other nonverbal cues are essential in communicating intent. Positive nonverbal cues can make clients feel welcomed, heard, and valued. Healthcare professionals should understand basic nonverbal communication and what postures or facial expressions to avoid. For example, a medical professional should not roll their eyes if a client expresses concern about a process or procedure.
Healthcare professionals who use unspoken forms of communication to improve the client experience do the following:
- Convey empathy
- Build trust
- Enhance clarity and context
- Encourage openness
- Provide reassurance
- Foster a more meaningful connection
- Acknowledge client feelings
- Reduce miscommunication
- Adapt more effectively to client needs
Staff members at Driftwood Recovery use compassionate care and transparent communication to create a welcoming and safe environment for clients in recovery.
Building a Toolbox of Positive Cues to Support and Empower Clients
Driftwood Recovery provides staff members with the training, support, and guidance they need to develop a toolbox of positive, unspoken cues to support and empower clients. Clinicians and support staff learn to express themselves mindfully to individuals and families.
Healthcare professionals must consider medical, cultural, and personal factors that affect how clients and their loved ones interpret nonverbal communication. Familiarizing themselves with client charts and conducting thorough intake assessments can reduce confusion and improve the effectiveness of nonverbal communication.
Miscommunication is a common cause of conflict, confusion, and frustration between clients and clinicians. Clear communication involves aligning nonverbal and verbal cues to send a specific message. Many moments of miscommunication could be avoided through a conscious effort to convey specific information. Healthcare professionals benefit from learning how to translate common unspoken social cues, including body language and facial expressions. Clients rely on healthcare professionals to give them spoken and unspoken cues to guide them through making critical medical decisions and positive lifestyle changes. Driftwood Recovery encourages staff members to remain mindful of how unspoken actions and responses may affect their relationships with clients. To learn more about our programs and professionals, call our office today at (512) 759-8330.