EYES SPEAK

Perhaps the most significant tool in non-verbal communication is our eyes.

Imagine how much we can learn from each other without saying a word.  We all read people’s eyes sometimes without even knowing why or how we do it.  It seems to be an inborn ability.  We can be 100 to 200 feet away from another person and still have eye contact.  We may not have details but we have the awesome facility to see and even interpret what the other person is signaling to us.

What about when we play cards such as bridge, poker or canasta? How much are we in tune to read the eye messages that we send and receive from each other?  Sometimes, an eye shrug which is often an upward roll of the eyes may signal frustration or exasperation, as if looking to the heavens for help.  Maybe, it’s like sending a non-verbal message such as, “let’s move on or play the hand, or do something, or stop wasting time!”

Then, of course there’s the wink, essentially a very intimate signal.  It is usually directed exclusively from one person to another as a friendly greeting, recognition or acknowledgement.  However, it is interesting to note that a wink can carry more personal meaning than a handshake or a kiss on the cheek.  It can also be a way of signaling a shared secret or a joke.

Eyes that stay focused on another’s are generally regarded as a sign of showing interest toward what is being signaled.  Yet, one may be attentive but harbor thoughts of deceit, defensiveness or suspicion.   Many inferences can be made by a sender or receiver.  Therefore, it is important to be conscious of how we communicate with our eyes.  

They speak without a sound!.