Musings on human & nonhuman communication
Lately, my social media algorithms have been dominated by various human/animal interactions- which isn’t all that surprising, considering my daily life.
These reels, TikToks, shorts, etc. come in all flavors: positive, neutral, negative, family pets, feral dogs, wildlife, etc. It got me thinking: While most of the natural world begins with visual communication, humans rely heavily on verbal communication - even with strangers.
Is our order of communication operations backward? More investigation is needed.
Human communication is a dynamic process. We utilize a myriad of communication tools depending on the situation - often in combination. Combining these tools affords us more clarity, as each tool has limitations.
For brevity, I considered 3 communication tools from both the human perspective and the non-human perspective.
Human Communication Tier
Verbal
Verbal communication is perhaps the most obvious, as the spoken word is modern human’s main form of communication and essential for most interactions.
Pros: Conveys tone, can use non-language sounds to emphasize,
Cons: over 7,000 different languages, doesn’t allow for nonverbal cues (you can’t see someone’s facial expressions when on a voice-only call)
Nonverbal
Nonverbal communication in humans typically plays a support role to verbal communication Facial expressions, posture, hand gestures, appearance, etc.
Pros: silent, provides emphasis, context, intent, and is somewhat universal within a species (can be speaking different languages, but still communicate somewhat)
Cons: wide dispersal and technology means this is not always available, can sometimes ‘give away’ strong emotions trying to be withheld,
Visual
In human-to-human communication, visual aids can either stand alone or reinforce verbal or nonverbal communication. Ex. Signs, maps, drawings, colors, designs, etc.
Pros: Silent, passive (they communicate information without conversation)
Cons: Depend on understanding of color/language
Nonhuman Communication Tier
Visual
Nonhuman communication begins with visual communication. Ex. some animals sport colors that tell potential predators that they are toxic (not good to eat) thereby offering passive protection. In addition to color, we also see patterns & designs that make an animal look bigger, smaller, or like another (more dangerous) species. alltogether. These tactics are a first line of defense and deter potentially dangerous interactions.
Pros: Silent, passive (they communicate information without interaction), sometimes deceptive
Cons: Depend on the ability to see color, & understand the intended message of color/design
Nonverbal
Nonverbal communication is readily observable in the animal kingdom. By changing facial expressions, body posture, movement, gesturing, and an animal’s overall appearance, animals can communicate a wide array of information.
Pros: Silent (doesn’t draw unwanted attention),
Cons: Relies on the ‘listener’ to pay attention and understand the ‘language’
Verbal
Verbal communication in the nonhuman animal world is risky, and possibly the least understood b, as the spoken word is modern human’s main form of communication and essential for most interactions.
Pros: Conveys tone, used to provide emphasis, context
Cons: Noise can attract unwanted attention (predators). Language barrier. Without nonverbal cues, verbal communication isn’t very effective if who you are trying to communicate with doesn’t speak the language.
“When snow falls, nature listens”
“Training is a loop, a two-way communication in which an event at one end of the loop changes events at the other, exactly like a cybernetic feedback system; yet many psychologists treat their work as something they do to a subject, not with the subject.”