Both types of communication reinforce, complement, accent, and help each other. Verbal and nonverbal communication may also conflict. Then the receiver usually accepts the nonverbal message and rejects the verbal. This fact is vital to professors. It gives us important clues in communicating with students and their efforts to communicate with us.
Good instructors are sensitive to nonverbal communication .
Professors who intend to be good instructors perceive nonverbal communications from students more accurately than others do. A close look will reveal that these professors also send better nonverbal clues to students. That's why we need to understand nonverbal communication. Students communicate with us nonverbally in many ways. If we are perceptive receivers of nonverbal communication, we will pick up on these clues.