Gender Differences in Nonverbal Communications
Verbal communication is just one manner in which humans communicate with one another. There is also a whole host of nonverbal communication through body language. Humans subconsciously "speak" to one another through the way they move their bodies, how they position themselves, where they look, and a variety of other behaviors. Men and women use nonverbal communication in different ways, and it is important to understand these differences when interacting with people.
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Reception
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Women tend to be better at understanding nonverbal communication than men. Women are often better tuned toward picking up inconsistencies between what someone is saying with his words and what someone is saying with his body language. This means that women will sometimes communicate with men nonverbally, then be at a loss as to why the men do not understand. The reason is because men rely more on verbal communication than women.
Gestures
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Men tend to gesture more than women when they are communicating nonverbally. Women, on the other hand, tend to make up for their lack of gestures with more facial expressions. Women smile more often than men do. This doesn't necessarily mean that women are naturally happier than men, it just means that they show it in a different way than men do.
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Eye Contact
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Both men and women use eye contact to communicate nonverbally, but they use it in different ways. Women use eye contact to communicate, to nonverbally tell someone that she has their full attention. Men, on the other hand, use eye contact to intimidate by nonverbally asserting dominance. This means that since men and women use the same nonverbal communication tactic to different ends they may interpret it differently when confronted with it.
Closeness
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Men tend to keep distances from people when they talk to them and touch them less. Women do the opposite, standing close to people and touching them to emphasize points and generally connect with whoever they are talking to. This is a key nonverbal difference because, like the others, it can be interpreted in different ways by different genders.
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References
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