Effective communication and critical thinking are often cited as goals of general education at the university level. Movement study can contribute to the development of both these skills.
It is widely acknowledged that communication has two parts: the verbal and the nonverbal. As the anthropologist Edward Hall explains, words make up only a fraction of any message. The movements accompanying speech convey more significant information. Nonverbal behavior “stresses feedback on how people are feeling, ways of avoiding confrontation, and the inherent logic that is the birthright of all people.”
Laban Movement Analysis provides a means for students to become more aware of their own movement preferences, to extend their movement repertoire, and to become more reflective about nonverbal behavior. This knowledge can be applied to improve communication skills.
Movement analysis can enhance critical thinking about the nonverbal aspects of face-to-face interactions. While nonverbal behavior may account for 90% of human communication, it is often perceived and responded to subliminally. This gives rise to what I have characterized in Beyond Words as “body knowledge/body prejudice.” We each have a private lexicon of body knowledge that is the result of our unique experiences with different movements and the meanings we have come to associate with them. This body knowledge influences our reactions to the nonverbal behavior of others. But because we seldom consciously think about movement, we tend to respond automatically. When we don’t pay enough attention to details of an action or to its context, we can misjudge the meaning of the movement. Then “body knowledge” becomes “body prejudice.”
The study of Laban Movement Analysis enables students to perceive movement more objectively and to think critically about nonverbal behavior. In an increasingly global world, wherein cultural factors complicate face-to-face interactions, reflecting rather than just reacting becomes a significant skill.