Communication is a continuous cycle, it’s also a very important one. We communicate to make friends, seal deals, have fun, and clearly describe the different ways we may be feeling. It’s a concept as old as time, so best believe it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

As humans, we communicate directly using verbal means either with our voice during face-to-face discussions or via text on platforms like Livebeam. This helps to directly convey our messages without ambiguity. You can simply say what you mean and the person can get it. But here’s the thing, the person “can” get it doesn’t mean the person “will” get it.

You may already be wondering why a person can fail to get something you said in simple words. The answer is pretty simple, non-verbal cues. As much as we utilize our words, it still remains a fact that a higher percentage of communication is non-verbal.

To help you utilize the non-verbal aspects of your online communication, Livebeam brings to you these 5 different ways you can communicate in a chat other than using text:

1. Reply Speed

This sometimes is the most telling and most interpreted non-verbal communication online. Livebeam tries as much to help with notifications and supply of texts to make your chats ongoing and exciting, however, they can’t influence the speed at which you reply. That’s basically dependent on you.

Late replies are a very dreaded action. It builds up a lot of negative emotions. It is considered so bad that it is a method to tell someone off and end communication. Think about it, if ghosting someone is so bad what precedes it? Before a person is ghosted, they imagine that you are just replying late.

This is why the speed at which you reply could have a huge effect on the friends you make on Livebeam and how close you get. Make effort to reply within an appropriate time and have the courtesy to explain the reasons for your late replies whenever you are late.

Your reply speed could help to communicate:

• Your presence
• Your interest
• The person’s importance to you

2. Expressions

Arguably, the most popular type of non-verbal communication is facial expressions. During face-to-face communication, people read so much into your facial expressions. This is one of the reasons why you could be saying one thing and the person will be interpreting another thing.

This same energy can be brought into online communication in the form of emojis. Emojis are a safe way to correctly transmit your message. Although they are done with your keyboard, they aren’t exactly texts, thus making them non-verbal. You can use them alongside your text to give a clearer emphasis on how you feel about what you typed. 

Like every other social media platform, Livebeam allows for the use of emojis. There are also some really unique and cool stickers available on the platform to help give you more options on the type of expressions to send.

Your online expressions could help to communicate:

• Your current mood
• Your stand on an issue
• The meaning of your text

3. Image Sharing

Some people believe this to be an online love language. It’s enough that you have a Livebeam buddy that you chat with every day and you know a lot about them through chatting and with a little help from their profile page filled with pictures and information. But, you both can still take it up a notch

On the Livebeam profile page, there are private pictures that are only available for you to view when you have had a sort of conversation with the person. However, this still isn’t the limit, you can still take it further.

By sharing images privately in chats, you add more significance to your friendship. Sharing pictures about your daily activities and your current state is very well appreciated and it increases the bond so much more.

Sharing Images could help to communicate:

• Your closeness
• The level of trust in the friendship
• The worth of their opinions

4. Reposting Content

In the present day, most internet users are content creators in one way or the other. They might not be fully into it like the developed creators on Livebeam but they do it in their own little way. Take Twitter for example, a tweet is meant to be a message that can be seen by anyone who follows you or comes across it. However, tweets are now treated very much like contents. People gauge the likes and retweets to measure its success.

How can you transcend this love of internet users for content into your friendship? There are verbal ways, where you can comment on their contents, commend them, and let them know how much you like it. Then there’s also the non-verbal way. It simply involves you sharing their content for other people to see.

This is such a nice way to show more to your friends without having to use words. People appreciate such acts, and it’s also a way into the hearts of others.

Reposting a person’s content could help to communicate:

• Your support
• A public acclamation of friendship 
• Your approval

5. Joining in their favourite online activities

Let’s call this another online love language of some kind. There are so many fun things you can do while chatting such as: playing fun games and learning about each other’s favourite things to do. You could use this knowledge to initiate another non-verbal action. 

As a friend who has been told a few times by your Livebeam buddy about certain things that they enjoy doing online, another way that you can get closer to your friend without using words is to join them in doing some of these activities that they like so much. The attempt itself is a positive sign of friendship that your friend will never forget, it will definitely put a smile on their face.

Joining someone in their favourite online activities could help to communicate:

• Good intentions
• Your will to know them better
• Alignment of common interests

To chat with any creator and watch their content, sign up to Livebeam today!