non-verbal means. Usually they complement verbal communication and serve as an auxiliary means of communication, but they can also be an independent channel for transmitting information, through which content is transmitted that contradicts the information coming through the verbal channel. Unlike verbal means, non-verbal means are not conscious, or are not fully realized and controlled by both the communicator and the recipient. Non-verbal means indicate the state of the interlocutors, their desires and intentions. V.A. Labunskaya distinguishes the following non-verbal sign systems:
1) optical-kinetic, including gestures, facial expressions, pantomime (postures and body movements);
2) para- and extralinguistic (the paralinguistic system includes the characteristics of the voice, tone, volume, etc., the estralinguistic system of signs includes pauses, laughter, crying, coughing, etc.);
3) proxemics (spatial and temporal organization of communication);
4) Eye contact or “eye contact” (direction of gaze, frequency of glance exchange, duration, etc.).
Non-verbal means are influenced by a specific culture. In different peoples, the same non-verbal means can have different meanings and spheres of use.