Non-verbal Cues: Improving Communication in Construction Projects

Construction industry is a dynamic, project based industry in where many problems occur due to communication issues. As it is proven that effective communication and conflict resolution abilities have a strong correlation between them, communication in the construction industry should constantly be improved. Unfortunately, the existing construction curricula do not offer enough courses which would help students to communicate effectively. Embedding technical communication into curricula and introducing courses such as Construction Communication aiming on producing construction management (CM) graduates with good writing and speaking skills are necessary. However, written and verbal languages are not the sole means by which individuals exchange information. Non-verbal cues play a significant role in communication. Therefore it is necessary for CM graduates to master the skills of using and reading body language. The literature study for the subject of communication in the education shows that body language and non-verbal communication were not taken into consideration yet. They are primarily the subject areas of anthropologists, linguists, and social psychologists. This paper aims reviewing the role of non-verbal communication skills in construction business and highlights the importance of bringing the topic into classroom. Introduction In general, communication can be considered as the process of transmitting information from one point to another. In construction industry, this transmission process may occur between one individual and another, or between one organization and another. Because of managing building projects requires collaboration and coordination between the stakeholders and communication between all the members, in order for each project to be delivered successfully, effective communication is vital. Just as in an organization, during a building project, achieving coordinated results, managing change, motivating employees and understanding the needs of the workforce depends on effectiveness of the communication. Construction is a service business. Interpersonal skills which include communication skills play an important role for the success of a project. In fact construction business is often referred as “people’s business” to emphasize the importance of interpersonal skills. The people working in construction industry are diverse from the perspective of educational and cultural characteristics of its employees. A typical example could be given for a superintendent’s situation at the job site. A superintendent must possess certain qualities in order to communicate with both unskilled laborers who sometimes may have minimal education and at the same time a project owner who can be the highly skilled CEO of a multi-million dollar firm. Construction industry is a dynamic, project based industry in where many problems occur due to communication issues. Even in a relatively less complicated project (single family house),