Adopting Non-Verbal Communication Variables as Innovative Skills in Counseling Students for Sustainable National Development

Abstract

The paper examined adopting non-verbal communication variables as innovative skills in counseling students for sustainable national development. Every teacher is essentially and naturally a counsellor. As a specialist work, counselling plays a central role in the development of an individual. For it to be a success, the teacher-counsellor must employ certain skills during the counselling process. It is in light of this assertion that our paper seeks to examine nonverbal communication variables as innovative and effective skills in academic counselling of students for sustainable academic and national development. Although research abounds on the importance of communication in counselling, this current work fills the gap regarding investigation into the application of nonverbal communication skills in counselling by academic staff. Two theoretical concepts guided the research: while one is based on behaviourism in counselling, the other is concerned with nonverbal concepts of proxemics, chronemics, kinesics, posture, gesture, haptics, eye contact and sign language. Secondary data were used in this study. The data were collected from articles, news publications and books. The findings of this study revealed that since counseling takes place between the counsellor and client(s), there is a dire need for the teacher-counsellor to pay adept attention to nonverbal expressions, and acquire other basic communication skills for effective counseling. It is recommended that the concepts discussed in this research be adopted by all as they would be useful in improving all kinds of relationships in every respect, especially, because effective counselling can assist in resolving problems before they get out of control.