the power of non-verbal communication

Emotions and thoughts can be expressed non-verbally without using any words. Quintilian and Delsarte talk about the importance of the body language in communication. Their description of gestures involve both daily life and theatrical movement that makes the usage of words unnecessary. While Delsarte claims that movement itself is divided into classifications in terms of the relationship among the body parts, Quintilian considers the significance of the individual body parts as movement. As a result they end up with the same idea, even though they chose different paths to explain non-verbal language.
The common point of both writers is the importance of the meanings of the gestures we make. By saying, “there is nothing more horrible, or deplorable, than a gesture without meaning or purpose,” Delsarte describes his thoughts about the meaningless gestures that do not express a feeling, an emotion, or have a purpose. “…Even speechless animals show anger, joy, or the desire to ple...