Giving Gifts as a Form of Non-verbal Communication

Just last night, my sister and I were discussing what to buy for my father's birthday and father's day, which happens to be the day after his birthday. Getting two gifts at once. Double the trouble. Personally, I feel that buying a gift for guys is definitely much harder than getting one for girls. For girls, accessories and soft toys can easily be picked up as a gifts but for guys, other than shirts, what else is there within our budget that we can buy for them? Besides gender being the factor influencing the type of gift we give, the relationship between the person is also considered. As such, giving different types of gifts can be considered as a type of non-verbal communication.

During festive seasons, such as Christmas, giving presents to each other has become a tradition. In fact, giving presents during this type of celebration acts as a message in a form of a greeting. For example, giving a gift to friends during Christmas celebration simply means that you are wishing them "Merry Christmas!". For celebrations like these, the gifts bought usually are related to the celebration itself. Like the mugs being sold in gift shops during the festive season. However, the gifts bought also depends on the interests as well as the history and relationship you have had with the other party.

Furthermore, during special "days" such as mother's or father's day, the give gifts to our parents act as a form of non-verbal communication which shows and tells them how much we appreciate and love them. For instance, last year, for father's day, my sister and I bought a bottle of my dad's favorite wine for him to thank him for being such a great father. Another special "day" includes Valentines Day. It is the day where lovers confess and shower each other with flowers and gifts that prove their love. It is the perfect way for shy and reserved people to say "I love you" without stuttering and turning red in the face, since this does not require one to verbally say so.

Special "days" celebration also include birthdays. Gifts given during birthdays often convey the greeting "Happy Birthday!" and are usually given to acknowledge the fact that you have turned one year older and hopefully wiser. This year, for my best friend's birthday, eight of us contributed to buy a present and we managed to get him a nice stripe sweater from Padini, a great photo frame with a picture of all nine of us together and a yummy chocolate cake. The photo frame with the picture is a perfect example to show that the gift was not only given as a birthday present, but also acted as a form of non-verbal communication. The photo frame with a picture of nine of us together signified that we acknowledged the fact that we were very close friends and no matter what happens, we want him to remember us.

Besides that, the types of gifts you give to your "other half" also is a type of non-verbal communication. The gifts you choose for your partner will definitely vary from the gifts you get for your friends or even parents, for it gives different messages to the other person. The amount of money one is willing to spend for these kind of gifts is also usually much more than usual. The gifts couples give each other for example, is to assure the other party that they are "the one" and that they have undying love for each other. Moreover, a box of chocolates a guy gives a girl after a fight could appease the anger and prove more effective than a verbal apology.

At the end of the day, giving presents is a wonderful alternative to having to verbally say "I love you", "I'm sorry", "Thank you" and the likes. It definitely gets messages across; and it is definitely fun to receive. What a wonderful way to communicate! "Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege." (John D. Rockefeller Jr.).


Written by,
Hooi Kit Wei