Non-verbal means of intercultural communication in the process of teaching foreign languages

The article reveals the importance of applying non-verbal means of intercultural communication in the process of teaching foreign languages in a higher education institution. In order to get the maximum effect from their use it is necessary: 1) to form students’ desire to learn the features of non-verbal communication of the country of the language being studied, for example, gestures, postures, a comfortable distance between people for communication; 2) to develop students’ skills of independent acquisition of new information; 3) to teach how to use the non-verbal means of communication that are universal, namely the conveyance of thoughts, feelings through the expression of the eyes, demonstration of mood, etc. It is well known that with facial expressions a person conveys not only their thoughts, but also images from the subconscious. By adding expressiveness to speech with the help of glances and gestures, it is possible to achieve a greater understanding with conversation partners of a different linguistic culture and compensate for certain language gaps. Awareness of this fact helps to stimulate the students’ interest in the foreign language lessons and intensify the educational process.