There are five key elements that can make or break your attempt at successful nonverbal communication in business:
- eye contact
- gestures
- movement
- posture, and
- Written communication
Let’s examine each nonverbal element in turn to see how we can maximize its potential to communicate effectively…
eye contact
Good eye contact helps your audience build trust in you, which helps make you and your message appear believable. Poor eye contact does the exact opposite.
So what is “good” eye contact?
People rely on visual cues to help them decide whether or not to pay attention to a message. If they find that someone is not ‘looking’ at them when they are being talked to, they feel uncomfortable.
Therefore, he is a wise business communicator who tries to engage all audience members by looking at them.
Now this is of course easy if the audience is just a handful of people, but in an auditorium it can be a much more difficult task. So balance your time between these three areas:
- slowly scanning the entire audience,
- focus on particular areas of your audience (perhaps looking at the wall between two heads if you’re still intimidated by public speaking), and
- looking at individual audience members for about five seconds per person.
Looking at individual members of a large group can be ‘tricky’ to get right at first.
Likewise, it can be a good balancing act if your audience is made up of just one or two members: spend too much time looking them in the eye and they’ll feel intimidated, watched, ‘hunted’.
So here’s a helpful tip: keep your eye contact down to four or five second chunks.
That is, look at the other person in blocks that last four to five seconds, then look away. That way they won’t feel intimidated.
Practice this time yourself, away from others. Just look at a spot on the wall, count to five, and then look away. With practice, you will be able to develop a ‘feel’ for how long you have been looking into your audience’s eyes and will intuitively know when to look away and focus on another person or object.
When focusing on individual members in a large meeting or auditorium, try to geographically distribute your attention throughout the room. That is, don’t just focus your personal gaze (as opposed to when you’re scanning the room or looking at sections of the room) on selected individuals from just part of the room. Unless you’re specifically looking to interact with a particular person at that point in your presentation, select individual members of the audience for eye contact from across the room.
gestures
Most of us, when we talk to our friends, use our hands and face to help us describe an event or object – powerful non-verbal aids.
We wave our arms, turn our hands from side to side, roll our eyes, raise our eyebrows, and smile or frown.
However, many of us also, when introducing ourselves to others in a more formal setting, keep quiet.
Our audience of friends is no different than our business audience: they all rely on our faces and hands (and sometimes legs, feet, and other parts of us!) to ‘see’ the bigger, fuller picture.
It’s totally understandable that our nervousness can cause us to “freeze,” but it’s in the best interest of ourselves and our communication if we manage that nervousness, manage our fear of public speaking, and use our bodies to help drive home our point.
I found that by joining a local Toastmasters International club I was able to quickly learn how to ‘free my body’ by introducing myself to others.
movement
Have you ever seen great presenters in action, men and women who are alone on stage but make us laugh, cry and let themselves be carried away by their words and enthusiasm?
Watch them closely and you’ll notice that they don’t stand rigidly in one place. No, they jump, run, walk and slide all over the stage.
Why do they do that?
Because they know that human beings, men in particular, are attracted to movement.
As part of man’s genetic heritage, we are programmed to pay attention to movement. We notice it instantly whether we want to or not, sizing up movement for any hint of a threat to us.
This, of course, helps explain why so many men are drawn to television and seem transfixed by it. It also helps explain why men in particular are almost ‘glued’ to the television when sport is on. All that movement!
But to get back on stage and you on it… make sure any movement you make is meaningful and not just a nervous fidget, like rocking back and forth on your heels or taking two steps forward and back, or Side to side.
This is a ‘nervous move’ and your nervousness will be transmitted to your audience, significantly diluting the power of your communication and message.
So move around the stage when you can, not only to keep the men in the audience happy, but to help emphasize your message!
Position
There are two types of ‘posture’ and it is the wise communicator who manages and uses both.
posture 1
The first type of ‘posture’ is the one we intuitively think of: straight back vs. slumped shoulders; the confident posture with feet apart brings the feet together, wringing the hands of the nervous; head up and smiling versus head down and frowning.
And each of the positions in which we place the various elements of our body tells a story, a powerful non-verbal story.
For example, stand tall with your shoulders squared, your head up, and your eyes looking straight ahead. He wears a big smile. Notice how you ‘feel’ emotionally.
Now lower your shoulders, look at the floor, and slightly move your feet. Again, take note of your emotional state.
Do you notice the difference?
Your audience surely will and will react to you and your message accordingly.
A strong, upright, and positive body posture not only helps you breathe easier (good for helping to calm your nerves!), but also conveys a message of authority, confidence, and power.
If you’re challenged to hold that stance, practice in front of a mirror or, better yet, join a public speaking club like Toastmasters International. [http://www.toastmastersa.org/champion/index.html].
posture 2
The second type of ‘posture’ comes from your internal mental and emotional states.
You can have great body posture, but without inner mental and emotional posture, your words will ring hollow to your audience.
For example, the used car salesman at “Dodgy Brothers Motors” might have great body posture and greet you with a firm handshake, a steady gaze, and a friendly smile. But if in his heart he sees you as just another fool, sooner or later his internal conflict between what he says and what he really thinks will cause him to “stumble”.
His body will start to betray its true underlying intentions and you will start to feel uncomfortable around him, even if you don’t know why.
But, if that same used car salesman had a genuine desire to help you find the right car for you, and he puts his needs before yours, then his words and actions will remain congruent (in harmony) with his underlying intentions and you. trust him, though you may not be able to put your finger on why.
I have seen some so-called ‘self-help’ gurus who don’t actually practice what they preach. Consequently, his words ring hollow to me, and his books, CDs, DVDs, and training materials remain unpurchased.
I’ve met salespeople who don’t actually make the money they claim to make on their ‘fabulous business opportunity’, and though their words are practiced and polished, and their body posture ‘perfect’, their words ooze like honeyed poison. from her lips and I’m still not convinced.
This second type of ‘posture’ is fundamentally linked to truth and honesty. It’s all about ‘walk the talk’ and being who you say you are.
It’s about not trying to sell something you don’t believe in or don’t use yourself. It’s about not trying to pass yourself off as an expert when all you’ve done is read a book on the subject.
It’s about making sure your words and your intentions are backed by truth and honesty. Because all of us, no matter how polished presenters we may be, are at the mercy of our bodies and their ability to ‘tell the truth’ despite what our lips may utter. Nonverbal Clues Rule!
Written communication
I could spend my life writing about the art of written communication.
There is an art (and also a science) that can be learned with diligence and practice. Write too formally; write too informally; write too briefly; write too much…
My first suggestion would be to take advantage of one of the following three books, each of which is absolutely brilliant at giving you the skills and knowledge to write business effectively:
- The Business Style Manual: An A-Z Guide to Writing at Work with Advice from Fortune 500 Communications Experts by Helen Cunningham and Brenda Greene
- The Elements of Business Writing: A Guide to Writing Clear, Concise Letters, Memos, Reports, Proposals, and Other Business Documents by Gary Blake and Robert W. Bly
- Effective Business Writing: Strategies, Tips, and Examples by Maryann V Piotrowski
From persuasive memos to complaint letters, sales letters, and executive summaries, these extremely helpful guides help you write clearly and in the right format, style, and tone. Each book has numerous examples showing how to overcome writer’s block, organize messages for maximum impact, achieve an easy-to-read style, find an efficient writing system, and much more.
In conclusion…
There are five key elements that can make or break your attempt at successful nonverbal business communication:
- eye contact
- gestures
- movement
- posture, and
- Written communication
Nonverbal communication in a business environment requires not only recognition of these elements, but also the confidence to face their challenges.
Good luck and remember to communicate with passion!