Sathappan Narayanan
Body language is the most important of all non-verbal communication. Both conscious and unconscious body language, we make decide who we are, what we are and where we are heading to. Body language includes facial expressions, body posture, gestures, eye movement, touch and the use of space. How do we stand? How aggressive or non-threatening are our gestures? How do our eyes, skin, hair, clothes and shoes look? Do we look happy or sad, clean or untidy, confident or nervous, tired or awake? Studies have shown that over 50% of our judgment of other people and their judgments on us are visual based.
People spend hours honing a script for their speech, choosing exactly the right words – and of course that is highly important – but, it must be worth also paying close attention to the visual judgments that audiences are making of you every time you stand up to speak! If you recall the body language of great leaders and celebrities you can learn a lot. In the 1960 US election TV debate between John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon, both candidates answered well. But on a poll conducted the next day, there were completely different results between TV and Radio audiences – between those who had seen and heard and those who had only heard.
Listeners on radio were convinced Nixon had won the debate, his arguments were clear. And viewers on TV were convinced Kennedy had won, he came across as likeable and believable. People believed Kennedy more – they bought into his body language and the signals he gave of. They didn’t trust Nixon from the body language he was using.
How can you improve your non-verbal communication skills? To improve your non-verbal skills, you must first identify the areas where and what you are lacking. Poor eye contact, nail biting, weak handshake, swallowing, Coughing, yawning, tapping, fiddling (with pen or phone) are some of the nervous types in body language.
When you want to get your point across, don’t feel like you have to rely solely on words. Sometimes a simple gesture can do a lot of the work for you. One such gesture is a good handshake. A good handshake creates a physical bond, and studies have shown that shaking hands greatly increases the chances somebody remembers what you say. Use the primitive power of touch to your advantage.
When you make direct eye contact, it shows the other party that you’re interested in what he is saying. If you must give a presentation at work, establish eye contact with the audience. It tells them that you are confident in what you are presenting. Making direct eye contact provides others with the comfort needed to communicate with you in return. So when somebody is speaking to you, don’t check emails or shuffle items on your desk but give an eager eye contact. It’ll do both them and you heaps of favors in the long run.
Your facial expressions convey your emotions. Offer a smile when talking to someone, which will help to create an atmosphere with warmth and friendliness, allowing others to feel comfortable.
The amount of physical space given can convey many emotions. For example, a person who is behaving aggressively is probably standing very close to the other person. Respect others and give their due space.
