2. Joep Cornelissen of Erasmus University and his team asked
experienced investors to watch a video of an entrepreneur pitching a
new device. He did four versions of the presentation:
One used a lot of figurative language
one included frequent hand motions
one deployed both
one used neither.
People who saw the video with only the frequent gestures were on
average 12% more interested in investing.
The conclusion: When you pitch an idea, gestures matter
more than words.
Further reading: https://hbr.org/2019/05/when-you-pitch-an-idea-
gestures-matter-more-than-words
3. Besides our choice of words and the volume and tone of a voice,
gestures, posture and facial expressions all convey powerful
messages to the people we are talking to, which is precisely why
everyone pays close attention to other people’s body language.
In other words, how we say what we say to people is at least as
important as what we say to them.
4.
5. Watch yourself and others
When you're communicating with others, pay close attention to the messages you
are sending through the use of your body. Do your spoken words match your
nonverbal cues? If not, then fix them. People intuitively know that, in most cases,
the nonverbal messages you send are more accurate than your spoken
messages.
Maintain eye contact
Make a point of increasing the amount of eye contact when speaking with others--
especially co-workers, your boss, or anyone working for you. Eye contact builds
trust. On the other side of the coin, if you avoid eye contact, you're sending a
strong message that you're uncomfortable, and perhaps even dishonest.
Work on your posture
Your posture is directly related to the confidence you project to the world. If you
slump, you're telling the world that you lack confidence, and that you're
uninterested in the other person. When you stand or sit up straight, you project a
strong message of confidence and interest in the other person.
6. Read your audience
When you're making a presentation to a team or group of people, be on the
lookout for nonverbal messages that your audience is sending to you. If members
of your audience start slouching, yawning, checking their smartphones, or even
dozing off, then you know that you need to do something immediately to energize
your message and regain their attention.
Listen to your voice
Although we don't usually notice it, when we speak, we send all sorts of powerful
messages in the way we actually use our voice. We send these messages (known
as paralanguage) through the pitch, rhythm, tone, inflection, volume, and other
fluctuations in our voice. A sarcastic tone, for example, sends a much different
message than one that is sincere and heartfelt.
Question yourself
Monitor your progress in improving your nonverbal communication during the
course of your workday by asking these questions: "How was I perceived at the
meeting? Could I have done something differently? Were people really interested
and paying attention to what I was saying? Did I listen well to others?"
