Body language speaks on our behalf, and that’s why it is one of the most important aspects in relating to other people. At work, the mastering of body language is also essential so as to communicate properly and show your abilities.
Interpreting body language can be misleading. As Ginny Soskey tells us in HubSpot Blogs, “if you want others to understand what you mean without confusion, you should ensure that your facial expression, your posture and other nonverbal signs are in line with your message”.
A person is able to generate about 250,000 different facial expressions and over 1000 different postures. 82% of messages get to us through our eyes, compared with the 11% that we perceive with our ears. It takes us only 7 seconds to pass judgment on someone on sight. Unbelievable, right?
That’s why there are so many aspects of body language that influence success or failure in our work, and of course in our daily negotiations. Besides the five tips on body language that we gave you to improve your negotiations, note these recommendations for improving your communication skills and developing your leadership ability:
- Be positive and keep eye contact with the person you are addressing, nod and smile occasionally.
- Stand up and take up some space, this posture shows confidence and security and is the way to show power if you act from a position of leadership.
- Coordinate your body language with your spoken message, avoid contradictions.
- Keep a proper physical distance with the person or group with whom you are speaking. Not too close that it is aggressive, not so far that it suggests contempt or indifference.
- Let others talk, do not interrupt and pay attention. Avoid distracted gestures (for example, looking at you nails or clothing)
- If you are forced to show disagreement, use your body language to support your position. Establish physical contact properly, without being threatening.
- Do not turn your back on others; take a friendly posture that inspires confidence and sincerity.
- Do not be afraid to gesture while you speak, it is proven that accompanying an explanation with gestures helps to better understand the information because the words take visual shape in our mind.
Mastering body language is part of the challenge of developing communication skills, capabilities increasingly in demand in the business world, even above the expertise of employees. Therefore, it is important to work in our soft skills with courses such as Merchants and Triskelion, for our personal and professional growth.
