90% Of Communication is Non-Verbal

Improve your Non-Verbal Communication And Achieve Better Results at Work!

In the previous article, Muovo studied the need for non-verbal communication to create effective communication. Non-verbal communication is imperative as only a few people can consciously manipulate their non-verbal cues.

More than voice or even words, non-verbal communication cues you in to what is on another person’s mind.

Nonverbal communication ranges from facial expression to body language. Gestures, signs, use of space and pace or information delivery.

At Muovo, we have found some more tips that we would like to share with you. Leave your comments after reading!

Tips for improving how you read non-verbal communication

• Practice observing people in public places, such as a shopping mall, bus, train, café, restaurant, or even on a television chat show with the sound muted. Observing how others use body language can teach you how to better receive and use non-verbal signals when conversing with others. Notice how people act and react to each other. Try to guess what their relationship is, what they’re talking about, and how each feels about what is being said.
  
• Be aware of individual differences. People from different countries and cultures tend to use different non-verbal communication gestures, so it’s important to take age, culture, religion, gender, and emotional state into account when reading body language signals. An American teen, a grieving widow, and an Asian businessman, for example, are likely to use nonverbal signals differently.
  
• Look at non-verbal communication signals as a group. Don’t read too much into a single gesture or non-verbal cue. Consider all of the nonverbal signals you receive, from eye contact to tone of voice and body language. Anyone can slip up occasionally and let eye contact slip, for example, or briefly cross their arms without meaning to. Consider the signals as a whole to get a better “read” on a person.

Tips for improving how to deliver non-verbal communication

• Use non-verbal signals that match up with your words. Non-verbal communication should reinforce what is being said, not contradict it. If you say one thing, but your body language says something else, your listener will likely feel you’re being dishonest. For example, you can’t say “yes” while shaking your head no.
  
• Adjust your non-verbal signals according to the context. The tone of your voice, for example, should be different when you’re addressing a child than when you’re addressing a group of adults. Similarly, take into account the emotional state and cultural background of the person you’re interacting with.
  
• Use body language to convey positive feelings even when you're not actually experiencing them. If you’re nervous about a situation—a job interview, important presentation, or first date, for example—you can use positive body language to signal confidence, even though you’re not feeling it. Instead of tentatively entering a room with your head down, eyes averted, and sliding into a chair, try standing tall with your shoulders back, smiling and maintaining eye contact, and delivering a firm handshake. It will make you feel more self-confident and help to put the other person at ease.

Keep in mind that all this is part of Emotional awareness, the study of which would be Emotional Intelligence (EI). Emotional awareness is not a talent, but a skill that with some time and effort, you can learn very well.

‘How can I become more emotionally aware?’

You can develop emotional awareness by learning how to get in touch with difficult emotions and manage uncomfortable feelings, including anger, sadness, fear, disgust, surprise, and joy. When you know how to do this, you can remain in control of your emotions and behaviour, even in very challenging situations, and communicate more clearly and effectively.



This article was first published in HelpGuide.org. 

Nikita Pisani at Muovo

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