Fake it till you Make it: How Body Language helps in our Lives?

What kind of messages do we send across to the people we interact with on day to day basis — be it customers and employees when we cross our arms or slouch at important professional or social gatherings? We must know that the body language missteps may impact the way people perceive us and our business or organisation we work for. Needless to say, that nonverbal communication is critically important throughout our lives.

When we communicate with another person, our brain can process more than what’s actually being spoken. Our brains are making a comprehensive assessment of the person in front of us, and interpreting the unspoken communication of body language is part of that assessment. Studies have found that nonverbal communication may account for between 60% to 65% of all communication. It’s also been suggested that nonverbal expression has 65% to 93% more impact than the actual words spoken.

Let’s learn how you can we impress people we interact with, and display confidence, professionalism, and enthusiasm while interacting with them. Here are a few expert tips and tricks that will help you all along in your professional and personal lives.

1. Eye Contact

Samuel Richardson once said: “Where words are restrained, the eyes often talk a great deal.” I am sure we all pay undivided attention when it comes to conversing with our bosses or seniors at our workplaces. The same amount of respect and attention, if not more, is due on our part to our co-workers, employees in our direct supervision or even people we meet socially. Following points need to be considered:

1. Don’t multi-task when you have someone walking up to you to discuss something.
2. Put your phone face down and on vibration or silent mode.
3. Look straight into person’s eyes.
4. Nod your head when they’re talking.
5. Let them know that you are genuinely interested in them and in their conversation and they have your full attention. When somebody pays attention to what you are saying, it means a lot to them. Make it a habit to do this every day with everyone you talk to, regardless.

2. Confident Handshake

This may not be temporarily appropriate during the COVID-19 pandemic but we all understand the importance of a proper handshake, many of them get it wrong. It’s the initial nonverbal cue that starts a conversation. If it’s too firm, you’ll seem dominant. If it’s too weak, you’ll look like you lack confidence. Learn to balance it out.

Instead, what you want to do is to match the other person’s grip. A good handshake is a one with full palm to palm contact. Never greet the other person with half handshake. This is rude. Apply the two-second rule, smile politely, maintain eye contact, and repeat their name(s).

3. Facial Expressions

Our face conveys countless emotions without even uttering a single word. A smile signifies happiness and approval. A frown signals disapproval. According to one study, the most trustworthy facial expression is a slight raise of the eyebrows and a subtle smile. If you want to show that you’re paying attention, smile slightly, nod from time to time, and maintain eye contact.

Regardless if you want to convey wisdom, intelligence, or seriousness, make sure you practice in front of a mirror until it looks natural.

4. Gestures & Postures

Gestures and Postures are also part of nonverbal communication that’s critical for professional success. A study by Holler and Beatie found that gestures increase the value of your message by 60%. They analyzed a range of TED talks and found that the most popular videos are those where the presenters used effective hand gestures. If you’re twisting a ring or playing with the button of your shirt, you’re going to appear anxious and nervous. The audience will be less inclined to have confidence in your skills and abilities.

A very natural posture for people is to slouch in the chair or fold their arms. By doing this, you’re signaling to the people you are meeting with that you’re defensively nervous. Instead, you should open up your body and lean slightly forward from the waist. Use the arms on the chair and imagine a string pulling your head and spine toward the ceiling. Your feet are firmly on the ground, arms and hands are relaxed but not crossed. This will let the other person know that you’re interested and confident.

5. Voice Tone

While talking, it’s important to pay attention to things like your tone of voice, pacing, pausing, volume, and articulation. If your pitch is too high, your audience might think you’re less empathic and aggressive. Or, if you have a shaky tone of voice, you might be regarded as lacking confidence.

Here are a few tips that can help you make a positive impression:

1. Don’t speak in a monotone voice. Show your real personality through your voice.
2. Keep a good pace of speaking. Don’t be too slow or too fast.
3. Avoid long or frequent pauses as they don’t send a good impression.
4. Don’t speak too loudly.

Wrap Up

By putting these body language tips into practice, you’ll leave a good impression on your next business meeting or social interaction. Initiate a conversation with a firm handshake and commit your full attention to what the interviewer is saying. Keep an appropriate tone of voice and sit properly. Remember: how others perceive you can significantly impact your success in the workplace.

Whether your body language is deliberate or out of habit, if you don’t know what it means, it can negatively impact communication, messages you’re attempting to deliver and conversations you’re attempting to have. Your attitude, the attitude of others toward you and even business opportunities can be negatively impacted as well.

Knowing the difference between positive body language versus body language mistakes leaves less to chance. If you catch yourself exhibiting any of the body language mistakes above, you can change them — all it takes is awareness and a bit of deliberate self-control.

Learn how sometimes smaller things in our lives make huge impact and you can take some learnings on a personal and professional level by following me on LinkedIn and on our official website. Also follow us on social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Medium, Twitter, Instagramand YouTube.

Muhammad Sajwani is the Founder, Managing Director and Principal Consultant at Evolve HR which aims at transforming, enriching and evolving Human Capital of Pakistan. At Evolve HR, him and his team thrives in challenging assumptions that hinder organisational aspirations, by creating innovative solutions that yield maximum impact, scalability & benefit to a wider base of stakeholders. As a Business Coach and Organisational Consultant, Sajwani knows how to combine business insights with people insights to transform organisations and put them on the path to growth.