Three Ways To Enhance Your Non-Verbal Communication

Most of us are aware of the importance of non-verbal communication. It's not the words we say, but how we say them that will create a good or bad impression when we first meet someone. It's something that you can harness, if you know how, to become an asset in your professional life and dealings with other people at work. Here are three ways that you can improve your unspoken communication.

Body language and tone

This is the main area of non-verbal communication that many professionals are aware of. Some indicators of bad, defensive body language are things like lack of eye contact (may make you look nervous or heaven forbid, 'shifty'!), folding your arms (which is very defensive), shuffling or fidgeting (a distraction to the listener) and a thousand other tics that we may all have.

Old habits die hard, so if you're someone who has integrated negative body language into your daily life without even realising it, it could mean that you need training to correct it. Practise your presentations or conversations in front of a mirror - most of us are unaware of how we look when we're talking. How is your stature and poise? If you're stooped, shrugging, stiff-looking and not using your hands... at least you've recognised that you can improve.

Tone - or intonation

This is something that we rarely consider, but it's used in all conversation by all people. If you're watching a foreign film without subtitles, you can instantly tell what the tone means - happy, sad, angry and so on. If your tone doesn't match what you're saying (for example, reporting positive news in a negative tone), then the message will be mixed. Try to vary your tone a little during presentations, too - "droning on" in the same tone can make even the most interesting presentations apt to send the room to sleep!

Active listening

Many people consider themselves "a good listener" - but what they usually mean is that they find the time to hear other people's concerns and problems - which does mean you're empathetic, but it doesn't necessarily make you a good listener.

Active listening is all about sending non-verbal cues to the other person that you are following and are interested in their conversation. Examples include nodding your head, maintaining eye contact, and not interrupting someone mid-sentence, or talking over them. Active listening is also about asking questions to develop the conversation and steer it in a mutually beneficial way, especially in business. It also shows you've been following what the other person has said.

These three tips are only skimming the surface of non-verbal communication skills, which are wide-ranging in the business world. Asking others for feedback on the way you tend to communicate can be a good start - and there are also many training courses around that will help you with body language, intonation and active listening. Usually they can all be covered under one course. Soon you'll be paying attention to how you're talking, rather than the words you use.