WHAT YOU SAID IN ADDITION TO WHAT YOU SAID 😶

You may have heard the phrase "actions speak louder than words." In communication, this is 100% true. Communicating is a full body experience. While we use spoken words to communicate face to face, it is our body language and non-verbal cues that truly give depth to what we say. 

Non-verbal communication is an important aspect of any communication exchange. Non-verbal communication is anything you do with your body while speaking, other than the act of speaking. Often, your non-verbal cues will give away your thoughts and feelings before you realize it.

Facial expressions are just one of the many non-verbal cues that are used when we communicate. They are, however, potentially the most powerful of these cues and can make or break you when you are presenting or speaking to a crowd.

Other non-verbal cues include body posture, gestures, eye contact, and touch. Each of these communicates different things to your audience. Imagine sitting through a presentation in which the speaker has folded arms, "dead" arms (where they just hand their arms to their sides), a scrunched-up face, or stiff posture. How would this make you feel as a member of the audience. If you were that speaker, how would you feel presenting? 

Stiff posture, folded arms, and a tense face can indicate that the speaker is nervous, ill-prepared, or maybe not excited to be presenting at all. This will feed back in the audience and even if the material is amazing, the experience will be lost to the poor use of non-verbal cues.

In contrast, if the speaker uses their body to help engage the audience, the experience can be taken to the next level, even if the material is mediocre, the audience will remember how they felt as a result of the non-verbal cues.

In virtual communication, we don't have the same ability to use non-verbal cues to our advantage. While virtual meetings and events (Zoom call anyone?) have become the norm in recent years, there is one critical piece of the communication puzzle missing from such events: body language. After all, who cares what you do with your face when you can simply turn off your video camera...

As a presenter, I prefer in-person events. I find that virtual communication limits our ability to use non-verbal cues adequately. The human element, the human connection is more difficult to establish in virtual settings. That said, it is not impossible to create connections in virtual settings, it just means you have to work harder to get the same result you could with in-person settings. When you are in the same space, breathing the same air, existing in the same atmosphere as your audience, it is much different, and much easier to make a connection with them. 

Now that we have discussed why non-verbal cues are so important, I will leave you with 5 tips to ensure your non-verbal communication is complementing your words and working FOR you, instead of working against you!

1. Keep your shoulders relaxed. It sounds so simple, but I have seen so many times where a speaker gets nervous and their shoulders creep toward the sky. If you know you get nervous when you need to speak to an audience, take a deep breath and force your shoulders to relax. Do this about three times to make sure you get them all the way down where they should be. Pro tip: This works well for in-person, video, and virtual presenting!
2. Make eye contact. Nothing creates connection like looking someone in the eyes. I spoke at an event earlier this year where the audience had about 25 people. I made it a point to look each person in the eyes throughout my speech. When doing this, I could feel the connection with these individuals, and it helped me draw them into what I was saying. Remember: Eye contact equals iContact 😉
3. Use the space you are given. The best thing about presenting or speaking to a live audience in person is the ability to move around. Whether your stage is large or small, you can use that space to help convey your message through body movement. Move around, get close to your audience members, pull them into your message with your energy. Moving to each side of the stage helps your audience stay engaged and helps them feel like you are speaking directly to them. 
4. Feel your feelings. How you feel about what you are saying should be evident in your non-verbal cues. If you are passionate about what you are saying, your face and eyes should light up. Your energy should be felt throughout the room. Use your hands and arms to help pull energy from the audience. You should be able to convey your passion through your non-verbal communication and then drive it home with your words! Virtual hack: When presenting via zoom or creating video content, SPEAK to the camera as if it were a room full of people. This will help you utilize your face to its fullest advantage!
5. Be intentional about your non-verbal cues. Make a concerted effort to ensure your non-verbal cues match the energy of your words or your overall message. If the subject is sensitive or emotional, emulate that in your face and body language. Refer to number 4 to feel your emotions and then intentionally convey them through non-verbal communication. If your message demands attention, don't be afraid to take a powerful stance, have a strong posture, or even stomp your foot on the stage. Whatever the feeling, be intentional about the cues you use to help bolster what you are saying. Pro tip: Intention equals connection. If you are intentional in your non-verbal communication, your message will hit its target and you will build the connections you desire with your audience. 

Non-verbal cues play a huge role in how we communicate with one another. In this blog post, I’ve shared some of the most important non-verbal behaviors that you should be aware of to enhance your communication skills. While you may not realize it, you are constantly communicating non-verbally. All the more reason why it is important to know how to use this form of communication to your advantage.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post. This week I challenge you to define your strongest and weakest non-verbal abilities. Don’t be afraid to ask others what your strongest/weakest non-verbal cues are as well. You might be surprised to hear what they say!

Thanks for stopping by!