Body Language and Non-Verbal Communication
Would you like to be more clear and persuasive when you communicate, and to achieve better results? Your body language and these other non-verbal elements of your communication habits can make a huge difference in your communication and your relationships with other people.
Eye Contact
It is simple and important. Look at someone in the eyes when you talk to them. Let them know that you are paying attention to them. Put aside a task to speak with someone. Face them and give them your full attention. Don’t look over someone’s shoulder as you speak.
Open Body Language
Allow yourself to be open and present with someone. Hunching your body over or crossing your arms sends a very different message from having your head up and arms open at your side
Strong straight posture and presence = confidence
Match someone’s body language to make them feel more comfortable.
Vocal tone
A loud voice is hard to relate to and so is a quiet voice.
Try to speak calmly and sincerely.
You do not have to yell to be heard clearly or get an important point across.
Timing, Context, Location and Setting
Choosing wisely about when and where to talk to someone about something will greatly affect the outcome of a conversation.
If you are angry it is not the best time to talk. Wait until you are calmer to confront someone about an issue or come to a decision.
Just because you want to talk to someone does not mean that it would be the good time for them. Ask when a good time to talk would be.
Take into consideration what someone’s day was like, what their mood is and in general what is going on in their life.
Don’t wait too long before talking to someone about something that bothers you. Letting things build up over time before communicating a problem to someone is not good.
Reward and acknowledge people’s good behavior or actions right away.
Choose your battles and take responsibility for your own feelings. Ask yourself if you really need to make an issue out of something or if you can let it go. 5 times out of 10 you probably can let it go.
What does your body language and presentation say about you to the people around you?
Physical Appearance
Dress according to the situation: Take into consideration that although it is not the most important thing, especially in our professional and working lives our physical appearance has a large impact on how others perceive us and relate to us.
When dressing provocatively or sexily it is important that you are aware of the message that others might perceive and the reaction you might get.
Caring too much about how others perceive you is not healthy, though. The most important thing is that you feel good about yourself. When you feel comfortable and confident in your own skin others will notice this and this will help you regardless of what you are wearing.
Hygiene
In more circumstances than not, good personal hygiene makes you more attractive and pleasant to be around.
If you feel that you are often misunderstood or not heard, engaging in the process of psychotherapy, marriage counseling, couples therapy, online psychotherapy or counseling can help you learn to communicate better. Improving the quality of your life as well as the life of your partner, children and friends.