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Most explanations of human behavior in the business world assume that people are best persuaded by reason and logic. Steeped in that belief, executives and senior managers have focused on delivering convincing speeches and finding “just the right words” when dealing with the public and the press.
But what if that view is flawed?
Researchers at the Human Dynamics Group at MIT’s Tech Media Lab and the research centers at Xerox and Intel have found that people are more likely to be convinced not by the content of spoken words, but by the kinds of signals that most executives overlook—mainly tone of voice and body language. This makes it especially crucial for a spokesperson to communicate congruently—that is, to align the spoken word with body language that supports an intended message.
When a spokesperson is engaged in face-to-face encounters, whether at a stockholder meeting or a press conference, the audience is processing a continual cascade of nonverbal cues that they use as the basis for evaluating trust and credibility.
And they do so quickly.
Researchers at the University of Glasgow have discovered that it takes the brain just 200 milliseconds to gather most of the information it needs from a facial expression to determine a person’s emotional state.
That’s why you can’t wait until you’re in the meeting room to “warm up.” You’ve got to walk in, already expressing the emotions you want to project.
Two kinds of signals
Basically, the body language of a great spokesperson consists of two sets of signals: rapport signals (bonding, friendliness, trustworthiness) and authority signals (competence, credibility, confidence). The best presenters know how to project both sets of signals and when to move between the two.
Nonverbal rapport signals consist of smiling, nodding when listening to a question—or to the other person’s point of view—and making eye contact with everyone attending the event. Make sure you maintain eye contact for three to five seconds with a person, allowing them to recognize the interaction. This lets your audience feel like participants instead of observers.
The body language of authority includes standing straight up with legs shoulder-width apart, head held high and shoulders back. And of course, your facial expression should match the passion with which you feel about your topic. Becoming animated (but not overly so) drives home your points with visible enthusiasm.
Using palm-up hand gestures when speaking, keeping your movements relaxed and natural, using open-arm gestures—all are silent signals of credibility and candor. Individuals with open gestures are perceived more positively and are more persuasive than those with closed gestures (arms crossed, hands hidden or held close to the body, etc.).
Communicating unconsciously
When professionals try to improve their body language, they tend to focus primarily on facial expressions and hand or arm gestures. Rarely is anyone (even politicians or media professionals) coached in body language below the waist. And since movement from the legs and feet are left unrehearsed, they are also where the truth can most often be found.
I witnessed an example of this at a recent conference where I watched an interview with the president and CEO of a financial institute. The interviewer (a member of the CEO’s staff) and the executive were seated in chairs on the stage, facing the audience. The staff member read from a list of questions and the executive responded.
From a body language perspective, it was fascinating. The executive was well spoken, with facial expressions and hand gestures of sincerity and confidence as he shared his philosophy of relationship banking and the importance of employee engagement to his company’s brand. Then he was asked a series of questions about senior-level compensation. As the executive responded to those, his facial expressions and upper body gestures remained the same—but his “foot language” changed dramatically. From a comfortable, loose leg cross, the executive suddenly locked his ankles tightly together, pulled his feet back under his chair, and began to make tiny kicks with one foot and then the other. And his feet continued this behavior throughout the entire set of compensation questions.
Was he comfortable addressing this issue? Well, his upper body would have you believe he was. And if that were all you could see (if he were behind a desk or lectern), you’d be convinced. But since the executive’s entire body was visible, we could all see that his feet were telling a different story—one of stress and anxiety.
While I have coached many executives on developing their charisma, I always remind them that body language is more than a set of techniques. It is also a reflection of a person’s internal state. In fact, the more someone tries to hide or control emotions, the more likely they are to leak out nonverbally.
Here’s why.
Trying to suppress real emotions requires a great deal of conscious effort and is rarely successful. Candor is the brain’s default response. Our neural wiring transmits every minor mood in our facial expressions and physical movements, making our feelings instantly visible. This display of genuine emotion is automatic and unconscious.
Stanford University’s research on emotional suppression shows that the effort required to hide our true feelings takes a physical and psychological toll. Subjects instructed to conceal their emotions reported feeling ill at ease, distracted and preoccupied. And this was validated by a steady rise in their blood pressure. But another, unexpected finding from the research showed a corresponding blood-pressure rise in those listening to the subjects. The tension of suppression wasn’t just palpable; it was contagious.
My best advice for spokespeople?
Don’t try to promote a product, service or idea you’re not sold on. Don’t make an announcement you don’t believe in. Don’t represent an organization you’re not committed to. And don’t ever think you can hide your true feelings about any of these from audiences that are consciously and subconsciously monitoring every move you make.
Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D., is a frequent presenter at IABC conferences. She is an international speaker and executive coach, and the author of The Nonverbal Advantage: Secrets and Science of Body Language at Work. You can reach her by phone at +1 510.526.1727, by e-mail at:
, or through her web site: www.NonverbalAdvantage.com. |
