Picking Up and Understanding Nonverbal Signals Lauren sighed. She'd just received an email from her boss, Gus, saying that the product proposal she'd been working on wasn't going to be signed off after all. It didn't make any sense. A week ago she'd been in a meeting with Gus and he'd seemed really positive about it all.
Signs of a disengaged, disinterested or unhappy audience:
Arms folded in front of the body.
Minimal or tense facial expression.
Body turned away from you.
Eyes downcast, maintaining little contact.
Being aware of these signs can help you to adjust what you say and how you say it, so you can make him feel more at ease and receptive to your viewpoint
We're all students of body language. Too bad we're not students of our own body language. Here are some tips to help ensure your body language works for, and not against, you: 1. Prep with a power pose.
2 minutes of power posing - standing tall, holding your arms out or toward the sky, or standing like Superman, with your hands on hips - will dramatically increase your confidence.
Frowning, grimacing, glowering, and other negative facial expressions send a signal to your brain that whatever you're doing is difficult. That causes your brain to send cortisol into your bloodstream, which raises your stress levels. Instead, force yourself to smile. It works.
...don't back away; just shift to a slight angle - so you're standing at an angle--much like models who almost never stand with their bodies square to the camera.
And if you wish to appear less confrontational, approach the person and stand at a 45-degree angle (while still making direct eye contact, of course).
What is your body language telling others about you? Last week I wrote about how to read other people (you can check that out here.) But being able to evaluate other people's body language just ain't real helpful if you're sending off all the wrong signals yourself.
It is important to balance the appearance of authority and warmth.
You show authority and power by your upright posture, your command of physical space, purposeful stride, a firm handshake, and palm-down gestures.
You communicate warmth nonverbally with open body postures, palm-up hand gestures, full-frontal body orientation, positive eye contact, synchronized movements, nods, head tilts, and smiles.