In the workplace, your action and acts may speak louder, much louder than words can capture. You can say a lot with your facial expression, hand gestures, visual expression, nodding, tapping on the table, the way you walk (some people shuffle their feet while they walk, and I wonder why – but some do it better – elegantly and calculatedly hitting the floor without attracting undue attention). But whichever you do, what you say with your body tells so much about you.

A lot of people will wonder and say, “How is this necessary in a workplace for as long as I’m doing my job?” But the truth is that our body language and non-verbal communication is as important as winning the next contract bid. Your body language says a lot about who you are. It goes to interpret to others about your self-esteem, whether you’re interested, if you are disrespectful and if you are impatient. You don’t know? A lot of people can’t tell who you truly are and if what you’re saying should mean anything important, but through your body language, people can be convinced about you.

A misconception can be corrected through your body language too. It may not appear fair, but I don’t think you or I can change that, because this is exactly how humans are programmed. When dealing with the business world, it’s especially important that you’re aware of your body language. Your non-verbal cues and gestures can make or break relationships, and may have a significant impact on your success. Research has shown that communication consists of 55 percent body language, 38 percent tonality and 7 percent words. If so, I don’t think I need to stress further the importance of being aware of your body language and being able to interpret the body language of others. So as often as possible, you need to ask, is there something you’re saying with your body, which of course expresses so much? There are several aspects of body language that every professional needs to master. Let’s talk about some of them.

POSTURE: It will not be sufficient to just write about it, I would have felt better using diagrams; this is to show how important this is. The right posture exudes self-assurance, poise and professionalism and projects an air of success. People trust those who look confident and self-assured. How we feel affects how we stand. In order to be perceived as confident, you must stand tall, with your neck elongated, ears and shoulders aligned, chest slightly protruding, and legs slightly apart, distributing weight evenly. It gives the outward appearance of credibility, strength, and vitality. People often slump their shoulders either due to bad backs, fatigue, lack of confidence, or general disregard. This will give others the impression of insecurity, laziness, and a general sense of unhappiness.

EYE CONTACT: The ability to gaze at another while speaking denotes authority, confidence, and presence. Studies suggest that holding eye contact while speaking has an enormous impact on your ability to persuade. Lack of eye contact often implies deception, lack of interest or uncertainty. It is polite to look downwards when breaking off an eye contact but during a professional meeting, it is more appropriate to maintain the eye contact but if the stare becomes too intense you can shift your gaze to the center of the person’s forehead. This gives time for the intensity of the stare to diminish. All it takes is professionalism; the other person won’t notice it.

POSITIONING OF THE BODY: Here, we are talking mostly of the hands and in extreme cases, the legs. The position of your hands says a lot. Before we talk about where the hands should be, we must note that the hands must always be in view, your listener must see your hands while you talk, so he doesn’t wonder what you are hiding. Since gesture is integrally linked to speech, gesturing as you talk can actually power up your thinking. Experiment with this and you’ll find that the physical act of gesturing helps you form clearer thoughts and speak in tighter sentences with more declarative language.

SMILE: During a negotiation, in a business meeting, talking to a client, a smile cannot be discarded. It relaxes the listener, it gives your personality a warmer outlook. Smiling not only stimulates your own sense of wellbeing it also tells those around you that you are approachable and trustworthy.

Being good at reading body languages and being conscious of your own body language start with practice. After a while, you realize it’s now a part of you. Start now.

Author: Annabelle Macford Okwara