Today I would like to both share with you some useful tips of body language and other non-verbal communication, as well as warn you not to think that a little bit of reading can turn you into Dr. Cal Lightman, from the TV show “Lie to Me.”
That TV show is based on the real-life research and books of Dr. Paul Ekman. Dr. Ekman is the first to tell you that body language reading is not an exact science, and is not fool-proof.
Most people are under-educated when it comes to body language, since it is not something we are taught at school. In order to learn it we have to read many books, take seminars and workshops, hire a personal coach and practice practice practice. I believe there is benefit to improving your ability to intuitively ‘read’ people, but do not get caught up in yourself and your ‘magic’ abilities. Even with all the research you may have done, experts suggest it only raises our chances of accurately reading someone 10 – 17% better than an average person without such training.
The better results gleaned from studying body language and non-verbal communication is actually that you become a better observer and listener in general, which is great to improve your communication skills, and more importantly you learn how to present yourself better in your public speaking, meetings, interviews and even on dates.
Being knowledgeable about posture, what to do with your body parts from head to toe, voice control, eye contact etc. will quickly and greatly improve your public presentation of self. So even if you don’t believe in the art of reading people, you can still study non-verbal communication to give you an advantage at the office or on the streets.
I’d now like to share with you an article from the Globe & Mail newspaper that gives you tips on improving your body language for the workplace. To be fair, I must warn you that I am shamelessly promoting myself as I was the main contributor of information in this article, so bear with me! (LOL)
I hope you enjoy the article!
Coach Ric