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messages by means other than words. Part 4 Leading moving your hand toward your body in a waving motion communicates the message, "Come here, I like you," or, "Tell me more." Palms spread outward indicate perplexity. Putting hands palms down indicates that someone means business. For instance, when negotiating over price, "palms down" indicates a potential buyer intends to walk away." Related to hand gestures is the handshake that we all know is part of how people judge your self-confidence. A study involving college students enrolled in a career course found that the rated quality of a handshake was directly related to interviewer hiring recommendations. The relationship between a firm handshake and being recommended for hire was stronger for women than men. Interviewers apparently were particularly impressed by a woman with a firm handshake." Gesturing with the entire body adds emphasis to making a point. In addi- tion to waving the hands, the body and wrists can be involved in movements. Raising the shoulders can also be used for emphasis, particularly when dis- agreeing about a person's ideas. 2 Facial expressions and movement. The particular look on a person's face and movements of the person's head provide reliable cues as to approval, disapproval, or disbelief. A smile from the receiver often indicates support for what you are saying. 1 Hand and body gestures. Your hand and body movements convey specific information to others. Frequent gesturing shows a positive attitude toward another person. In contrast, dislike or disinterest usually produces few gestures. An important exception here occurs when some people wave their hands while in an argument, sometimes to the point of making threatening gestures. The type of gesture displayed also communicates a specific message. For example,
3 Posture. Another widely used clue to a person's attitude is his or her posture. Leaning toward another person suggests a favorable attitude toward the message a person is trying to communicate. Tilting your head and leaning in indicates your concern and attentiveness. Leaning backward communicates the opposite. Standing up straight generally conveys self-confidence, while slouching can be interpreted as a sign of low self-confidence. 4 Body placement. The placement of one's body in relation to someone else is widely used to transmit messages. Facing a person in a casual, relaxed style indicates acceptance. Moving close to another person also generally indicates acceptance. Yet moving too close may be perceived as a violation of personal space, and the message sender will be rejected. Speechwriter and speaking coach Nick Morgan says that to effectively relate to an audience, you need a kinesthetic connection (effective movement of the body). This would include the other forms of nonverbal communication as well as moving around effectively. For example, vary the distance between yourself and your audience, and do not turn away from the audience to cue your next slide." 5 Voice quality. Aspects of the voice such as pitch, volume, tone, and speech rate may communicate confidence, nervousness, and enthusiasm. Voice tone is particularly significant in terms of how a message is interpreted.10 Visualize how the word "good" can be expressed in several different tones to have positive or negative meanings, especially in combination with a facial expression. When "good" is dragged out it is likely to be interpreted as almost an insult. When "good" is expressed quickly, it usually is interpreted as genuine approval. People often judge intelligence by how a person sounds. The most annoying voice quality is a whining, complaining, or nagging tone." Many professionals hire speech pathologists to serve as coaches for improving their voice, and thereby improve their chances for advancing their career. The emphasis is not on speech therapy but on voice beautification to come across as more intelligent and persuasive.¹2
6 Clothing, dress, and appearance. The image a person conveys communicates such messages as, "I feel powerful," and, "I think this meeting is important." For example, wearing one's best business attire to a performance evaluation interview would communicate that the person thinks the meeting is important. Another important meaning of dress is it communicates how willing the employee is to comply with organizational standards. By deviating too radically from a standard, such as wearing a suit on casual dress day, the person communicates indifference. 7 Mirroring or imitating a conversation partner. To mirror is to build rapport with another person by imitating his or her voice tone, breathing rate, body movement, and language. Mirroring relies 10 percent on verbal means, 60 percent on voice tone, and 30 percent on body physiology, thus making it largely nonverbal. A specific application of mirroring is to conform to the conversation partner's posture, eye movements, and hand movements. The person feels more relaxed with you as a result of your imitation.