Nonverbal Communication in Business

There are five key elements that can make or break your attempt at successful nonverbal communication in business:

Eye contact Gestures Movement Posture, and Written communication

Let's examine each nonverbal element in turn to see how we can maximise your potential to communicate effectively...

Nonverbal Communication in Business

Eye contact

Good eye contact helps your audience develop trust in you, thereby helping you and your message appear credible. Poor eye contact does exactly the opposite.

So what IS 'good' eye contact?

People rely on visual clues to help them decide on whether to attend to a message or not. If they find that someone isn't 'looking' at them when they are being spoken to, they feel uneasy.

So it is a wise business communicator that makes a point of attempting to engage every member of the audience by looking at them.

Now, this is of course easy if the audience is just a handful of people, but in an auditorium it can be a much harder task. So balance your time between these three areas:

slowly scanning the entire audience, focusing on particular areas of your audience (perhaps looking at the wall between two heads if you are still intimidated by public speaking), and looking at individual members of the audience for about five seconds per person.

Looking at individual members of a large group can be 'tricky' to get right at first.

Equally, it can be a fine balancing act if your audience comprises of just one or two members -- spend too much time looking them in the eyes and they will feel intimidated, stared at, 'hunted down'.

So here's a useful tip: break your eye-to-eye contact down to four or five second chunks.

That is, look at the other person in blocks that last four to five seconds, then look away. That way they won't feel intimidated.

Practice this timing yourself, away from others. Just look at a spot on the wall, count to five, then look away. With practice you will be able to develop a 'feel' for how long you have been looking into your audience member's eyes and intuitively know when to look away and focus on another person or object.

When focusing on individual members in a large meeting or auditorium, try and geographically spread your attention throughout the room. That is, don't just focus your personal gaze (as distinct from when you are scanning the room or looking at sections of the room) on selected individuals from just one part of the room. Unless you are specifically looking to interact with a particular person at that moment of your presentation, select your individual eye-contact audience members from the whole room.

Gestures

Most of us, when talking with our friends, use our hands and face to help us describe an event or object - powerful nonverbal aids.

We wave our arms about, turn our hands this way and that, roll our eyes, raise our eyebrows, and smile or frown.

Yet many of us also, when presenting to others in a more formal setting, 'clam up'.

Our audience of friends is no different from our business audience — they all rely on our face and hands (and sometimes legs, feet and other parts of us!) to 'see' the bigger, fuller picture.

It is totally understandable that our nervousness can cause us to 'freeze up', but is is in our and our communication's best interests if we manage that nervousness, manage our fear of public speaking, and use our body to help emphasise our point.

I found that by joining a local Toastmasters International club I was rapidly able to learn how to 'free up my body' when presenting to others.

Movement

Ever watch great presenters in action — men and women who are alone on the stage yet make us laugh, cry and be swept along by their words and enthusiasm?

Watch them carefully and you'll note that they don't stand rigidly in one spot. No, they bounce and run and stroll and glide all around the stage.

Why do they do that?

Because they know that we human beings, men in particular, are drawn to movement.

As part of man's genetic heritage we are programmed to pay attention to movement. We instantly notice it, whether we want to or not, assessing the movement for any hint of a threat to us.

This, of course, helps explain why many men are drawn to the TV and seem transfixed by it. It also helps explain why men in particular are almost 'glued' to the TV when there is any sport on. All that movement!

But to get back to the stage and you on it... ensure that any movement you make is meaningful and not just nervous fidgetting, like rocking back and forth on your heels or moving two steps forward and back, or side to side.

This is 'nervous movement' and your nervousness will transmit itself to your audience, significantly diluting the potency of your communication and message.

So move about the stage when you can — not just to keep the men in the audience happy, but to help emphasise your message!

Posture

There are two kinds of 'posture' and it is the wise communicator that manages and utilizes both.

Posture 1

The first type of 'posture' is the one we think of intuitively-the straight back versues the slumped shoulders; the feet-apart confident stance verses the feet together, hand-wringing of the nervous; the head up and smiling versus the head down and frowing.

And every one of the positions we place the various elements of our body in tells a story—a powerful, nonverbal story.

For example, stand upright, shoulders straight, head up and eyes facing the front. Wear a big smile. Notice how you 'feel' emotionally.

Now-slump your shoulders, look at the floor and slightly shuffle your feet. Again, take a not of your emotional state.

Notice the difference?

Your audience surely will, and react to you and your message accordingly.

A strong, upright, positive body posture not only helps you breath easier (good for helping to calm nerves!) but also transmits a message of authority, confidence, trust and power.

If you find yourself challenged to maintain such a posture, practice in front of a mirror, or better yet join a speaking club like Toastmasters International [http://www.toastmastersa.org/champion/index.html].

Posture 2

The second type of 'posture' comes from your internal mental and emotional states.

You can have great body posture but without internal mental and emotional posture your words will sound hollow to your audience.

For example, the used car salesman at 'Dodgy Brothers Motors' might have great body posture and greet you with a firm handshake, a steady gaze and a friendly smile. But if in his heart he is seeing you as just another sucker then sooner or later his internal conflict between what he says and what he really thinks will cause him to 'trip up'.

His body will start betraying his real, underlying intentions and you'll start to feel uncomfortable around him, even if you can't figure out why.

But, if that same used car salesman had a genuine desire to help you find the right car for you, and he puts your needs before his own, then his words and actions will remain congruent (in harmony) with his underlying intentions and you will trust him, even though you might not be able to identify why.

I have seen some supposed 'self help' gurus who don't actually practice what they preach. Consequently their words ring hollow to me and their books, cds, dvds and training materials remain unpurchased.

I have met salesmen and women who don't actually make the money they claim to make in their 'fabulous business opportunity', and while their words are practiced and polished, and their body posture is 'perfect', their words ooze like honeyed poison frm their lips and I remain unconvinced.

This second type of 'posture' is fundamentally tied to truth and honesty. It is about 'walking the talk' and being who you say you are.

It's about not trying to sell something you don't believe in or use yourself. It's about not trying to pass yourself off as an expert when all you've ever done is read a book on the subject.

It's all about making sure that your words and your intentions are underpinned by truth and honesty. Because all of us, no matter how polished a presenter we might be, are at the mercy of our body and its ability to 'tell the truth' in spite of what our lips might utter. Nonverbal clues rule!

Written communication

I could spend a lifetime writing about the art of written communication.

There is an art (and also a science) that can be learnt with diligence and practice. To write too formally; to write too informally; to write too briefly; to write too lengthily...

My first suggestion would be to avail yourself of one of the following three books, each of which is absolutely brilliant at giving you the skills and insights into effective business writing:

The Business Style Handbook: An A-to-Z Guide for Writing on the Job with Tips from Communications Experts at the Fortune 500 by Helen Cunningham and Brenda Greene The Elements of Business Writing: A Guide to Writing Clear, Concise Letters, Memos, Reports, Proposals, and Other Business Documents by Gary Blake and Robert W. Bly Effective Business Writing: Strategies, Suggestions and Examples by Maryann V. Piotrowski

From persuasive memos to complaint letters, sales letters to executive summaries -- these exceedingly useful guides help you to write clearly and in an appropriate format, style and tone. Each book has numerous examples that show how to overcome writer's block, organize messages for maximum impact, achieve an easy-to-read style, find an efficient writing system and much more.

In conclusion...

There are five key elements that can make or break your attempt at successful nonverbal business communication:

Eye contact
Gestures
Movement
Posture, and
Written communication

Nonverbal communication in a business setting requires not only recognition of these elements, but confidence in meeting their challenges.

Good luck and remember to communicate with passion!

Nonverbal Communication in Business
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When you match consumer psychology with effective communication styles you get a powerful combination. Lee Hopkins can show you how to communicate better for better business results. At Hopkins-Business-Communication-Training.com you can find the secrets to communication success.

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Public Speaking - Types of Speeches

Have you ever tried to create a speech, but the ideas just didn't seem to gel? You know: they seem good enough, they support your message, but they just don't go together.

When preparing your speech, it helps if you know what type of speech you want to create. There are four types:

Informational: this is the most prevalent type of speech. Your goal is to provide information to your audience. It is often presented with a series of numbers, statistics, and many PowerPoint slides... which tend to make it overdrawn and boring. Inspiring: in this type of speech, you seek to inspire your audience to change something in their lives. This is often called a "motivational speech". In fact, that is a misnomer. Motivation comes from within, nobody can give it to you. Inspiration seeks to draw that motivation from audience members in order to get them to act. Entertaining: the main goal of this speech is to make the audience laugh and to enjoy themselves. These ais the format of most after-dinner speeches. Notice that an entertaining speech is not the same as a standup routine. It is much smoother and logical in its flow. In an entertaining speech, the message comes second to the enjoyment of the audience. Persuasive: it aims to convince an audience of your point of view.Typically, this is a sales presentation. Your goal is to convince an audience of the benefits of your product or service, and your speech is constructed accordingly.

Public Speaking - Types of Speeches

Although your speech focuses on one of these types, it helps if you can include aspects of each type in your final delivery. A sales speech will be much more effective if it contains information, is entertaining, and inspiring.

If you have trouble figuring out which ideas to keep and which ones to chuck, first decide on a type of speech and keep only the ideas which fit that type. Once you've got the core elements in place, add elements that will enhance it without taking away from the core message.

Public Speaking - Types of Speeches
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Laurent Duperval consults and trains on communication issues. He publishes the "Communicate To Motivate" electronic newsletter, which aims to help leaders improve their communication, public speaking, and presentation skills to dramatically improve their results.

You can reach him at http://www.duperval.com

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Free Eulogy Samples

For people who are going to write eulogies the first time, it will be easier for them if they had a sample that could serve as a basis for their funeral speech. Free eulogy samples can be gotten from books and the Web. They must be used as guides for writing and customizing one's eulogy speech.

It doesn't matter how useful free eulogy samples are to you, it would still be best if your eulogy contained your own words, feelings and thought about the person you just lost. Besides, eulogies should be personal.

A way to come up with a good eulogy is to just find tips and suggestions that will help you write your own eulogy.

Free Eulogy Samples

Here are a few.

1. Collect your material. Gather facts about the person - age, important dates, favorite places, and so on. Then think about fond memories with the person or a behavior of the person that makes people remember him or her well. Talk to other family members, friends and colleagues and ask them about their moments with the deceased. Ask their opinions and see if you arrive at a very good idea.

2. Choose a theme. What gives a eulogy unity is a theme. A theme will help you and your listeners distinguish the patterns of the life of the deceased. Your theme may focus on the good things the deceased has done to you and to other people; his or her values and their influence to your life; the person's behavior and lifestyle; and the most fond and funny moments you two shared while he or she was still alive.

3. Organize your speech. You may want to use one index card per significant memory. In this way, you can easily filter which memories you want to include in your eulogy speech.

4. Write your draft. Write your first draft using the information you collected and the memories you wrote in index cards. You can go through each index card and choose the best memories to include in your speech. Use a word processor so that editing your speech will be easier afterwards. Put your focus on the beginning and ending of your speech. Do not try hard to be formal; use a conversational tone. Include humor if you wish to. It is an effective way to ease the pain and tension a little if you are able to laugh at things. Include appreciation and gratitude not only to the deceased, but also to the people he or she has shared life with.

5. Rehearse your speech. If you are not used to delivering speeches, aside from the free eulogy samples you took, you may also want to borrow materials that will help you do the public speaking trick. Rehearse your speech to find awkward lines; this is your chance to do some editing. Remember to calm down and be natural. Nobody is against you so you do not have to fear anything.

Thats it ! With that, you should be well on your way to a great eulogy speech.

Free Eulogy Samples
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Margaret Marquisi is a retired writer and fulltime grandmother. To learn more about free eulogy samples or free sample eulogies, visit her website.

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Wedding Speeches Father Of The Bride

"When my daughter announced she planned to marry the groom I thought I had better carry out some background checks. So I went to his local police station and asked if he was well behaved. The sergeant behind the desk was very reassuring. Apparently they never had any bother with him whenever he spent the night there."

Somehow you can get away with very corny jokes at a wedding; jokes that would fall very flat at any other venue. Perhaps it is that often half the crowd doesn't know the other half. Or perhaps it is that everybody is trying very hard to be polite, and make it a happy day for the bride and groom. But really, I think it's often more likely that most guests have already had "one too many" and will laugh at anything that's said, even a very modest attempt at humor.

The father of the bride traditionally has a special place at weddings. Most likely this is because he was usually expected to be the host and foot the bill for the reception in times past. Shades of another tradition in some cultures and older times of paying a dowry, and the daughter leaving home to live with the groom's family, I suppose. The bill is often spread around a little more widely between the families these days. But it is still a wrench for a father to see his beautiful daughter leave home to live with her new partner. It's the public "giving your daughter away" tradition that makes it even worse. Many a father of the bride has secretly quickly wiped away a tear or two at his daughter's wedding.

Wedding Speeches Father Of The Bride

This special place for the bride's father sometimes means he gets the role of master of ceremonies for his daughter's wedding, and must step in from time to time and say a few words to keep the occasion moving along. Sometimes this role goes to the best man, to another guest who is an able speaker, or even to a professional entertainer, if the budget stretches that far.

Whether or not he is the master of ceremonies, the father of the bride is usually expected to give a short speech at the reception. The pattern is fairly well established by tradition:

1. A few opening lines, perhaps with some humor to get everyone's attention.

2. Thanks to the guests for coming and to the supportive people behind the organization of the event.

3. Some comments about the day so far, such as flattering comments directed to the ladies.

4. A few personal comments about how it feels to be father of the bride.

5. A few affectionate words on the bride.

6. Perhaps some comment on how the romance started and blossomed into the marriage.

7. A welcome to the family for the groom.

8. Some comments on the couple's plans, a few words of wisdom and advice, and best wishes for their future together.

9. A toast (or two), to the couple and their future, and perhaps to mention absent relatives and friends.

10. A few closing lines, often as the host wishing everyone a pleasant time for the remainder of the festivities.

Putting together a successful speech comes easy to some, but it can be a big help to get a professionally prepared draft and checklist to work off. After all, giving a father of the bride wedding speech may only happen once or twice in the lives of most fathers. And there are few things worse than being told afterwards by the bride's mother that you completely forgot to mention Aunty Mildred's hard work icing the wedding cake!

Wedding Speeches Father Of The Bride
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Save yourself the stress of writing a wedding speech from scratch. Discover more about how to prepare a father of the bride speech Find how you can get low cost pre-prepared wedding speeches for the father of the bride [http://www.mensprime.com/publicspeaking/weddingmc.html] and other key members of the wedding party, as well as tips how to overcome public speaking fear.

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Public Speaking: Fake Facts and Statistics

Stating falsehoods as if they are absolutely true is another fun way to play with the audience during a public speaking engagement. However, you must make the statements obviously false by your words and your facial expressions. When you use this technique in this fashion, you don't want to leave any doubt in the audience's mind whether you are being funny or not.

Deadpan expression, or keeping a straight face, is a good technique to couple with fake facts and statistics. Also, you should really, really sound like you are trying to convince the audience that what your saying is true. This overemphasis on the sound of truth also tells the audience you are lying.

One time I was doing a Secretaries Day function. I used an extremely serious voice when I told them that scientific studies had been conducted indicating that the only reason executives became executives was because they couldn't make it as secretaries. They loved it.

Public Speaking: Fake Facts and Statistics

Another good technique to build up your joke is to use official sounding sources for the information. 'A study done for the Alaskan Pipeline Workers Union indicated that 97.2 percent of Alaskan Pipeline Workers wear No Nonsense panty hose.' When using this type of humor use 'exact numbers' which add an extra comic emphasis.

Public Speaking: Fake Facts and Statistics
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Copyright © 1998 - 2005 Advanced Public Speaking Institute

Tom Antion provides entertaining speeches and educational seminars. He is the ultimate entrepreneur, having owned many businesses BEFORE graduating college. Tom is the author of the best selling presentation skills book "Wake 'em Up Business Presentations" and "Click: The Ultimate Guide to Electronic Marketing." It is important to Tom that his knowledge be not only absorbed, but enjoyed. This is why he delivers his speeches laced with great humor and hysterical jokes. Tom has addressed more than 87 different industries and is thoroughly committed to his clients' needs. http://www.antion.com

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Public Speaking Tips - How to Be a Good Public Speaker

When someone asks you to deliver a speech, what's your initial reaction? If you are like most other people, it's sheer terror! But this is quite unfortunate. For public speaking does not necessarily involve talking to a large audience. There are millions of people all over the world who don't aspire greatness in the podium. Instead, as office managers, or team leaders, they are required to talk to a small group of people. But even that small task can send shivers down the spine of most group leaders. But the good thing is that anyone, with a little bit of training and motivation, can become a good public speaker. Truly, if you want to succeed as an effective public speaker, you will have to learn and adopt certain public -speaking strategies. Here are a few public speaking tips to make you shine in the podium.

1) Pick the right subject.You must choose a topic you are familiar with and which you have strong feelings. It is really disastrous to talk on something which is not your domain and you are very likely to make an ass of yourself if you do that. However, if you tread on known grounds, you will feel comfortable and confident to talk about your subject.

2) Organize your points thoughtfully and logically. Your talk must have a beginning--a brief introduction on what you are going to say; a middle where you elaborate on your topic; and an ending that summarizes on what you have just said.

Public Speaking Tips - How to Be a Good Public Speaker

3) Rehearse your speech in private. After you have planned your presentation, it is time to practise delivering it. Better if you do it alone. Remember, you are not initiating a discussion here. You will have to talk alone and logically present what you would like to say. Hence, you would do well to practise in front of the mirror like a seasoned actor. Be positive and try to "see" and "hear" the positive feedback you are going to get when you have them under your sway.

4) Don't resort to elaborate notes. No pre-written speech can sound spontaneous. You are doomed if you do that. At best, you can make short notes, consisting of only a few words,which will guide you towards your destination.

5) Be friendly with your audience. Don't be formal and stuffy. Begin your talk maintaining a simple conversational style. make use of humor as much as you can, but only at the right places. And please avoid stale and outworn jokes, which will merely increase boredom.

6) Bring your speech to a climactic end. Your ending words must be carefully crafted so that they continue to ring in the ears of your listeners even after you have ended.Urge them, exhort them to a course of action, and leave them wanting more.In other words, end with a bang.

The age-old proverb "Practice makes perfect" is applicable to public speaking as well. Indeed, the more you practise, the better you become. Hence, whenever, you get an opportunity to speak, don't shy away. You will gradually develop your self-confidence and oratorial skills if you put your mind on the spot.Surely, if you follow my public speaking tips sincerely, you will definitely become a good public speaker.

Public Speaking Tips - How to Be a Good Public Speaker
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Public Speaking: 10 Tips to Improve Public Speaking Skills

When I ask my audiences their number one challenge with public speaking, they overwhelmingly say, "to overcome the fear of public speaking." It's okay to have "butterflies." The key is how to get them organized, focused and flying in formation. Here are 10 tips for delivering a more powerful, persuasive presentation. Practice these techniques consistently to improve public speaking skills.

1. 95% of your success is determined before the presentation. Your audience will know if you didn't rehearse. Rehearsing, or "rehearing" yourself minimizes 75% of your nervousness. Rehearse standing up, or better yet, ask someone to videotape you. The camera will be your most objective ally. The more comfortable you become with your material via rehearsing, the more comfortable you will be with your body language.

Public Speaking

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2. Either memorize or "know cold" your opener and close. Two minutes each for an opener and a close is enough. The most important thing your audience will remember is your closing. Second most important thing they'll remember is your opener. Start with something attention grabbing, like a quote or statistic, which relates to your topic. Never start with, "Good Morning." It is obvious and boring.

Public Speaking: 10 Tips to Improve Public Speaking Skills

3. Public Speaking: 24 hours before your presentation:

A. Have a quiet dinner with a quiet friend. (This may or may not be your spouse!) You won't be as concerned about your public speaking skills if you can put your nervous system on glide.

B. The evening before, put your presentation on audiocassette as background noise one hour before retiring. Listen to your opener and close before bedtime as a review.

C. No massive changes 24 hours before. Nothing increases the fear of public speaking more than rewritting your material at the last minute. Impromptu speeches notwithstanding.

D. Visualize your presentation going smoothly and successfully. All Olympic athletes use this technique, and it works with public speaking as well.

E. Review your notes and visual aids the evening before. Your notes should only be "fast food for the eyes" in bullet form, and are NEVER read to the audience.

F. Eat a good high protein breakfast the morning of your presentation. Even if you're not speaking until that evening, feed your mind and body the proper fuel.

4. Before your presentation, check yourself in a full-length mirror. A dear friend of mine forgot to do this. During her keynote speech in front of hundreds, someone quietly pointed out that her skirt was tucked into her pantyhose!

5. Public speaking and purpose: When organizing your talk, define your purpose. Why are you there? Why are they there? Is this a sales presentation? A community watch group? If you present technical information, is this an information/knowledge transfer or a decision briefing? When presenting technical information make certain not to overload your audience with too much detail, or too much on each slide. Tailor your message. Define your objective.

6. Know your audience before designing your opener and close. It is imperative that you "speak the language" of your audience. What are their ages? Percentage of males/females? Are they highly technical or non-technical? Do they want to be there or is this mandatory? What are their expectations? If you are a scientist or engineer, speak to the "lowest common denominator." Technical presenters have a propensity to use a lot of technical jargon. Does the person in charge of funding understand the language?

7. Avoid using too many slides. Visual aids are wonderful tools as long as they're used to enhance the information. A common mistake is using the visual aids as the presentation. Look at the audience frequently to establish rapport and a connection. In almost every presentation, you are there to "sell" them not simply "tell" them. Do not look at your visual aids other than a quick glance, and never read them. Never turn your back on the audience to read slides. They will not look at your slides. Their minds will start to wander. Remember, you are your own best visual aid.

8. Good public speaking skills mean being prepared. As the saying goes, prior planning prevents predictably poor performance. Planning and preparation will reduce nervousness 75%. Again, your audience will know if you didn't rehearse. Consider hiring a public speaking coach. The dollars invested may well be worth their weight in gold.

9. The Q & A period and how to handle a hostile audience. The second most frequent comment I hear in my public speaking seminars is "What if they ask a question and I don't know the answer?" Or, "What if someone in the audience is a know-it-all and doesn't like me?" Avoid being argumentative. If you don't know the answer, ask if someone in the audience has the answer. Or, simply let them know when you will get back to them. Make certain you do. When you lie you die. It destroys your credibility.

10. Variety and venue. Variety serves as a "wake up call" to your audience. Examples of adding variety: humor, relevant stories, quotes, voice inflection, paired and group activities, pauses, audience participation in the question and answer period, and slides or other multimedia. As for your venue, are your visual aids appropriate to your size of audience? Will everyone be able to see them?

Lastly, make sure to confirm the time, date, and place with the appropriate contact person. If possible, arrange to see the room ahead of time so you can practice visualizing in the exact location of your presentation. At the minimum, arrive at least one hour ahead of time. To improve public speaking skills, and overcome nervousness, nothing works like being prepared.

Copyright 2006 Colleen Kettenhofen

Public Speaking: 10 Tips to Improve Public Speaking Skills

Colleen Kettenhofen is a motivational speaker, workplace expert, & co-author of "The Masters of Success," as featured on the Today Show, along with Ken Blanchard and Jack Canfield. http://www.ColleenSpeaks.com Topics: leadership, management, difficult people, success, public speaking. To order the book, or for free articles and newsletter visit http://www.ColleenSpeaks.com You are free to reprint or repost this information provided Colleen Kettenhofen's name and website is provided with the article.

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