Importance of Non Verbal Communication in Business
Business is about information -- bosses tell employees what they should do, presenters tell their audiences about products and sales representatives tell clients about products. For information to have its desired effect, it must be received in the right way. The speaker's non-verbal communication skills determine how the listener receives what he or she has to say.
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Trust
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Trust is essential to running a successful business. Clients and businesses must trust each other to uphold contracts. Employees must trust each other to complete their designated tasks, and teamwork fails without trust. Non-verbal cues play a large part in establishing trust between people. For example, good eye contact by a speaker encourages trust from his or her listeners. Lee Hopkins, a business communications trainer, suggests that speakers break eye contact into spans of about four or five seconds.
Confidence
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Appearing confident is important to establishing an effective image in the workplace. Listeners look for signs of confidence in speakers to determine how strongly they believe in what they are saying, and nervousness can seem like a lack of sincerity. Maintaining a straight posture, a pleasant expression and a calm manner communicates confidence to listeners. Avoid fidgeting, looking at the ground or pacing while you deliver presentations to an audience. Instead, maintain eye contact and take steps only when they enhance the presentation.
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Authority
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Most businesses operate using a system of hierarchy. A boss manages the employees under him or her. For management to be effective, the employees must respect the boss and feel a responsibility to carry out his or her directives. Employee respect comes from the projection of a sense of authority. Managers can convey this by maintaining a confident posture. They should be firm, but not aggressive, when telling employees what to do; a show of uncertainty gives employees a reason to doubt the direction.
Connections
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Business opportunities are often found through friends or acquaintances. Building personal relationships is vital to finding these opportunities, which is why businesspeople place importance on the act of networking. Non-verbal communication is important in forming networks. A firm handshake creates a bond between people when they meet for the first time, and that connection is strengthened by eye contact when they speak. Calm, affable speech indicates an openness to forming a friendship. These cues, more than the content of what is said, lay the foundation for the formation of a business connection.
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