10 tips to improve your nonverbal communication

Good communication skills can help you both in your personal and professional life. While the skills of verbal and written communications They are important, research has shown that nonverbal behaviors constitute a large percentage of our daily interpersonal communication.

Content

• How can we improve our nonverbal communication skills?
  • 1. Pay close attention to gestures
  • 2. Concentrate on the tone of voice when speaking
  • 3. Look for incongruous behaviors
  • 4. Use the signals to make more effective and significant communication
  • 5. Beware of visual contact
  • 6. Do not be afraid to ask questions about nonverbal signals
  • 7. Evaluate the signals you receive jointly
  • 8. Take into account the context
  • 9. Careful! that signals can be misunderstood
  • 10. Practice everything you can

How can we improve our nonverbal communication skills?

The following tips will help you learn to read other people's nonverbal signals and improve your own ability to communicate effectively.

1. Pay close attention to gestures

People can communicate information in many ways, so pay attention to things such as visual contact, gestures, posture, body movements, and tone of voice. All these signals can be transmitted important information that is not said with words.

If you get used to paying more attention to other people's unconscious behaviors, you can improve your own ability to communicate in a nonverbal way.

2. Concentrate on the tone of voice when speaking

The tone of voice can transmit a lot of information, which goes from enthusiasm to disinterest or even anger. Realize how your tone affects the other answers, if you observe that they are not what you expected, Try to use the best tone, for example to emphasize the ideas you want to communicate. If you want to show true interest in something, express your enthusiasm using a more lively tone of voice, etc.

3. Look for incongruous behaviors

If someone's words do not conform to their nonverbal behaviors, more attention should be paid to the signals. For example, a person could say that he is happy with frown or looking at the ground, which warns us that he is not telling the truth.

The investigation has shown that When words do not coincide with nonverbal signals, people tend to ignore what has been said and to focus on the involuntary expressions of moods, thoughts and emotions.

4. Use the signals to make more effective and significant communication

Remember that both verbal and nonverbal language together are valuable when transmitting a message. That is why you must improve your oral communication through use of body language, so that it reinforces and supports what you are saying. This can be especially useful when presentations are made or when talking to a large group of people.

5. Beware of visual contact

When people do not look directly to others in the eyes, they may seem that they are evading or trying to hide something. On the other hand, excess ocular contact may seem that a confrontation is sought or intended to intimidate the other. Visual contact is an important part of communication, but we must also remember that healthy contact does not mean staring into someone without stopping. Some experts recommend that this type of communication be carried out with Ocular contact intervals that last between four and five seconds intermittently.

6. Do not be afraid to ask questions about nonverbal signals

If you are confused about the nonverbal signals of another person, Don't be afraid of asking questions. A good idea is to repeat its interpretation of what has been said and ask for clarification. An example of could be: "So you are saying is that ..."

7. Evaluate the signals you receive jointly

A single gesture can mean several things, or even nothing at all. The key to the correct reading of nonverbal behavior is the Search for signal groups that reinforce something concrete. If too much emphasis is placed on a single signal among many, it is possible to reach a wrong conclusion about what a person is trying to communicate.

8. Take into account the context

When you are communicating with others, always keep in mind the situation and the context in which such communication occurs. Some situations require more formal behaviors that could be interpreted very differently in any other environment.

Take into consideration nonverbal behaviors that are not appropriate for the context in which you are. On the other hand, if you are trying to improve your own nonverbal communication, Focus that your signals coincide with the level of formality that is necessary in each situation.

9. Careful! that signals can be misunderstood

It is popularly believed that A firm hands squeeze indicates a strong personality, While a weak handshake seems to us a lack of strength of character. This example illustrates an important point about the possibility of misinterpretation of nonverbal signals. A soft handshake in some cases could indicate something completely different. That is why you remember that you must look for the behavior set. The general behavior of a person is more representative than a single isolated gesture.

10. Practice everything you can

Some people seem to have a special ability to the use of effective nonverbal communication and the correct interpretation of the signals of others. But in reality this ability can be enhanced through careful attention to nonverbal behavior and the practice in the interpretation of different types of nonverbal communication with others. By forcing you to perceive the nonverbal behavior of others, in addition to practicing your own skills, you can substantially improve your communication skills.