How communication is helped or hindered by body language

- The senior vice president of a Fortune 500 company is speaking at a leadership conference in New York. He's a polished presenter with great body language and a charming sense of humor. The audience likes him a lot. Then, as he finishes his comments, he crosses his arms and says, "I'm open for questions. Please ask me anything." At this point, there's a noticeable shift of energy in the room from engagement to uncertainty. The audience that was so attentive only moments ago is now unable to think of anything to ask. I was at that event and later, I interviewed members of the audience, none of whom recalled the arm movement, but all of whom remembered struggling to come up with a question. So what do you think happened? How could a simple gesture that people weren't even aware of have had such a powerful impact? Here's what research finds. When your body language doesn't match your words, people become confused and your verbal message gets lost. Neuroscientists at Colgate University study the effects of gestures by using electroencephalographs, EEG machines, to measure brainwaves that form peaks and valleys. One of these valleys, called N400, occurs when people listen to nonsensical language. But N400 also happens when people are shown gestures that contradict the spoken word. When the conference speaker said he was open but his body language displayed a closed gesture, he forced the audience to choose between his verbal and nonverbal messages. And when he did, people instinctively believed what they saw and not what they heard. That's why it's important for all managers and leaders to understand the impact of alignment to make sure your verbal message is helped, not hindered, by your body language. There's no doubt that you can gain a professional advantage by using body language more effectively, and I know you'll be getting a lot of tips from this course. But body language is more than a set of techniques. It also reveals your feelings. When you are not genuinely committed to what you're saying, it shows up most often in verbal/non-verbal misalignment. For example, if you secretly think that the project your team is working on is a waste of time and resources, your body language will find a way to send that message, weakening. The impact of anything positive you may say. This kind of mixed message has a negative effect on performance and makes it almost impossible to build trust. The key to alignment is authenticity. Before you try to motivate others, make sure you are personally committed, because when you believe what you're saying, your genuine enthusiasm will automatically be reflected through your well-aligned body language.