Continued from page 1
And every one of
positions we place
various elements of our body in tells a story—a powerful, nonverbal story.
For example, stand upright, shoulders straight, head up and eyes facing
front. Wear a big smile. Notice how you 'feel' emotionally.
Now, slump your shoulders, look at
floor and slightly shuffle your feet. Again, take a note of your emotional state.
Notice
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.
** 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, a sleezy 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.
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 a different used car salesman with a genuine desire to help you find
right car for you 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 met salesmen and women who don't actually make
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 from their lips and I remain unconvinced.
This second type of 'posture' is fundamentally tied to truth and honesty. It is about 'walking
talk' and being who you say you are.
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
mercy of our body and its ability to 'tell
truth' in spite of what our lips might utter. Nonverbal clues rule!
Written communication ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I could spend a lifetime writing about
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
following three books, each of which is absolutely brilliant at giving you
skills and insights into effective business writing:
The Business Style Handbook: An A-to-Z Guide for Writing on
Job with Tips from Communications Experts at
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.
But, if you want my personal recommendation... ...if you want to want to get hold and devour my personal best recommendation, then it's this book by Ken Evoy: Make Your Words Sell. "Stunning" is
only way to describe it! To grab your own copy go to http://www.sbi2004.com/myws
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!
