Читать книгу Communication - Carolyn Boyes - Страница 13

“Trust me”, says the salesperson you meet for the first time. But something about them looks shifty. How long will it take you to get over that first impression? Our first impressions are formed within as little as 10 seconds, and the first impression is hard to shift, so you need to make sure you’ve made a positive one.

It’s not only your words that make an impression when you meet someone but also your body language. Whether you are talking to someone over the phone, introducing yourself face to face or simply walking into a room and looking around without speaking, your body is saying even more than what’s coming out of your mouth.

one minute wonder Practise putting authority into what you say. Say something serious in a squeaky voice and you will notice not only how the words are undermined but also how you have to change your breathing to do this. Now deepen your breathing and notice how your voice gains power.

Psychology Professor Albert Mehrabian produced the now most used model of communication in the 1970s. He showed that:

 55% of communication is down to the way you stand or sit, your gestures and facial expressions. Some of this body language is very obvious, while other signals will only be picked up unconsciously.

 7-10% of communication comes from the actual words you use.

 35-38% of communication is how you say things: how loudly you speak, your accent and how deep or high is your tone of voice.

Of course, if you are on a telephone, you have only your voice to work with, but still watch how you are standing or sitting and how you are breathing, as they will all affect how your voice sounds.

So, what was going on with that shifty, untrustworthy person you met for the first time? Well, he or she was probably saying the right things but thinking something different. That showed up in, or leaked into, their body language.

Pay attention to what you say but also make sure that you believe what you say. If you don’t, your audience will pick up immediately that something is not quite right. They won’t necessarily know what is not right, but instinctively they will know that they don’t feel comfortable with you, and that isn’t a positive in business.

Watch what you are saying with your body; it’s an even more important communicator than your words.