Nonverbal communication is how we communicate emotions without saying any words. This is also referred to as body language. Your nonverbals, and the nonverbals of your clients are very important. In any given conversation, about 55% of the communication comes from body language, whereas 38% comes from tone, and only 7% comes from the actual words you use.
When you are talking to clients, you want to make sure you convey that you are actively listening to their needs, while demonstrating confidence in your solutions. To show that you are actively listening you can:
- Smile genuinely.
- Make eye contact, but make sure you are not holding eye contact too long—it may intimidate your client.
- Nod slowly to show interest.
- Lean toward your client but be careful not to invade their personal space.
- Mirror their body language.
- Control fidgeting and avoid looking down at your watch or phone.
- Keep your arms in an open position, don’t cross them.
- Take notes and summarize back to them what you heard.
To show confidence:
- Hold your head high; avoid looking down.
- Stand tall. Don’t slouch.
- Keep a wide stance with feet apart.
- Walk quickly and take long strides. Be careful not to run. Keep back and neck erect.
- Offer a firm handshake, when appropriate.
Now that you are sending the appropriate nonverbals to your clients, let’s discuss what their nonverbals are telling you! When we think about nonverbals we typically focus on facial expressions. However, there are four major areas to focus on to get the whole picture: face, arms, hands, and legs.
- The Face: Many people attempt to read a client’s face to understand their emotions, but the face can be very misleading. People are more aware of their facial expressions than any other part of them, so they’ve had more practice hiding their true feelings behind a friendly mask. However, no matter how good they are at masking their facial expressions, true feelings occasionally slip out in the form of micro-expressions. These are expressions that last less than a second, so you have to be observant to catch them. Common facial expressions your client may show are:
- Happiness: More than a smile is needed to indicate happiness. Genuine happiness should include the eyes. Eyelids crinkle and crow’s feet become visible. This is the look you want all clients to have after you close a call.
- Anger: A frown typically accompanies anger. Additionally, eyes narrow, chin points forward, and eyebrows furrow.
- Fear: Wide eyes and slightly raised eyebrows signal fear. The lips may be parted or stretched when the mouth is closed. If you see this one, especially when you are talking about pricing, you may want to build more value and address their fears before you get an objection.
- Surprise: Surprise is similar to fear. Eyebrows fully raise, and eyes are wide with surprise. The mouth, however, is usually open.
- Disgust: The expression of disgust includes the nose. The nose wrinkles, lips part, and eyes narrow. You may see this one after you conduct your inspection and share the results with your client. This may be an opportunity to offer additional solutions and increase your ticket!
- Arms: While the face can communicate many subtleties, arms indicate whether the client’s general attitude is open or closed. Crossed arms signal caution; you may need to focus more on your warm-up or take more time to build rapport to give the client an opportunity to “open up.”
- Hands: The hands can be very telling of person’s emotions because oftentimes hand gestures are unconscious movements or mannerisms. Your client may be smiling—but if their fists are clenched you know they are guarded or not telling you something. Additional gestures to look out for include:
- Head Tilt: A brief head tilt means interest. Holding a tilt equals boredom.
- Open Palms: Showing palms is a sign of innocence or sincerity.
- Rubbing Hands Together: Rubbing hands together is a sign of excitement or anticipation.
- Drumming Fingers: This is a sign of impatience. If you are rattling on and your client starts drumming their fingers or fidgeting, it’s time to wrap it up or get to the point.
- Self-Touching Gestures: Examples of hands on chin, ear, nose, arm, etc., communicates tension or indecision. You need to create an opportunity for your client to discuss their feelings. Use of open questions is a good counter-measure.
- Legs: Legs are a good predictor of whether a client is interested or not. If the client’s legs are uncrossed or crossed toward you, they are communicating an open attitude toward you and what you are offering. Should you see their legs crossed away from you (and you notice negative signals communicated in another channel), you must take steps to regain your client’s interest.
Reading and understanding nonverbals are critical to building relationships and trust with not just clients, but coworkers, friends, and acquaintances. Remember not to judge people’s attitudes by limiting your observations to one nonverbal communication channel. Review all four nonverbal channels prior to developing an appropriate (verbal or nonverbal) response.