Important Listening Skills to Develop

The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.

- Peter Drucker

Let me repeat Peter Drucker’s position on communication … the most important thing is hearing what isn’t being said. On the flip side, you can significantly damage your verbal messages through body language mistakes. In this regard, a body language is a form of mental and physical ability of human non-verbal communication, which consists of body posture, gestures, facial expressions, and eye movements.

Humans send and interpret such signals almost entirely subconsciously, but it shouldn’t be this way.

What does your body language say? Shouldn’t it say you’re confident, smart, and enthusiastic — and not quiet or insecure? Many people read your body language to decide whether you’re likable, trustworthy, and competent, among other things, within one second of meeting you. That needs to be your goal.

Here is an interesting fact to keep in mind. Only a small percentage of communication involves actual words: 7%, to be exact 1. In fact, 55% of communication is visual (body language, eye contact) and 38% is vocal (pitch, speed, volume, tone of voice). The world’s best business communicators have strong body language: a commanding presence that reflects confidence, competence, and charisma.

Here are nineteen common body language MISTAKES you’ll want to avoid so as to not convey the wrong impressions: