WEEK 2 LESSON 1BODY LANGUAGE

WEEK 2, LESSON 1 2

INTRODUCTIONEverybody communicates nonverbally, whether they mean to or not. The tone of your voice says something. The gestures you make—or don’t make—say something. Nonverbal communication is everywhere, but it’s easily misinterpreted, so you want to make sure your nonverbal communication is as clear and unambiguous as possible.

APPEARANCEHow you look colors people’s impression of you—in other words, first impressions matter. Before people hear anything you have to say, they see you and start making judgments. If you look sharp, people will see you as likable and persuasive. If you look shabby, people won’t take you seriously.

You have more control over your appearance than you think—the place you can make the biggest impact is the way you dress. A uniform (such as a chef ’s uniform) indicates competence and professionalism, and maintaining your uniform can enhance the effect. A clean, tidy, wrinkle-free uniform gives a better impression than a messy, disheveled one.

VOICEThe second thing people notice is how you sound. Your speech might be loud, soft, fast, slow, rough, smooth, articulate, slurred, harsh, soothing, or any number of other qualities. You might do something called “uptalk”, which is a tendency to raise your pitch at the end of a sentence. Uptalk makes everything sound like a question, and it makes you seem less confident and more submissive. Listen to how you sound on recordings, because it’s how other people hear you. If you don’t like what you hear, work to improve it. This is discussed in more detail in the “Tone” lesson.

POSTUREJust the way we stand or sit delivers its own message. Generally, posture is broken down into open and closed posture. Someone seated in a closed position might have their arms folded and legs crossed, or might not be pointed directly at the other person. An open posture involves facing the other person, with no barriers between you. An open posture indicates interest and willingness to listen; a closed posture communicates discomfort or indifference, even if that’s not what you intend to communicate.

WEEK 2, LESSON 1 3

FACIAL EXPRESSIONSYour face often displays your true feelings, even when you carefully control what you say and how you say it. Facial expressions are usually the most accurate indicators of emotion. While nonverbal communication can vary dramatically between cultures, facial expressions are similar throughout the world.

GESTURESGestures are an effective method of communicating, but they should be used in moderation. If you stay completely still when you talk, people will see you as stiff and awkward, but if you gesture too much people will see you as aggressive and overbearing. Certain common gestures, like crossing your arms, can make you seem closed-off without realizing it.

Generally, you should try to demonstrate, through both verbal and nonverbal means, that you’re interested in someone and what they have to say. This means maintaining eye contact, leaning forward, and maintaining a relaxed demeanor.

CULTURAL DIFFERENCESMany of these assumptions are different in other cultures. In many Hispanic cultures, people are comfortable being physically close and touching each other, and it’s standoffish to maintain an American level of personal space. Some Middle Eastern cultures see maintaining eye contact as rude. There are countless other examples, which will be explored more in the “Communicating Across Cultures” lesson.

IMPROVING YOUR NONVERBAL COMMUNICATIONThe best way to work on your nonverbal communication is to pay attention to what you do when talking to people. If you keep track of what your body is doing when you communicate, it’s easy to adjust with practice.

IMAGE SOURCESPhoto of chef uniform licensed through Adobe Stock.

Photo of green eye courtesy of Pexels and licensed under the Pexels License.

Photo of hand gestures in conference room courtesy of Pexels and licensed under the Pexels License.

CONTENTClick here to see sources used to create the course content.