Non-verbal communication in business: the art of reading your interlocutor

In today's business world, success often depends not only on what you say but also on how you say it. Non-verbal communication plays a key role in creating a first impression and building trust. Understanding the subtleties of nonverbal signals can be a powerful tool in negotiations and business interactions.

Analysis of appearance

Clothing and accessories can tell a lot about a person even before they speak. For example, consider the case of the CEO of a large IT company. His choice of clothing - a shirt with vertical stripes and black glasses with expressive frames - speaks of practicality, conservatism, and a desire to appear democratic. The shirt is not fully buttoned, which may indicate a desire to appear more approachable despite his high position.

Non-verbal characteristics

Posture and position in space say a lot about a person's internal state. In our example, the CEO is sitting with a slight lean forward and to the left, which may indicate interest. However, his closed posture with lowered shoulders and clasped hands at the level of the groin indicates a certain discomfort and defensive stance.

The CEO's facial expressions are rich, but his smile is often toothless, which is atypical for modern business culture. This may indicate a certain amount of restraint or even nervousness. A close look, described as a “boa constrictor look,” indicates high attentiveness and the ability to analyze in depth.

Speech and intonation

The speech analysis showed that the CEO emphasizes certain words, such as “account”, “billion”, “PC”, and “father”. This may indicate key values or important topics for him. Pauses before these words also emphasize their importance in the context of the conversation.

Psychological profile

Based on nonverbal cues, you can draw up a preliminary psychological profile: The CEO looks like a non-public, modest person who is nevertheless positive and kind inside. His secretiveness and conservatism are combined with an inner interest and attention to detail.

Practical application

Understanding these nonverbal cues can help you prepare for negotiations with these types of personalities. For example, knowing about the conservatism and practicality of the interlocutor, you should present projects as stable and practical, even if they are innovative. Given their modesty and non-public nature, it is better to avoid excessive public recognition or praise.

Ethical considerations

It is important to remember that profiling is a tool that should be used ethically. You should not draw conclusions based on non-verbal cues alone; they should complement, not replace, verbal communication.

Conclusion

A comprehensive approach to analyzing the interlocutor, which includes the assessment of both verbal and non-verbal signals, can significantly increase the effectiveness of business communication. Developing the skills to “read” non-verbal signals is an investment that can pay significant dividends in the business world.

?? P.S. You can look for clients on LinkedIn yourself, but why, if we have trained specialists for this work??

We generate meetings with major clients to sell software development services. Let's meet with our team and discuss how we can help your company grow sales: https://it.leadgen911.com/quiz-cm-en

Also, if you liked this article, please subscribe to our weekly newsletter and come to our Thursday news stream where we share the latest insights from the IT industry??