Body talk

Research by psychologist Albert Mehrabian concluded that there are three elements in any face-to-face communication:

• words,
• tone of voice and
• body language.

He suggested that when communicating a message, the person you're speaking to takes in 7% by words, 38% by tone of voice and 55% from body language.

That means that how something is said, and how people present themselves is more revealing than what they say.

Next time you're out and about or at a meeting, try some people-watching and observe people's body language.

How can you tell if they're listening?

Watch out for non-verbal clues such as:

• direct eye content
• arms folded across their chest
• leaning in
• tilting their head.

Think back to a recent conversation. Make a list of things that gave you the impression that the person you were talking to was paying attention.

If you noticed that someone was really not listening, make a mental note not to mirror their actions the next time you're faced with an important conversation!

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