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In any in-person interaction, body language has a major effect on how people
interpret your message and respond to it.
Types of body language:
Eye contact
Facial expression
Posture
Gestures
Nodding (or shaking your head “no”)
Body language is a controversial topic. There are many people who will swear blind that, whatever
anyone else says, the only kind of language that can be trusted is that which is spoken and is written
down. However, there are many dedicated body language experts who have made clear and
incontrovertible findings that make clear the truth about body language. It is said for a reason that it is
possible to lie with your words, but never with your eyes. Whatever you can say to a person vocally, it is
always better to be able to back it up by looking them in the eye and making a statement that they can
trust.
Body language is honest in many ways because it happens by accident. When you are speaking to
someone, you are likely to be doing things with your body that you do not even realize you are doing.
Ask any seasoned poker player and they will tell you that – in a game which uses few words – the way
they know what another player is going to do, and what hand they have, is by looking at their hands,
their face and their body. Some people touch their face or tug their collar when they are lying. Someone
at ease will sit back in their seat and be more open in their posture. A person under pressure will look
around themselves more.
Whatever you say to a customer, it is important to use body language to your advantage. The way you
conduct yourself in the presence of a customer may well have more impact on their confidence in you
than anything you say to them. If you look around you when they are relating a problem, it will give
them the impression that you do not care and only want them to get it off their chest and leave you
alone. If you look at them and nod when they say something of importance, they will take from that that
you are listening to them and are interested in seeing that their problem gets solved. Retaining a
customer’s confidence is essential, and your use of body language will dictate how successful you are in
doing that.