Beyond Insurance

Body language…Actions speak louder than words

Improving your nonverbal skills will improve your professional—and personal—life

By Scott Addis

This column is a tribute to Edwin L. Knetzger Jr., a remarkable leader and amazing communicator. Ed was a friend, role model and mentor until his death in December 2003. He had a way of drawing the best out of everyone by the manner in which he delivered his message. While he had a gift with the English language, it was his body language that created remarkable impact.

I first met Ed in my interview process at Johnson & Higgins in 1980. At the time, he was the managing director of the firm’s Philadelphia brokerage operations. Little did I know that he would assume the presidency of the largest privately held insurance broker in the world only two years later.

I vividly remember his handshake, the sparkle in his eye, his warm smile and my first pat on the back. Ed had an amazing following. His family, friends and staff admired his every move. His style, grace and charisma were gifts that were appreciated by all. While Ed’s accomplishments are too numerous to list in this column, his legacy is the lasting impact he had on those who worked for and with him.

Most communication is nonverbal

Nonverbal communication is the process of communicating through the sending and receiving of wordless messages. Nonverbal signals have five times the impact of verbal signals. Like the spoken language, body language has words, sentences and punctuation. Each gesture is like a single word, and each word may have several meanings. Since nonverbal communication encompasses the vast majority of our overall message, we need to understand the impact of our body language, gestures, facial expressions, posture and movements. Body language is the outward reflection of our emotional state and condition.

The first scientific study of nonverbal communication dates back to 1872 when Charles Darwin wrote The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. Darwin argued that all mammals show emotion in their faces. The most widely referenced study was by Albert Mehrabian, who pioneered the understanding of communication in the 1960s. Mehrabian’s research substantiated that only 7% of a message is verbally communicated, while 93% is transmitted nonverbally.

The bulk of communication comes across in appearance and body language, comprising 55%. Tone, speed and inflection of voice make up the remaining 38%. Anthropologist Ray Birdwhistell also played a key role in understanding the impact of nonverbal communication—what he called “kinesics.”

Birdwhistell estimated that the average person speaks words for a total of about 10 to 11 minutes a day and the average sentence takes only 2.5 seconds. He also estimated that human beings make and recognize about 250,000 facial expressions per day. Like Mehrabian, he determined that the verbal component of a face-to-face conversation is less than 35% and that more than 65% of communication is done nonverbally.

An analysis of thousands of recorded sales interviews and negotiations in business encounters supports the findings of Mehrabian and Birdwhistell. Body language accounts for between 60% and 80% of the impact surrounding business negotiations. It is also interesting to note that we form our initial impression about a person within 30 seconds. According to Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, first impressions may occur much faster—instantaneously or in two seconds.

Check yourself out

Because nonverbal communication encompasses the vast majority of your overall message, it would be prudent to step back and take a close look at your own body language. This includes, but is not limited to, your attire, tone of voice, eye contact or lack thereof, gestures, open arms, crossed legs, throat clearing and so on. Even your choices of clothing, hairstyle, glasses and accessories have an impact. Your appearance communicates a strong message.

Besides being aware of your own body language, you must understand what body language means so that you can effectively approach and react to others. This is particularly helpful for producers and account managers who interact frequently with customers.

Five key elements can make or break your attempt at successful nonverbal business communication:

Eye contact. Eye contact indicates interest, attention and involvement. A person’s eyes are always “talking” and providing valuable clues. Good eye contact helps your audience develop trust in you, thereby elevating you and enhancing your message. Poor eye contact does just the opposite. Research indicates that people rely on visual clues to help them decide whether or not to attend to a message. If they find that you are not “looking” at them while you are speaking, they become uneasy. It is essential to engage all members of the audience by looking at them.

Gestures. A gesture is a non-facial body movement intended to express meaning. Gestures may be articulated with hands, arms or body, and also may include movements of the head, face and eyes such as winking, nodding or rolling the eyes. Often gestures tell us something about a person or situation that is not communicated verbally. In the business setting, consumers rely heavily on your face and hands to draw conclusions about the passion and conviction you have about your products and services.

Posture. Your posture tells a powerful, nonverbal story. Good posture transmits a message of authority, confidence, trust and power. Posture is understood through such indicators as direction of lean, body orientation, arm position and body openness. Studies indicate that a person who displays a forward lean or a decrease in backwards lean signifies positive sentiment during communication.

Smile and laughter. People who laugh and smile, even when they don’t feel especially happy, make their brain’s left hemisphere surge with electrical activity. When you laugh, every organ in your body is affected in a positive way. As with smiling, when laughter is incorporated as a permanent part of who you are, it attracts friends, improves health and extends life.

The power of touch

Researchers at the University of Minnesota conducted an experiment that became known as “The Phone Booth Test.” They placed a coin on the ledge of a phone booth, hid behind a tree and waited for an unsuspecting subject to walk in and find it. When this happened, one of the researchers would approach the subject and say, “Did you see my coin in that phone booth? I need it to make another call.” Only 23% of the subjects admitted they had found it and gave it back.

In the second part of the study, the coin was placed in the phone booth again, but when the researchers approached the people who took it, they touched them lightly on the elbow for not longer than three seconds and inquired about the coin.

This time 68% admitted to having the coin, looked embarrassed and said things like, “I was looking around to try to see who owned it…” The power of touch, whether it’s your handshake, a touch on the elbow, a “high five” or a pat on the back, has a positive impact.

Understanding the importance of eye contact, gesture, posture, touch, smile and laughter will help enhance your level of communication. Your understanding of nonverbal communication will also allow you to become more perceptive in business settings. Being perceptive reflects your ability to spot contradictions between someone’s words and his or her body language. When in doubt, trust the nonverbal communication—what you see and feel. While words can be manipulated, body language is much harder to control.

When Ed Knetzger retired from Johnson & Higgins in 1985, he took an active role with Gallagher Knetzger, a marketing and communications company in the Philadelphia area. It was there that I once again had the opportunity to study his body language and to understand the magic of his communication. Ed was the master of using nonverbal communication to enhance relationships, management and communication. Thank you, Ed Knetzger. Your legacy lives on. *

The author
Scott Addis is president and CEO of The Addis Group and Addis Intellectual Capital, LLC (AIC). AIC is a coaching and consulting company whose purpose is to transform the process that independent agents, brokers and carriers use when working with clients. Scott is recognized as an industry leader, having been chosen Inc. magazine’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” as well as being named one of the “25 Most Innovative Agents in America.” He can be reached at saddis@beyondinsurance.com or (610) 945-1019.