The Power of Non-verbal Communications in Leadership

Power Idea from Jerry Houston, President and CEO of HPISolutions

The Power of Non-verbal Communications in Leadership

Have you ever experienced communicating with someone and yet the words are not matching their actions?  Take a minute to focus on how it made you feel.  Did it engender a feeling of trust, of valuing and respecting you?

Non-verbal communication is very powerful and can be a great tool, or a disaster for leaders.  Let us provide some examples:

Undoubtedly there are additional points, however, you can see the power of the actions on both sides of the communication spectrum.  It is said that the breakdown of the communication process is:

• 7% is what you say.
• 55% is intonation, or how you say it.
• 38% is non-verbal.

Clearly, non-verbal communication is very powerful.

Also very powerful is the tone of the message.  This combination of how we speak and how we act when we speak sends strong messages and must be in line with what we say, the actual words that we speak.  Note the bold words below and how they change the meaning of the sentence.

I did NOT run over my mailbox                  (maybe someone else ran over my mailbox)

I did not RUN OVER my mailbox                 (maybe the mailbox got damaged some other way)

I did not run over MY mailbox                    (maybe I ran over someone else’s mailbox)

I did not run over my MAILBOX                  (maybe I ran over my child’s bike, instead)

Intonation can really change the meaning of the message – just as non-verbal cues can affect how the message is received.

The moral of this story is you must be aware of all of the factors that impact the delivery of a message.  It’s also important to watch these factors that are coming from the person you are communicating with to determine how the message is being received.

As a leader, clear communication is a critical tool in order to inspire your team and to be clear on the direction you need them to take to accomplish the results you are trying to achieve. 

We would love to communicate with YOU about communication. If this topic is a thorn in your business, let us know! We are your trusted advisors and stand at the ready.

Email info@hpisolutions.com or call 623-866-8200