Communicating Without Words

"Words account for only 7% of all communication."

That’s one data point that has been kicking around forever. The translation is simple: your personal brand is screaming so loud that people can hardly hear a word that you are saying. As someone who gets to present to small, medium and large-sized audiences all over the world, I pick up a trick or two by watching myself present, by watching others speak and by reading and studying the craft of public speaking and storytelling. The differences between what makes a good presenter and a great presenter are – more often than not – slight nuances. An example of that will be: certain speakers think that by putting their hands in their pocket or that leaning on a lectern, it gives off the impression to the audience that they are relaxed and calm. In fact, these non-verbal postures give off the impression of being lazy, unsure and even hiding something to an audience.

Hard to believe?

It’s true think about how you feel about the body language of someone the next time they are presenting. It’s amazing how many inputs we humans take in (and how insignificant the words actually are). In this recently posted TED Talk, Amy Cuddy (an Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School), dissects the power of posture and our body language. It’s something that I have been thinking a lot about recently. I spend a lot of time hunched over a laptop or sitting in a plane or in an airport lounge. None of those positions foster a good posture and, I’m convinced, it’s affecting my overall health.

It turns out that your body language also shapes who you are (not just how others feel about you, but how you feel about yourself)…

As marketers, if we’re not great presenters and presenting ourselves in the best possible way, all is lost.