BY Jessica Helinski
Many people don’t think twice about body language. But for others, it’s vital to communication. Users of American Sign Language (ASL) rely heavily on others’ movements and expressions to understand what is being said and expressed. Fast Company’s Vivan Giang recently featured three women proficient in ASL and shared their discussion of how nonverbal cues can actually be louder than the words being said.
Specifically, Laurie Achin, Katie Fitzpatrick and Miriam Horwitz discuss which cues people are usually missing during conversations. These details can be critical to your next sales conversation.
Have You Developed Backchannel Expertise?
Hearing-impaired individuals are much better at picking up on “backchannel” than those who can hear. Backchannel is the term linguists apply to the “mmmhmm‑s” and “uh huh‑s” that we typically use to convey understanding. Individuals with hearing impairments have learned to pick up on other nonverbal signals such as happy or sad facial expressions.
But, as the article points out, “hearing people don’t think about how important backchannels are so much because we assume the other person understood us… they heard us, despite language being inherently vague.” You may not always hear correctly. Or, you may be in a virtual meeting, where ideas often get lost in translation due to technology.
Being proficient in backchannel reading will help improve your communications. Keep an eye out for others’ nonverbal cues, like head nods, to confirm they are hearing and understanding you.
If they are sighing or actively looking at their phones, you should be receiving the message that they're impatient. Find a way to change your approach in the meeting. Quickly.
Facial Expressions
The experts at Janek Performance Group encourage sales professionals to pay attention to facial expressions. Noticing this behavior is important as everyone is spending more time in video meetings. Making and holding eye contact indicates their interest. Tightening their lips or pulling them inward means they are not relaxed or happy.
As you notice negative nonverbal cues from your prospects, adjust your strategy. You may want to pause your presentations ask a question and listen to their answer.
Are Your Prospects Restless in Meetings?
When speaking, many people don’t get the nonverbal message that the other person wants to speak. “Achin says that when someone is trying to speak up or interrupt the current speaker, they’ll become restless in their chair,” the articles shares. “They may push forward in their body movements and sit up higher in order to get the attention of the current speaker.”
Whether you’re in a one-on-one meeting or leading a presentation, observe the other person and watch for these signs. Make efforts to track movements in your peripheral vision as well. This is especially important in meetings. Keep in mind that 33% of buyers will not do business with a sales professional who talks incessantly about their product instead of trying to solve the business problem.
Remember a key point from the Fast Company article. “When leading a meeting, it’s easy to fall prey to tunnel vision. But, we can all pick up on a lot more, especially the people trying to interject or make additions, if we scan the room and make sure we’re seeing everyone in our peripheral vision.”
Prospects will tell you plenty with their body language. It's up to you to learn how to read this form of communication. Improving communication should always be a goal for salespeople, and that should include both verbal and nonverbal cues.
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