Good communication skills are critical skills for anyone wanting to advance in their professional career. Good communication skills also can help you in your personal life. Although we know that verbal and written communication skills are important, research has shown that nonverbal behaviors make up a large percentage of our daily interpersonal communication. In fact, the research shows that 7% of our personal messages are conveyed by words; 38% by tone of voice and 55% by facial expressions and body language. That is why it is so important to become skilled at nonverbal communications.

How can you improve your nonverbal communication skills? Your strategic thinking business coach offers ten (10) tips for nonverbal communication or body language that can help you learn to read the nonverbal signals of other people and therefore enhance your own communication skills.

Tip #1: Commit to being a lifelong learner about how to read non-verbal signs or body language. Remember that people can and do communicate information in numerous ways.

Tip #2: Train yourself to look for non-verbal behaviors that do not match a person’s words.

Tip #3: Train yourself to be very aware of your tone of voice when speaking as this conveys 38% of your message.

Tip #4: Train yourself to keep appropriate eye contact with the other person(s).

Tip #5: Ask questions about body language to clear up confusion about the other person’s nonverbal signs.

Tip #6: Learn to use your body language to be more effective in your communications.

Tip #7: Learn to view some gestures as a group of signals, rather than as an individual signal to make sure you are not placing too much emphasis on a single gesture.

Tip #8: Learn to become aware of mixed signals and to not misread body language. Consider the overall demeanor of the person as opposed to one single gesture.

Tip #9: Seek outside advice and training on nonverbal communications to raise your skill level.

Tip #10: Discipline yourself to observe and study the nonverbal communications of others and to practice your nonverbal communications in order to enhance our own communications skills.

Your strategic thinking business coach encourages you to enhance your nonverbal communication skills. If you would like to learn more about becoming more effective in nonverbal communications and how a strategic thinking business coach can facilitate and guide you in that endeavor, please contact Glenn Ebersole today through his website at www.businesscoach4u.com or by email at jgecoach@aol.com

Glenn Ebersole, Jr. is a multi-faceted professional, who is recognized as a visionary, guide and facilitator in the fields of business coaching, marketing, public relations, management, strategic planning and engineering. Glenn is the Founder and Chief Executive of two Lancaster, PA based consulting practices: The Renaissance Group, a creative marketing, public relations, strategic planning and business development consulting firm and J. G. Ebersole Associates, an independent professional engineering, marketing, and management consulting firm. He is a Certified Facilitator and serves as a business coach and a strategic planning facilitator and consultant to a diverse list of clients. Glenn is also the author of a monthly newsletter, “Glenn’s Guiding Lines – Thoughts From Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach” and has published more than 350 articles on business.