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Trying to persuade others to do something, or to convince them of the "rightness" of our point of view and sell them our ideas, requires that we communicate effectively. And some experts claim that nonverbal communication is more important than the words we utter. They estimate that only 7% of the force of a communication lies in its content, while 38% is in paralanguage--tone of voice, intonation, pauses, and sighs--and 55% is in body language.
Sometimes body language speaks volumes and we can interpret it easily. At other times it is amazingly quick and subtle, and if we don't keep our eyes open, we may miss some important messages.
In his book Silent Messages, psychologist Albert Mehrabian offers a basic rule: Actions override words. "Our silent messages," he says, "may contradict or reinforce what we say. In either event, they are more potent than the words we speak." And when our verbal messages do not jibe, or are inconsistent with body language, our credibility crumbles because most people will believe the nonverbal.
Nonverbal communication is more eloquent, honest, and accurate than verbal communication. It tends to be more spontaneous, less controlled or manipulated, and is the window to our true feelings and attitudes. Words can deceive--many people do not mean what they say, or say what they mean --but subconscious body language reveals what we are really thinking and feeling.
Some engineers discount the importance of nonverbal communication. One reason they are unaware of its impact is that their formal education placed almost sole emphasis on technical and verbal communication. To become more adept at interpreting body language, they need to heighten their awareness of nonverbal signals and learn to use their gut-feelings more often.
They can improve their career prospects considerably if they learn to read and understand the nonverbal clues given by others. In addition, they should increase their awareness of, and improve, the signals they send.
For career success, it is important to build up, accentuate, and make more visible the body language and behavior that convey professionalism and performance, and to play down nonverbal characteristics that detract from professional competence. "When trying to succeed in the business world," says Dr. Beth Waggenspack, professor at Virginia Polytech University, "what you say with...