Moving your body in a confident manner tells people more about you than what you actually say, according to the website How To Books. They claim that a very small percentage of what you say actually influences people, while another small percentage is due to how you speak: projection and quality. The highest percentage is due to how you move your body and what postures you take.
Features
Though nonverbal communication includes eye contact, facial expressions and gestures, it is how you hold your body, how close you stand to the other person and how you sit that can emphasize or defeat what you are trying to convey. For example, according to Edward G. Wertheim, Ph.D., of Northeastern State University, College of Business Administration, there are five things that posture can do: help with repeating the message you are trying to get across; contradict a message; substitute a message; complement a message; or it can underline a message.
Expert Insight
According to Wertheim, "We also look to posture to provide cues about the communicator; posture can indicate self confidence, aggressiveness, fear, guilt, or anxiety. Similarly, we look at gestures such as how we hold our hands, or a handshake. Many gestures are culture bound and susceptible to misinterpretation."
Significance
Being able to read people is a talent in and of itself, and body language is a dead giveaway to how sincerely another person is really behaving toward you. Some of the strongest body cues of a sincere speaker are when they have an open, relaxed body posture and are leaning slightly forward, according to an article by William E. Nolen in the April 1995 issue of "Internal Auditor."
Effects
The way you move your body also speaks volumes. People are watching how you stand, sit, walk and hold your head. If you are looking down all the time, it will create distrust in the person with whom you are trying to openly communicate. The subtle movements that you make with your body will also be of interest to the person watching you closely. Additionally, if you walk confidently you will show much more believability than if you walk with stooped shoulders.
Practice
If you are not very good at nonverbal communication and need some practice, there are tips that can help you accomplish this. If you are stressed, take some time to breathe and relax. Stress prevents you from communicating effectively. Look at your nonverbal communication cues as a whole, not separately. Don't just look at your posture alone, but combine it with your eye contact and gestures and see if they all are working together to produce a confident, consistent mode of communication.
