10Body Language and Presence
“The average person looks without seeing, listens without hearing, touches without feeling, moves without physical awareness … and talks without thinking.”
—Leonardo da Vinci1
Your body introduces you before your words. More than ever before, today people make snap judgments based on first impressions. That's why body language is central to the influence tool set.
The same holds true for nonverbal cues such as tone of voice, eye contact, inflection, and how close we stand to someone. Those cues all convey specific messages that affect our influence.
To understand the cues you give and receive requires self-awareness, mindfulness, humility, empathy, emotional intelligence, and discipline—the basic skills of leadership and influence. The good news is that those skills can advance people in most industries as well as personal relationships. Body language can be the guide that offers subtle clues if we learn to listen without agenda or ego.
The Work Begins Inside You
There are tools, techniques, and even some secrets of successful body language. But the reality is that when we speak with authenticity and passion, our bodies know exactly what to do and how to be congruent with our words.
In these pages you will learn how to align your body with the natural authentic movement of a message that is congruent with the words spoken from the heart.
Micro-Expressions
A CEO of a large bank was frustrated with his leadership team because he didn't think ...
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