ALISON HENDERSON’S ADVICE for Increasing Nonverbal Value in Virtual Meetings

Back Away from the Computer

Otherwise, it feels to those on the other end of the video conference like you are literally invading their space. Moving back just a couple inches can go a long way toward creating comfort.

Hands Up!

Visible hand gestures make speakers appear more trustworthy. This may be a bit more challenging for men than for women, however, since men tend to gesture at waist level while women gesture higher up. Gesturing with your palms up also contributes to being perceived as more open.

Show Some Shoulders

There is a lot you can tell just from the position of people’s shoulders. Soften your shoulders and use more upper body movements to invite increased collaboration and strengthen relationships.

Shift Slightly Sideways

Online, everybody is two-dimensional. By rotating your position by 45 degrees or so, it will immediately make you appear more three-dimensional and, thus, more human.

Zap that “Resting Zoom Face”

When just listening, we tend to be very neutral in our facial expressions. However, some may perceive neutral expressions across the barrier of the screen as anger or criticism. To alleviate anxieties inadvertently caused by “Resting Zoom Face,” instead, give periodic nods, subtle smiles of encouragement, or other nonverbal signals that you would use more naturally in face-toface meetings.

Check for Changes

In virtual communication, similar to during in-person conversation, major shifts in someone’s movement pattern may signal deception. If someone who is typically still begins gesturing wildly, or someone who is nonverbally animated suddenly shuts down in terms of body movement, it may be a telltale sign they are lying. Be cautious when trying to catch a child in a fib through altered body language, however, as movement patterns do not generally solidify until early adulthood.

nonverbal behavior connects to the decision-making process and relationships.

It is not always easy to achieve better presence – be it in presentations, meetings, or interviews – Henderson said, but effective “nonverbal behavior can be learned and practiced until real magnetism and authenticity are achieved.”

According to Henderson, nonverbal communication is underemphasized in our society. “We hear body language is 75 percent or even 95 percent of our communication –depending on where you read it –but we still put priority on verbal [language] in school, in executive writing, in business classes…” Henderson said. “It’s still more of the written word than the physical embodiment of what you’re saying, but we have to be thinking about this whole other piece.”

This “other piece” is nonverbal messaging. Henderson urges people to listen with their eyes. Close visual listening is particularly helpful as “everyone has a signature movement pattern, which is like a fingerprint,” she explained.

These unique movements allow people to be easily recognized, even from afar, and are “why it is possible to caricaturize people – like on ‘Saturday Night Live’–really nailing that celebrity or politician’s movement pattern,” Henderson noted.

Henderson educates her clients on which movement patterns they can control, as much body language is subconscious. Gestures are more controllable, and therefore changeable, than some other forms of body movement.

However, even when people are able to alter their body language, they may not be able to change how others perceive their nonverbal communication. This is because there are psychological roots to how certain movements are received. “For every experience we have, our brain is trying to find a former experience that can help categorize what we have seen,” Henderson explained.

For example, someone could consciously attempt to make a positive first impression, but if they remind the person on the other end of the communication of their “third grade teacher they couldn’t stand,” Henderson said, even all the right moves might fall short.

That said, with Henderson’s coaching, clients increase the likelihood of achieving desirable interpersonal outcomes. In the case of sales teams with which she works, when they present themselves more intentionally and effectively read and respond to “the signals of what’s coming from the other side of the table, their interactions are more productive and they can close the sale faster,” Henderson said.

Henderson not only guides others to enhanced nonverbal communication, she also practices what she preaches – perhaps most publicly in the TEDx Wrigleyville Talk about digital body language she delivered in 2020. She also coaches other TEDx Wrigleyville speakers.

Henderson’s unique skill set also makes her a sought-after body language expert to provide commentary about public figures’ facial expressions, postures, and

“That’s why I would much rather look at a video than a snapshot.” other nonverbal behaviors. Body language can tell a lot about what is “going on in a person’s mind or what type of leader they are,” Henderson said. “If [a media outlet] is doing a story about mayoral candidates, I might be asked to watch the footage and then predict what type of leader they will be.”

In January, she was quoted in a Newsweek article for her analysis of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s body language and what it might convey about their relationship. Henderson cautions against reading too much into nonverbal elements in photographs, though. “Body language is contextual,” she said.

When not consulting or conducting body language analyses, Henderson may be found writing or teaching. She authored two books: “Reducing the Drama in Business Relationships: Understanding Why People Act the Way They Do” for corporate professionals and “Closing the Distance in Distance Learning: A Teacher’s Guide to Online and Mask Communication” for educators seeking to create connection with their students, even when separated by a screen.

Henderson is an educator herself, teaching theater appreciation and improvisation classes at the College of DuPage. She is also a mother to a high school junior and college sophomore. Henderson and her family reside in Downers Grove.

For more information or to connect with Alison Henderson, visit www.movingimageconsulting.com. ■