The Eyes Have It

insight

communication

The Eyes Have It Don’t undermine the power of nonverbal communication while dealing with your customer, investor, or business partner

Vimarsh Bajpai

A

great product or a service is not worth a dime if you fail to communicate its benefits to your target customers. Similarly, a groundbreaking business idea would only fetch a zilch if you were to sit on it without talking about it to probable investors. The role of impressive communication in running a successful business has been stressed time and again. Peter Drucker, the renowned management guru, once said that 60% of management problems in any organization are a result of poor communication. A recent survey of over 2,000 top executives and senior managers, conducted by US-based NFI Research, found that 94 percent of the participants considered “communicating well� as the key skill to succeed in business today. Communication plays a critical role in both professional and personal conduct that involves dealing with 54 FEBRUARY 2011 | dare.co.in

people who could be friends and family, business associates, customers, employees, and investors.

For any business, communication is internal, external, and interpersonal. Much of it is written and verbal communication with exchange of emails, newsletters, presentations, reports followed or preceded by meetings, conference calls, and one-on-one discussions. However, with all the effort we put into choosing the right words and framing the right sentences, we tend to lose out on another key component of communication, which is nonverbal. The body never lies. It says what words cannot. Therefore, how you move your hands and shoulders while making a presentation and how your facial expressions change during a business meeting can have a lasting impact, greater than the content of your slides and speech.

Here are a few points you might want to focus on: Perception: It is explained by our own behavior as consumers of a variety of products. Walk down a store in search of a detergent, and what you pull out of the shelf shows what you “perceive” about that product. The very fact that you prefer one washing powder over the other is a result of your perception about that product as a consumer. Similarly, to sell your product or service as an entrepreneur, you need to work on this aspect quite hard. You’ve got to be clear in your mind as to how you want your customers and employees to perceive you and your organization. Then, work on it using various channels of communication. Seek constant feedback to find out how far you have succeeded in creating

requires getting over the fear of public speaking.

You might have penned great ideas but you ought to stand in front of a group and share it out loud.

Practice is the key here, and the more you do it, the better.

Facial Expressions: While everybody loves a pleasant face, there is no reason why one should have a grin when making a presentation. If you are out there to sell, a tired and bored look is a big negative. Facial expressions show whether you are really interested in dealing with the person across the table or just whiling away time. Try and make sense of what your customer is saying. If he is getting bored, politely end the meeting and seek a

With all the effort we put into choosing the right words and framing the right sentences, we tend to lose out on another key component of communication, which is nonverbal. The body never lies. It says what words cannot the right perception. It begins with the way you design your visiting card, your website, and your logo. Social media is a wonderful vehicle through which you can communicate with your customers and create a lasting brand identity.

Body Language: It could be hard to believe, but your eyes can both listen and speak, and this happens more often while you are making a presentation or listening to someone. Shying away from making eye contact can cost you dearly and so does putting your hands in your pocket while strolling across the hall. A loose handshake conveys you are not so confident, and crossing your hands close to your chest shows you are defensive. So, the right body language is an important part of nonverbal communication. Much of it

fresh appointment, instead of forcing a load of information in vain.

Voice: Shouting over the rooftop will not get you customers; however, a polite presentation would.

You can lose valuable employees by howling at them during team meetings and making enemies at workplace. Raising your pitch to make a point and be heard is a bad idea, unless you are sure that your listener has a hearing problem. Modulating your voice does require some practice.

Vimarsh Bajpai is a content and communications consultant. As the founder of Samvad Sutra, he works with organizations and individuals to help them communicate better. Interact with him on Twitter @vimarshbajpai.

To write to the author, please send an email to dare@cybermedia.co.in with the subject line 'Vimarsh Bajpai'.

The views expressed here are that of the author and do not represent the magazine's.

dare.co.in | FEBRUARY 2011 55