It's estimated that about 93 per cent of the way we communicate is based on non-verbal cues. Even though that figure is most likely inflated, there's little doubt among researchers that most of the messages we send to each other are implicit. Our body language does much of the talking and, when it comes to our career, that's probably not a good thing.
In an exhaustive analysis published in July's edition of the esteemed Journal of Management, Canadian researchers reviewed every credible study conducted on non-verbal communication over the past few decades. They discovered five functions that seem to have the greatest influence over what occurs at work.
![Oprah Winfrey has the body language of a leader.](/web/20161008134900im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/w/2/a/1/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.grw2c4.png/1475715557157.jpg)
1. Your body language exposes the real you.
The real you might be focused, clever and engaged. It's just that your brain hasn't told your face. Or your arms. Or your posture. Research has shown, for example, that people with an expressionless face are often perceived as uninterested – and therefore harshly treated – even though they might be fully committed to their work. And a weak handshake can be unfairly interpreted as belonging to an individual who's dishonest and unemployable.
![Luke Beveridge, senior coach of the Bulldogs and captain Robert Murphy embrace.](/web/20161008134900im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/u/9/6/q/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.grw2c4.png/1475715557157.jpg)
2. Your body language makes you appear dominant … or not.
It really depends on what you want. If what you want to establish is hierarchy and status, you're likely to gain some benefit from what's known as the "power posture". Legs spread, arms on hips, that kind of thing. But if what you want is to be seen as likeable and trustworthy, you're best served chilling out a little.
It's in this domain where gender differences are most apparent. Prior studies have found that men who appear angry are treated more generously than women who appear the same way. That's because an angry man is commonly perceived as being in that state due to factors beyond his influence; an angry woman, in contrast, has simply lost control or is just a naturally cranky person.
3. Your body language makes you an uninspiring leader.
![Body language can express how you feel about your work. Here a trader in Tehran goes about her work.](/web/20161008134900im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/w/2/a/4/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.grw2c4.png/1475715557157.jpg)
It's often said a leader isn't a leader without dedicated and energised employees. Which is why it's important to heed the lessons of research in the recent past, which demonstrates employees are likely to follow a leader with a dull message if that leader happens to convey, non-verbally, a sense of charisma, passion and animation. That approach is contagious and evidently more powerful than leaders who deliver, conversely, a visionary message but in an insipid way.
4. Your body language damages your relationships.
This one's all about rapport. The scholars provide two examples, again based on previous studies, of what harms it. The first is reflected in body language that indicates you're feeling negatively when the person with whom you're interacting is feeling the opposite. This could include expressing panic at a time when the other person sees no reason to panic at all.
The second is in relation to compassion. Rapport could be weakened, for instance, if you're not a touchy-feely kind of person but a colleague is in need, say, of a hug. You could consequently be judged as being somewhat cold and uncaring if you refrain from offering a warm embrace at their time of need.
5. Your body language betrays your emotions.
You might be smiling but a slight twitch of a facial muscle can immediately reveal your inauthenticity. The academic term for it is "leakage". You've effectively "leaked" your true emotion and, as a result, are penalised in some way. The same can be said for other non-verbal indicators such as the display of anger during a negotiation. If it becomes obvious, even subtly, that your ire is an act, research shows your opponent will almost certainly become even more inflexible.
For many people, this brings to light something quite important: The person they are at work isn't actually genuine and what that exposes, via accidental body language, is that workplace interactions are frequently just one big pantomime.
Are you conscious of your non-verbal cues at work? Do you even care?
James Adonis is the author of How To Be Great.
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