What you say and how you say it matters. In this episode of Management Muse, author and researcher Darrin Griffin discusses the importance of nonverbal communication. As managers, we should be master noticers and to pay attention to how nonverbal cues like dominance behaviors, body language, and timing impact those around you. This episode also covers importance of perception checks to reduce miscommunication.

Episode Highlights:

• Paying attention nonverbal behavior can help identify others’ interests and conversational goals and aid in better communication.

• Nonverbal communication varies significantly from person to person. Translation: people are often quirky.

• Nonverbal communication can help build trust and make people feel understood.

• Because miscommunication is common, and feedback and perception checks are essential.

Quotes from Darrin Griffin:

“When you send a message nonverbally, you send it to someone and they receive it. But it may not be the same message that you intended, so somewhere in there you got to align your perceptions.”

“If you're going to hone your nonverbal skills, you do it in a way that is goal driven and mutually ethical between you and your interactants because you're not doing it just to benefit yourself, right? You want to better understand people so you better understand them and then you can react to them more accurately.”

“We know how to communicate. But nonverbal communication as managers is often challenging when you're doing it with a lot of people with different perspectives.”

“Don't try to interpret nonverbal behavior with certainty. Be tentative and reality check what you are seeing.” “It's okay to be wrong. And by acknowledging that you might have been wrong, misunderstood, or the source of miscommunication, you'll build trust and rapport. People will like you more. They'll think you're human.”

About Darrin Griffin:

Darrin Griffin is the communication department chair at the University of Alabama and is a prominent author and researcher. His academic expertise is in nonverbal communication and deception and his practical expertise is in BBQ and motorcycles.

Resources:

Lying and Deception in Human Interaction by Mark Knapp, Billy Earnest, Darrin Griffin, Matthew McGlone

www.culsure.com www.ondemandleadership.com www.managementmuse.com

Key words: Nonverbal communication, body language, self-presentation, influence, power