Body Language
Body language is critical to your success as a consultant. We all have an uncanny ability to read each others body language. This is not a conscious thing, it happens much deeper at a subconscious level.
Recent research by Alex “Sandy” Pentland showed it’s possible to predict which executives will win a business competition based solely on the social signals they sent. Pentland was able to predict who would win a business plan competition with 87% accuracy even though he made the predictions without hearing or reading their presentations. Pentland outfitted executives at a party with devices that recorded data on their social signals, such as tone of voice, gesticulations, and proximity to others. Five days later the same executives presented business plans to a panel of judges in a contest. Without reading or hearing the pitches Pentland correctly forecast the winners, using only data collected at the party. The most successful people were the most energetic. They talked more but they also listened more. They spend more face-to-face time with others. They picked up more cues from others, drew people out and got them to be more outgoing. It’s not just what they projected that made them charismatic, it’s what they elicited.
Human language is fairly new. Studies show it may be as little as 500,000 years old. Long before we had language, we could hunt, move and survive in teams. It makes sense that the communication signals we used for millennia would be so powerful.
Our body language is a reflection of the thoughts in our heads. If our thoughts are weak, our bodies will show it. To change your body language, change your thoughts. It also works the other way, to change your thoughts, change your body language.
Recently I was discussing these matters with a group of managers with a background in teaching. They said that it was possible to identify within minutes of the start of a new year, which children would be bullied. It was all to do with their energy levels, the way they held their bodies and other social signals they sent.
The best proof I had of this was through an experience with a horse whisperer, Andrew Froggatt, of Sudbury Leadership at Peka Peka.
Horses, like people, can pick up and read body language. Every gesture you make is instantly interpreted by the horse and his reaction will expose exactly what you are really communicating NOT what you intend to communicate. The beauty of working with horses is that they give you instant and honest feedback. People are just as skilled at reading the tiniest gesture but they are clever enough to cover up their opinion, so, often you don’t know how they feel about you.
It was a fascinating day. During the day each of the eight participants were videoed. When the videos were replayed it was quite clear that some people had real issues that their horse picked up immediately. For example, one person’s body language communicated ‘bully’ and his horse constantly backed away. Another person’s body language communicated ‘weakness’ and her horse walked all over her.
I found I had to work on my energy levels. To get my horse, George, to stop, I was taught to put my hand up like a traffic cop. To start with I did this with insufficient energy and intention. George just kept on coming towards me. However after I increased my level of energy and intention George stopped immediately. For me, the big lesson was to be more deliberate, mean what I say and communicate it with sufficient energy levels with my body language.
The other big lesson from the day was that we all can increase and magnify our energy levels and this was immediately picked up by the horse. I came home and practiced on my three-year-old granddaughter Isabella. To start with I asked her to stop being noisy in my usual manner. As usual she totally ignored me. Then I said, “Stop Isabella!” with more meaning and intention. She stopped immediately much to my amazement.
This is an extract from my new book, "Cracking Great Leaders", Page 156; it goes on to show how to strengthen your communication and other areas important for Cracking Great Leaders. The book is about how to release human energy at work. It views people and organisations as energy fields, deeper and stronger than most managers understand - way beyond strengths to Genius.
Here is what the reviewers are saying:
Do you want ordinary people in your team to do extraordinary things to benefit your organisation? Then read Bruce Holland's 'Cracking Great Leaders'. Peter R.
It's the best book of its kind that I have ever read - although in saying that, it's really in a category of its own. Eric W.
Bruce Holland has sat down, thought and written about what he has learned from around 30 years of experience, reading and observation. His personal digest of how people think, behave and interact is both honest and accessible. To illustrate his points he draws on and integrates a large number of scientific studies from all manner of disciplines, without getting lost in scientific jargon. Howard M.
In Cracking Great Leaders Bruce Holland spins stories that repeatedly focus on the essence of great leadership. It’s a deceptively simple and enormously powerful way of seeing yourself and those you touch. I admit to feeling a touch of envy for Bruce's storytelling skill. Bill V.
The book is available at:
https://lnkd.in/bPv6Swn
Recent research by Alex “Sandy” Pentland showed it’s possible to predict which executives will win a business competition based solely on the social signals they sent. Pentland was able to predict who would win a business plan competition with 87% accuracy even though he made the predictions without hearing or reading their presentations. Pentland outfitted executives at a party with devices that recorded data on their social signals, such as tone of voice, gesticulations, and proximity to others. Five days later the same executives presented business plans to a panel of judges in a contest. Without reading or hearing the pitches Pentland correctly forecast the winners, using only data collected at the party. The most successful people were the most energetic. They talked more but they also listened more. They spend more face-to-face time with others. They picked up more cues from others, drew people out and got them to be more outgoing. It’s not just what they projected that made them charismatic, it’s what they elicited.
Human language is fairly new. Studies show it may be as little as 500,000 years old. Long before we had language, we could hunt, move and survive in teams. It makes sense that the communication signals we used for millennia would be so powerful.
Our body language is a reflection of the thoughts in our heads. If our thoughts are weak, our bodies will show it. To change your body language, change your thoughts. It also works the other way, to change your thoughts, change your body language.
Recently I was discussing these matters with a group of managers with a background in teaching. They said that it was possible to identify within minutes of the start of a new year, which children would be bullied. It was all to do with their energy levels, the way they held their bodies and other social signals they sent.
The best proof I had of this was through an experience with a horse whisperer, Andrew Froggatt, of Sudbury Leadership at Peka Peka.
Horses, like people, can pick up and read body language. Every gesture you make is instantly interpreted by the horse and his reaction will expose exactly what you are really communicating NOT what you intend to communicate. The beauty of working with horses is that they give you instant and honest feedback. People are just as skilled at reading the tiniest gesture but they are clever enough to cover up their opinion, so, often you don’t know how they feel about you.
It was a fascinating day. During the day each of the eight participants were videoed. When the videos were replayed it was quite clear that some people had real issues that their horse picked up immediately. For example, one person’s body language communicated ‘bully’ and his horse constantly backed away. Another person’s body language communicated ‘weakness’ and her horse walked all over her.
I found I had to work on my energy levels. To get my horse, George, to stop, I was taught to put my hand up like a traffic cop. To start with I did this with insufficient energy and intention. George just kept on coming towards me. However after I increased my level of energy and intention George stopped immediately. For me, the big lesson was to be more deliberate, mean what I say and communicate it with sufficient energy levels with my body language.
The other big lesson from the day was that we all can increase and magnify our energy levels and this was immediately picked up by the horse. I came home and practiced on my three-year-old granddaughter Isabella. To start with I asked her to stop being noisy in my usual manner. As usual she totally ignored me. Then I said, “Stop Isabella!” with more meaning and intention. She stopped immediately much to my amazement.
This is an extract from my new book, "Cracking Great Leaders", Page 156; it goes on to show how to strengthen your communication and other areas important for Cracking Great Leaders. The book is about how to release human energy at work. It views people and organisations as energy fields, deeper and stronger than most managers understand - way beyond strengths to Genius.
Here is what the reviewers are saying:
Do you want ordinary people in your team to do extraordinary things to benefit your organisation? Then read Bruce Holland's 'Cracking Great Leaders'. Peter R.
It's the best book of its kind that I have ever read - although in saying that, it's really in a category of its own. Eric W.
Bruce Holland has sat down, thought and written about what he has learned from around 30 years of experience, reading and observation. His personal digest of how people think, behave and interact is both honest and accessible. To illustrate his points he draws on and integrates a large number of scientific studies from all manner of disciplines, without getting lost in scientific jargon. Howard M.
In Cracking Great Leaders Bruce Holland spins stories that repeatedly focus on the essence of great leadership. It’s a deceptively simple and enormously powerful way of seeing yourself and those you touch. I admit to feeling a touch of envy for Bruce's storytelling skill. Bill V.
The book is available at:
https://lnkd.in/bPv6Swn