PUBLIC SPEAKING: Unconscious messages or how our body can betray us?

It is a well known fact, that body language accounts for as much as 55% of information transmission. It is a vital element of successful communication, as together with the tone of voice it forms as much as 93% of the message value. Only 7% of the information that we are trying to pass remains within the content itself. Interesting, isn’t it?

However, people are still not aware, or at least not aware enough of the extreme importance of body language. They do not pay enough attention to it and leave it to the subconscious part of the brain. By doing this, they neglect, to put it mildly, an incredible amount of opportunities to convey messages.

There are numerous articles, books and documentaries base on this topic, some even developed their careers based on the body language. We all know about the analysts who closely monitor every move in the interrogation of suspects or in negotiations on big deals.

But body language is actually a simple story, to which we can add more complex dimensions. Namely, body language consists of posture, eye contact and facial expressions. Nothing special, we could say. But we all know that is not the case. In mimicry alone, 20 different facial expressions have been identified and are subconsciously understood by every one of us. Then when we combine this with the posture and eye contact, all read through the current situation and “voila”: we get confused.

Analyzing body language is not always as boring as it sounds. For example: 

The video shows what some of the world leaders think about the former US President Donald Trump. Were you paying attention to hand gestures and facial expressions? An example is proof of how people recognize the messages, not only through words, but also through the body language. 

But can we control it? Of course we can, but first it needs to be made aware of, understood and trained well if we want to harness the message power of nonverbal communication.

So remember, the audience’s decision on whether to believe in the message you’re giving them will be largely based on what they can see. But don’t ever forget about the content. If you truly believe in what you’re saying, your body language will show it. On the contrary, if you are not confident in your words, no matter what you say, your body will rat you out.