So much more is expected from managers and leaders today.  You are supposed to be  skilled leading people to get results.  One of the most important skills for leaders to master is communication skills.  And part of this skills includes interpreting the body language of employees.

To maximize staff potential and productivity, exercising open communication within a team is essential.  Yet how often have you heard the expression that during communication you should pay attention to body language?  And that body language tells you how someone is really feeling, unrelated the words they say?

The challenge, however, for leaders is being able to read and interpret your employee’s non-verbal communication and body language. You don’t need to be a mentalist to read people’s body language, but you do need to have some idea of human behavior to understand and feel what employees need, based on their non-verbal actions

Not every employee will be open enough to speak their mind, so learning how to interpret body language is a must-have skill. This may not be easy.  People react differently, and do different things that have totally different meanings depending on their own backgrounds. Knowing this will help you interact with staff and make better business decisions.

You can’t easily change the attitude or behavior of your employees. Their habits and attitudes have all been ingrained from years of personal experiences.  What you can do is begin to understand human behavior and become sensitive to body language.  

Through this knowledge you can understand them better, and use this information to have improved  communications and interactions.  You’ll be able to manage them better and get better results.  And at the same time you can help them develop their communication skills.  

It is a huge challenge for leaders to run an entire team of people who come from different upbringing, life experiences, and social backgrounds. People react differently and display all sorts of non-verbal body language that may mean a lot in a business setting. Though you may never totally understand their non-verbal language, practicing open communication among everyone in the organization will go a long, long way. There is no doubt that having effective communication skills  is an essential building block in running a successful organization.

Learning your own communication style will help you identify what is working well for you now, and what needs improvement. 

Take our Communication quiz at the link below and learn both your style, and how your style is working for or against you.