Going from skilled ballet dancing to working an AI startup could not look like probably the most intuitive profession trajectory…however once I share that physique language and nonverbal communication is what brings this all collectively, issues begin to make a bit extra sense.
Once I retired from the Boston Ballet in 2016 resulting from an damage, I didn’t suppose physique language would ever play as a lot of an necessary function in my life once more.
Boy, was I incorrect.
Gross sales + the pandemic = video
The pandemic introduced video firmly to the forefront of our lives.
For sellers specifically, video has develop into a ‘need-to-have’ channel of communication. This implies expertise for impactful communication over video are a vital a part of our up to date gross sales competency toolkit.
Bonus: Be taught when to make use of video within the gross sales course of (with video examples!) 📚
In the case of promoting, all of us intuitively understand how necessary physique language cues might be — each for shedding gentle on what others could also be pondering or feeling, and in addition of their capability to assist us extra clearly talk our supposed message.
And whereas it might appear generally that nonverbals are muted on video, we now have discovered the alternative to be true. In truth, video is the one digital technique of communication that really amplifies nonverbal communication.
As sellers, it’s as much as us to grab the instruments at our disposal. I’ll stroll you thru my prime 3 physique language hacks for video — together with with 4 movies I recorded only for this — so you may present up on video with full presence, confidence and the power to construct belief shortly.
Physique language suggestions for video
Physique Language Gross sales Hack #1: Don’t sleep in your arrange
It’s simple to go to sleep as quickly as somebody mentions one thing about fixing your lighting, framing or your background.
However as sellers, we all know how necessary these first impressions are.
On video, our setup is our digital handshake. The alternatives we make by way of lighting, framing and background are important to making sure we’re displaying up as we intend.
Our lighting ought to assist our audiences concentrate on our faces. Don’t be backlit!
Our framing ought to enable us to showcase our full vary of physique language from the decrease stomach up. That is your playground — it must be comfy!
Whereas lighting and framing greatest practices are fairly streamlined, this doesn’t imply everybody ought to have the identical backgrounds — fairly the opposite.
Our backgrounds occupy insanely invaluable actual property when you think about the time our consumers spend our video feeds. Use this to your benefit! Do you wish to showcase your emblem in a enjoyable and inventive means? Possibly you might have a favourite colour, home plant or photograph that lights you up if you discuss it?
You may really feel the urge to maintain your house impartial — however oftentimes, the extra of our personal humanity we will showcase, the extra shortly and seamlessly we will construct that human connection which turns into the inspiration for lasting relationships.
Try this brief video on just a few easy, setup hacks you may make the most of in order that your video presence pops, proper from the beginning.
Associated: Easy methods to Allow your Reps in Actual Time 📚
Physique Language Gross sales Hack #2: Use eye gaze and facial expressions to look pure on video
As people, we have a look at individuals’s faces and eyes for cues about how somebody is feeling and whether or not or not they are often trusted.
On video, our eye gaze and facial features habits usually fall into habits we now have shaped when screens. This will result in mismatching emotional cues. I’ll clarify.
Facial features
On video, we are likely to undertake extra impartial and fewer various facial expressions than we do in individual.
And sarcastically, analysis exhibits impartial (or poker face) expressions on video are literally extra negatively perceived than in individual. (That is largely resulting from the truth that we now have fewer nonverbals to interpret, so the cues we do see carry extra weight.)
How does this have an effect on video calls?
If you’re on a video name, you’re serving the function of each energetic speaker and energetic listener. Hold your face relaxed, reactive, and expressive.
How does this have an effect on video clips?
For those who’re recording an asynchronous video clip, you need it to chop by way of the noise and land as a refreshing human second in your prospect’s inbox.
Consider carefully about your intention and the emotion you wish to convey, and telegraph it clearly.
(The operative phrase right here is ‘intention.’ As you’ll see within the subsequent part, this is usually a observe that takes time to really feel pure).
Eye gaze
There are two massive pitfalls for eye gaze in video — eye contact and blinking.
Eye contact
Everyone knows how counter-intuitive it may be to speak whereas wanting into the lens.
But making “direct” eye contact by way of the lens builds belief sooner, demonstrates respect and evokes confidence. It’s awkward… however simply do it.
Blinking
One other problem of eye gaze on video is that we are likely to blink much less incessantly.
Watching somebody is a fairly intense expertise, as I’ll display within the video under. So we wish to maintain our eye gaze as pure as potential, even after we are wanting into the lens.
Professional tip: You actually solely need to anchor your eye gaze into the lens when you find yourself the energetic speaker. When you find yourself the listener, you wish to guarantee your eye gaze is targeted someplace constant, ideally on the display. (So in case your screens are arrange such that you’re wanting utterly away, you might wish to transfer the display to the place your contributors are nearer to the lens.)
Recording an async video? The great thing about recording asynchronous gross sales movies is that you just actually solely need to focus in your function as a speaker — so you may hone your physique language accordingly. Paying particular consideration to your eye gaze and facial features variation might be significantly highly effective — and enable you join along with your prospects in a extra pure means.
Be taught extra: Free on-demand webinar about the way to make customized movies to 2x your reply charges. (60 minutes)
Physique Language Gross sales Hack #3: Give your self time to regulate
In my workshops, one of many first issues I hear is that new physique language vocabulary can really feel ‘unnatural’ or ‘inauthentic.’
No surprise — you might be asking your self to alter the way in which you might have been transferring and expressing your self for probably years!
Constructing new muscle reminiscence takes weeks, if not months. As a dancer, actual change developed over many months, and though progress was generally arduous to find out in a single day, the incremental renewal day after day was the place the magic got here into play.
Notably after we are talking about issues that have an effect on our expressive options, like our eye gaze and our facial expressions as mentioned in Greatest Apply #2, we now have to offer ourselves the house to observe deliberately and constantly.
For years and years, sellers have practiced in entrance of a mirror. One of many stunning issues about video is you could depend on video itself as a instrument to observe earlier than sending any recordings for instance, and even to observe your gross sales pitch itself.
Physique language and nonverbals are a core a part of who we’re. We have now ample alternative on video to make the most of an enhanced expressive toolkit, one which leverages a masterful setup, a means of expressing uniqueness to every particular person, and outcomes that actually underpin our success as skilled gross sales individuals.
The excellent news right here is that there aren’t any scarcity of alternatives to observe, to attempt new issues, to evaluation calls, get assist from a colleague, a mentor, or dare I say it? An AI-enabled coach. 😉
Try this brief video with some concepts on how one can incorporate observe into your day-to-day, so it may be a seamless a part of your expertise, and never need to really feel like going to the fitness center.
In any case this speak of highly effective nonverbal communication hacks for promoting on video — you might be questioning which areas you need to concentrate on to enhance. Properly, seems…there’s an app for that.
As a member of the Gross sales Hacker group, Digital Sapiens is providing you a free Digital Presence Evaluation. It takes 6 minutes, and also you’ll get a rundown of how you might be perceived on video, the nonverbal cues you might be nailing, and which of them you may enhance. Get your evaluation right here.
For extra physique language hacks, try our Physique Language and Way forward for Work blogs at Digital Sapiens.
