Claudia Raab's Blog

As much as 85 per cent of our communication is non-verbal. Knowing as much about body language as possible is a vital key to your success in any public speaking or one-on-one conversation situation.

"Use non-verbal communication to SOFTEN the hard-line position of others" is a powerful tip to overcome any hurdles in a controversy discussion by using the right body language. As mentioned in yesterday's blog entry this week we are going to have a closer look at the  acronym (an abbreviation of several words that forms a word itself) SOFTEN that stands for S = Smile, O = Open Posture F = Forward Lean T = Touch E = Eye Contact N = Nod and will quickly improve your non-verbal communication skills.

Today it's the O for Open Posture. Crossed arms and legs, and leaning back are generally considered closed postures, while open postures are the opposite. Research has shown that open and closed postures impact the emotional states of the people assuming them.

In one study, three different open postures significantly increased positive feelings (happiness, agreeableness, interest, and surprise), while three different closed postures significantly increased negative feelings (fear, anger, sadness, and disgust). Noteworthy is that the latter were almost twice as strong as the positve feelings.

When trying to convince others a happy, positive and agreeable appearance gives you a head start. People will automatically perceive you as a winner. It's a matter of observing yourself and practising not to cross arms and legs infront of you. Start impoving your body language today! It's worth it.