Cultural Nuance in Nonverbal Communication
One of the most common questions we get from our community, and from customers, is around cultural nuance in nonverbal communication. How do you account for cultural nuances when you are presenting to a global audience? We put this question to Dr. Marono for her thoughts. While universal cues are a safe baseline, it is always a wise decision to do some advance research into cultural norms, customs and standards when presenting in front of a culture that is different from your own. Check out the video below for more cultural context When it comes to our technology, there is a strong reason behind keeping our insights aligned with universal cues, and not getting too prescriptive when it comes to things like hand gestures or facial expressions. Try out our tools for yourself starting with our free Virtual Presence Assessment.
Virtual Presence Trends 2022
For the first time ever, we have data on how professionals tend to show up on video. Over the course of 2022, hundreds of professionals assessed their virtual presence skills by taking one, or more, of our Virtual Presence Assessments. While each individual gains significant value in understanding their own scores and improvement over time, we are also able to better understand some global trends in behaviors over video. Our trends indicate that: Framing is the biggest issue for professionals. 63% of professionals are out of frame. When your are out of frame, you are at a disadvantage. Research has shown that your audience’s impression of you varies depending on where you show up in your frame. For example: If you are too low, or your lens is too high, your authority decreases significantly. If you are too close to the lens, you increase the intensity of the viewing experience for your audience and you reduce the effectiveness of your overall presence because your audience sees less of you. Taking at least two assessments led to improvement for a whopping 93% of professionals. Our Virtual Presence Assessments are designed to develop awareness and benchmark improvement over time. As demonstrated by 93% of professionals who took at least two assessments, the average improvement rate was 17%. This is the first time ever, that every professional on a distributed team can get access to convenient, personalized feedback on their presence and communication. And it works. The top performing area on video is Authority Impression Our data demonstrates that showing up on video with authority is the highest performing category in our virtual presence analysis. Authority impression is influenced by your posture, your eye gaze when speaking and any tendencies to touch your face/sway. While many professionals say they don’t feel as confident on video as they do in person, the great news is that 88% of professionals who took an assessment scored high on their impression of authority….now we can work on being more expressive:) When it comes to expressivity on video, professionals struggle to use hand gestures, vary facial expressions and vocal tone. This leads to low expression and low energy. While this correlates with much of the research out there that shows professionals experience fatigue over the course of days of back to back video meetings, it also indicates that the way we show up may be a contributing factor. Being more engaging and expressive on calls leads to higher levels of engagement overall. As we head into the new year, we will be especially interested to see whether we can identify relationships between calls scoring higher in expressivity and energy (importantly, this doesn’t mean ‘happier or smile-ier’ calls!) and the overall quality and length of the call. Conclusion Taking a look at these relatively simple trends, we can start to understand the power of our virtual presence. Video is a powerful, humanistic channel of communication. It requires special attention in terms of communication awareness, skill and strategy. Here at Virtual Sapiens, we are on a mision to help professionals assess, improve and master their virtual presence – so they can leverage this tool as a core part of their communication toolkit. To see how you do compared to these trends – try out our free assessment tool here.
Nonverbal Communication Doesn’t Happen in a Vacuum
“What role does context play in nonverbal communication?” There are seven universal emotions humans, on average, identify through specific expressions: 😀 Happiness😱 Fear😞 Sad🤢 Disgust😲 Surprise😒 Contempt According to anthropology and neuroscience, the main reason we universally recognize these emotions is because of our evolved need to decipher between friend/foe and safety/danger by picking up on certain cues quickly. Now, while it may seem simple to detect someone is happy with a smile, things get considerably more complex when we get into emotions like confidence, comfort, discomfort, trustworthiness etc. These emotions can be expressed in a variety of different ways, depending on the person, their baseline, and the context. https://youtu.be/R7SVTpD9p1s A great example is with arm crossing. We are often quick to judge someone who crosses their arms as being ‘closed off/disinterested’. Without taking the context into consideration, we may not realize that this individual tends to cross their arms as a soothing posture when thinking (they also happen to be nodding their head). Or perhaps, that the AC is on and the individual is cold. This is a small, but powerful example. Think of how many times you may cross your arms not because you are closed off, but because you felt slightly awkward having your arms dangle by your sides? In the world of nonverbal communication, we must take many things into account when we are observing someone’s behaviors. It’s rarely about just one cue. Oftentimes, it’s a cluster of behaviors, within an understood context that will guide us to the most accurate observations. Not to judge someone, but to better understand how we can communicate with them. On the flip side, knowing that those around us may be quick to judge us based on a simple gesture, means we can more intentionally choose how we show up. For example, catching ourselves the next time we have crossed our arms – challenging ourselves to not look away from our computer screens repeatedly… What are some of the ways you might consider context over video specifically?
How To Make Active Listening Second Nature
“How do you juggle active listening and staying on top of your audience’s nonverbals on video?” It often feels like there is way too much going on on video. Even if we know active listening is a powerful tool to leverage when building rapport on video, it is a tricky new skill to consider in addition to the many other things we are doing at the same time. (Like switching screens, sharing screens, monitoring the chat etc.) This is why it is critical to develop new muscles around active listening – so that it becomes second nature. This is true in many areas of life and is in fact how we grow and evolve as dynamic humans. Once we have developed muscle memory around new ways of showing up and communicating, we don’t have to spend the same amount of mental resources on them. After all…if we always had to spend the same amount of energy on new skills, we would never have room to get to the next level! https://youtu.be/RvN-OS6i4qw Give this discussion a listen for some tips and reasoning behind practicing active listening until it becomes a sticky new habit. Pro Tip: Your Sidekick can help you improve your active listening with gentle nudges during video calls. Try it out now for free – we promise it will make your 2023 much easier – we promise:)
Managing A Video Call If You Can’t Tell Others Are Present
‘What do I do if I am on a video call, and others are not exhibiting virtual presence best practices?” Chances are, we have all been in this situation. You are on a call, and you can’t, for the life of you, tell if people are paying attention, if what you are saying is resonating, if certain individuals are looking at you on another screen or just blatantly distracted. In this week’s AMA, Dr. Marono and I go into some detail around things you can do before, during and even after an instance like this with your team. ✨ A big takeaway from this conversation, is that through video, our ability to affect other people’s energy and behavior is very real. Making sure you show up in a way that contributes to a positive, energized call, is key. But so is paying attention to how other people’s behaviors on a call may be influencing you is just as critical.✨
The Future of AI and Human Interaction – L&D Focus
Our partners at Ariel Group interviewed our CEO, Rachel Cossar on the intersection between AI and Learning & Development. Ariel Group is a leader in the Leadership Presence and Communication Skills space – we are thrilled to be working with them to amplify human potential in our new world of work. This interview is a must read for any leaders in HR, L&D, and Talent Development. Read the full interview directly on Ariel Group’s Blog here. “AI will only become more and more embedded within the L&D space. While the narrative of leveraging AI can sometimes angle towards distrust, we believe that AI can be used ethically, to unlock massive potential. In essence, AI can become the underlying force that amplifies human potential in a more accessible way. We think we are at the absolute tip of the iceberg when it comes to computer vision in particular. As our devices and supporting technologies become more and more efficient, the use of personalized AI tools to improve our professional impact will only become more seamless and convenient. Thus unlocking a large part of their power.”
Help Your Virtual Audience Remember You!
Dr. Marono and I answer questions related to body language, nonverbal communication and virtual meetings submitted by our community. Qst: How do I clearly demonstrate my presence in virtual/online communication? Video presents both a challenge, and also an opportunity when it comes to helping our audience engage with us. Spend a moment getting comfortable with levers like your framing, background and lighting, so you can then leverage the full spectrum of your digital body language. In this short video, we go into some detail around the main ways you can ensure your presence transcends the screen. When you help your audience engage with you on video, you make yourself more memorable. This means that meetings over video won’t be wasted. Give the video a look and a share, and let us know if you have any questions you’d like answered! If you want some support on mastering you or your team’s presence on video, try out our free Virtual Presence Assessment now.
Nonverbal Communication Goes Digital
Nonverbal communication, which refers to anything that sends a message that is not a spoken word, is a constantly evolving language. As we continue to streamline the way we communicate digitally, we start to realize we’ve actually been slowly developing a new language of nonverbals, all specific to video-based experiences. In reading through this article on BBC, a few things stood out to me. Most notably, a point I often make when speaking with clients: as video becomes more embedded within our professional experience, expectations will rise when it comes to the efforts we put into showing up and “sharing something of ourselves” in this digital forum. I would argue that while there was a level of necessary lenience during the pandemic, that will dissipate. And in some cases, it already has… Whether we are in person, or virtual, people make judgements based on what they perceive. A decision to have your video off, sends a strong nonverbal message. Having a sloppy background, poor lighting or being out of frame all send a message that you haven’t taken the time to consider the other person’s experience, or that you are unaware of, or don’t care about their perception of you. A particularly poignant quote: “Gestures such as turning the camera on can also be a question of politeness. “We wouldn’t sit in a board meeting with a bag over our heads,” says Ridell. “We have to learn new rules to avoid being rude.” The point about learning here is key. A lot about digital communication is pretty far from what we might consider ‘natural’. Looking into the lens instead of at the person you are talking to for instance, or having your head in the upper third of your frame, not in the middle, are counter-intuitive. These seemingly small details make a MASSIVE difference. People notice. People appreciate and in the end, people learn a bit more about who you are as a person, when you put intentional effort into the way you communicate nonverbally on video. We are helping in our specific ways with our tools at Virtual Sapiens. We believe that those who lean in now, put in effort and practice honing their new digital presence, will be at a competitive advantage by the time everyone else wakes up. Keep a sharp eye on yourself and others, I think you will be surprised at just how many messages are being shared nonverbally in our virtual world of work.
Guest Post on The Loom Transcript
Loom published a new mini-series authored by our CEO, Rachel Cossar, featuring nonverbal communication tips and tricks to get you set up for success on video. You can check out the series on the Loom Blog here. Since video is the only digital channel of communication that showcases body language, being well-versed in this area of behavioral science is a massive advantage! We invite you to check out some of the cues you can play around with on your next call, from designing your new virtual handshake to engaging effectively with your body language and your vocal cues, there is something in here for every professional looking to have an impact on video. And if you are eager to get some feedback, check out our suite of AI-enabled coaching options here.
Why Effective Nonverbal Communication is Critical for Founders to Master on Video
Since the start of the pandemic, what message would you share with startup founders concerning the importance of nonverbal communication when speaking to investors? This question, while directed towards startup founders, is relevant to anyone who has to show up and sell. This can be said for individuals during job interviews. It can be said for founders in front of investors. It can most certainly be said for anyone trying to sell in the classic sense as well. Our Takeaways: 😬 Many of us know that most instances of selling are short, pressured moments of impression formation and rapid relationship building. 😄 Many of us know to practice, practice, practice our content. 😕 Whether these pitches are happening on video, or in-person, the way we deliver our pitch, from the second we show up live, to the very end and sign off, is practiced much less. In a world that is so intensely competitive, it is crucial to own as much of your delivery as possible. Nonverbal communication and body language awareness is the first step in this equation. Intentionally pairing our nonverbals to what we say, is the next. Have a question for us? Email us at support@virtualsapiens-cbgycehwg9f5e4ac.centralus-01.azurewebsites.net