Body Language and your HVAC Independent Contracting Team

Having the ability to effectively communicate with another person is a priceless advantage in both the business world as well as in daily life.  There are many techniques and influential closing statements that independent contractors can teach their team members to help them grow into more effective communicators. However, one skill, when fully mastered, that can outshine the rest is learning to read body language and communicate nonverbally.  Whether a technician, CSR, or manager at a HVAC, plumbing, or electrical company is trying to communicate effectively with a client or with a coworker, the components of body language such as facial expression, tone of voice, and posture play a major role in the message that individual portrays.  In our blog today, we are going to breakdown the benefits of growing and transforming into an effective nonverbal communicator:

-Learning to read body language can help you anticipate what someone is thinking – 

Body language works as a cue within a conversation long before an individual drops verbal hints within a dialogue. Whether you are with a client and guiding a sale towards a close or training a coworker on implementing a new skill into their daily job, that individual’s confidence, interest, and perception is displayed through their body long before their words.  When you learn to read those nonverbal cues then you can more effectively direct the conversation.  For example, if you are moving towards a close in a sale call and you notice that the client is fidgeting, loosening his tie, and rolling up his sleeves then you should quickly realize that the close might be moving too fast for him.  Then make an effort to slow down and get back on the “same page” with him before you overwhelm him and lose the sale.  However, if you notice that a client leans forward in his chair and constantly shakes his head ‘yes’ as you are moving toward the close then you should quickly pick up that this client is ready to close and that drawing out the sell any longer may lose the client’s interest and potentially lose the sale.

-Understanding the components of nonverbal communication can help you understand how to use your own body language to influence others-

When you learn to anticipate another person’s thoughts and feelings by simply listening with your eyes then you can move on to the next stage in this skill set development by learning how to control your own body language in order to become more influential.  When in a sale call setting or even in a team training session, clients or coworkers will naturally begin to nonverbally respond to the conversational leader in the way that he opens the dialogue.  For example, if a trainer walks into a training session radiating a confident demeanor by displaying a calm smile and a straight posture then everyone in the room will subconsciously take on the same type of confident body language.  The same is true when interacting with a client.  If a technician walks into a client’s home and is unenthusiastic throughout the entire presentation by using a flat tone of voice and lacking a happy or colorful facial expression then his client will also be inclined to portray a drab and uninterested demeanor.  The key is to first know what you want to say to another individual and anticipate the manner in which you want them to respond then use your body language to help influence and guide the person in a positive direction.

-Using effective nonverbal communication and body language helps to make the interaction process between you and a client or coworker a more pleasant experience-

When you learn to foresee a client or coworker’s thoughts or impressions as well as understand how your own body language affects another person then you can combine these skills in order to achieve efficient and successful communication.  The positive effects of utilizing constructive and effective body language can go a long way, even though most body language happens at a subconscious level because it is so closely tied to the spoken word.  Learning to read body language and understanding how to properly respond allows effective communication to occur and helps to make interaction between individuals a more comfortable and enjoyable process.  Nonverbal communication aids in keeping people of the “same page” so that the next steps within the process are purposeful and beneficial whether it is within a sale call, a training session, or conflict resolution.

Body language and nonverbal communication is a “language” that is “spoken” by all people whether they realized it or not.  Learning to understand body language and respond nonverbally has several benefits such as; it allows you to anticipate a person’s thoughts, it helps you understand that your body language can be influential, and is makes conversing more pleasant and purposeful.  Here at S.E.T. we have several highly interactive lessons that can help grow body language skills and develop an understanding for nonverbal communication. Thank you for following our weekly blog.  Here at Service Excellence Training, we turn learning into earning!

-Resource curated by Whitney Stewart of Service Excellence Training