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Download a copy of our complimentary PDF resource: ‘Effectively Using Your Body Language - 5 Video Lessons' - http://www.beabetterguide.com/wordpress/effectivelyuseyourbodylanguage
When you think about using your body language effectively, what comes to mind? Is it speaking with your hands? Introducing yourself with a strong handshake? Maintaining eye contact or smiling? What about your posture or the way you move?
The reality is that body language often refers to the shared, non-verbal cues that exist between human beings. We often think of gestures, posture, eye contact and facial expressions, but other elements include proxemics (closeness or personal space), paralanguage (the pitch, tone and speed of speech) as well as the myriad of unconscious physiological changes that often express themselves unintentionally (think blinking a lot or sweating when nervous)
There is no question that non-verbal communication is a complex but integral part of our overall communication as a tour guide, but often times we remain totally unaware of our non-verbal behaviour.
So, in the spirit of becoming better tour guides, leaders and performers, let’s bring some mindfulness to how we are using our bodies to communicate. In this video, we’ll look at six techniques and tactics for being more effective with our body language, as well as look at a number of common mistakes to avoid.
Small things like turning your back to people, fidgeting, looking over shoulders, pacing or hunching your body may all be sending messages that you don’t intend to.
Because this is such a large and important topic, we also created a bonus resource for those who want to take their body language skills to the next level.
We went out and researched the web for the best body language experts we could find and put together five of our favourite video lessons. We hear from Vanessa Van Edwards and the Science of People, Allan Pease in his inspirational TED talk on body language and other tips from the Stanford School of Business.
These short instructional clips each tackle a unique element of our non-verbal communication and are the perfect addition to the tips we share in this video. To access these powerful video lessons, simply download a copy of our complimentary PDF resource: ‘Effectively Using Your Body Language - 5 Video Lessons'
Mastering effective body language is a skill that takes a lot of practice and a deep focus on your own non-verbal behaviours. The first step, as with most things, is bringing awareness to what your body is doing. Afterwards, you can then experiment with some of the effective body language techniques used by others and see how they fit with your personal communication style.
The techniques, do’s and don’ts we share in this video will give you a bit of inspiration to get started, but then take your training to the next level with the expert video lessons in our bonus PDF.
Want to learn more about the specific hand gestures you can use while speaking? Check out our other video 'What To Do with your Hands while Speaking? Effective Hand Gestures for Tour Guides’ http://www.beabetterguide.com/video-hands-speaking-effective-hand-gestures-tour-guides/
All the best,
Kelsey T
Founder, Be a Better Guide