Non-verbal communication is all around us. We wiggle our thumb and little finger for ‘give me a call’. We move our hand to our mouth in the shape of a cup for ‘fancy a drink?’ The extended middle finger greeting is an expression of our displeasure. There is no doubt in our minds as to what these things mean, even with no words. These signals apply equally at work as they do at home.

Given that only 7% of interpersonal communication is about what we say and the remaining 93% is all about how we say it, there is surprisingly little out there on the power of non-verbal communications in business.

Interpersonal communication: what can we learn and how can we leverage it in business relationships?

Here’s an example. You’ve rocked up to a meeting or a pitch. You’re a professional so of course you are very well prepared: back up slides, proposal documents x 3 (bound), bullet points, budgets, rehearsals, done. You’re ready! Are you? Remember 93% of your impact will have nothing to do with your words, rather your non-verbal cues. Here are five interpersonal communication points worth considering at your next business meeting:

1. You had me at hello

Welcome to our presentation, thank you for the opportunity, let’s start with etc. It’s easy to get straight into it. You’re nervous, you want the client to see you as a professional. Problem is it’s all lost as they are still warming up. Get familiar before you cut to the chase. Chat together as human beings. The Japanese call it nemawashi (literally: digging around the roots). The small talk eases everyone into the big talk.

2. What are you doing?

There is a whole range of bodily functions that come into play when you hit the boards. Your voice tone and pace, your physical movements, your eyes, hand gestures, the flow of your breathing (see point 4). The list goes on. Be extremely mindful of the physicality you bring to a room and work it to the max.

3. What are they doing?

The same applies to your audience. Often an audience is seen as a mass of sweaty heads when it is in fact a writhing cluster of individuals. Each will also be tuning in or out of your influence on their physical space. What can you do to impact this through your actions rather than your words?

4. Pause for thought

Using natural rhythms of speech is very important so you come across as a natural (and engaging) communicator. We all need to breathe and that includes when we are talking. Pausing is perfectly natural. Use pauses as punctuation marks in your story. It builds tension, drama and excitement. Don’t be scared to do this. Silence is sometimes golden.

5. The written versus the spoken word

The term speechwriter is an oxymoron like benevolent dictator or sports personality. We often write down what we are going to say. In doing so we destroy a huge component of what it is to communicate as a human. We’ve only been writing things down for a very small part of human history. Consider how you can be ‘you’ rather than your words. Your impact will be huge – and different to that of your competitors.

Good luck. Oh and smile.