Body Language

Start a conversation with someone you know well. As she speaks, nod your

head in encouragement. See what effect your head movements have. Then

stop nodding all together and observe her reactions.

Showing understanding .......................................................................

Although the slow head nod encourages the speaker to continue, shifting

gears and speeding up your nodding indicates that you understand what

she’s saying. The fast head nod has a certain amount of urgency attached to

it and shows that you completely support what the speaker’s saying, or that

you want to interject and take over the speaker’s role.

The way you can tell the difference between someone who’s interested and

encouraging as opposed to someone who wants to take over the conversa-

tion is by observing where she’s looking. If the person is looking at the

speaker she’s being supportive. If she’s looking away from the speaker,

she’s indicating that she wants to take over the conversation (unless she’s

distracted, of course).

If the listener seems to be looking at the speaker supportively, sneak a peep

at her eyes. If they’re engaged, she’s paying attention. If they’re dull, she’s

probably bored or uninterested.

The strength of the nod – the degree of the up-and-down action – communicates

the listener’s attitude. If she agrees, the head nod is a firm action. A slight nod

provides feedback to the speaker letting her know how well her message is

understood.

When making a formal presentation, the head nod is a useful gesture to

emphasise words and phrases. Use it wisely. Too much repetition reduces the

impact of any emphasising technique.

52 Part II: Starting at the Top

Generating information through nodding

Research shows that listeners who nod their

heads frequently during an interaction can

prompt the speaker to generate three to four

times more information than when there’s no

head movement. Experienced interviewers

employ the head nodding technique to obtain

additional information and longer discussions,

thus making the sessions more effective and

productive.