Every communication is two conversations, one verbal and the other nonverbal. When the two conversations are aligned, a communication can be persuasive, powerful, and consistent. When they’re not aligned, people believe the nonverbal conversation every time. 

If that seems hard to believe, a simple example will convince you.  Imagine a speaker walking to the front of the room.  You can tell that he has no energy. His shoulders are a little bowed, perhaps, and he’s not moving very fast. His head may be pointing down. When he gets to the front, he turns to the audience. He doesn’t make eye contact but rather looks over everyone’s head. He folds his arms defensively over his chest and then moves back a couple of paces. Finally, he says, “I’m really glad to be here today.”

What do you do now?

If you’re honest, you’re reaching for your BlackBerry or your day planner. You may even be looking for an exit. You’re thinking, Oh, dear. This is not going to be good.

That’s the power of unaligned communications.  Aligning the verbal and the nonverbal gets you the audience’s attention and an open mind, at least for a few minutes.

After that, it’s up to you.