Motivational Management: Inspiring Your People for Maximum Performance

Pay Attention to the Nonverbal Stuff

We all know that nonverbal aspects of communication are important, but it can be hard to notice and manage our own nonverbal communication. Our body language, our tone on the telephone, our style of address at the beginning of an e-mail, our choice of venue for a communication, and even our selection of the communication medium—all affect the way our message is perceived.

For instance, imagine the following scenarios, each an example of a manager named Georgette asking an open question of an employee:

• Georgette stops Ralf in the hall when Ralf is carrying a large pile of folders and says, ''Do you have any good ideas for how to reduce the conflict in your team?''

• Georgette sends all employees on the team an ...