Page 66 - How To Sell Yourself

Selling with the Right Signals 65 5
Selling with the Right Signals
EVERYTHING YOU DO sends signals to the people you’re talking to. You’ve watched presenters who tug at an ear every five seconds. You’ve seen people presenting who have a dry mouth and are con- stantly moistening their lips. You’ve watched people who look as though they wish they were anywhere else—so does the audience.
Send the right signals
The important message here is that you can learn how to send the proper signals that help the audience find you competent, con- fident, and likable.
Some people call it “body language.”
Some call it “non-verbal communication.”
I call it “sending signals.”
I’ve already talked about how breathing can send signals.
If your audience watches your shoulders heave upward as you inhale, you look tight, tense, stiff, and intimidated. You may not be aware that you’re doing it, but your audience will be and they will read those signals as “uncomfortable” and soon they, too, will be uncomfortable.
Everything about you sends a signal
The way you use your face, your hands, and your voice sends sig- nals. What you wear sends signals. So does your general appearance,
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