Body Language & its Major Influence on the Success of Entrepreneurs - The Modi Way

At the outset, every time he takes charge of the podium, be it at a conference or for political agenda, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi emits sheer confidence, keeping his audience immersed and grounded. How has he managed to nail it every time? Are his words the ones doing the trick? Or is it his overwhelming dominant and influential persona that gets the crowds glued to their seats?

Considering the impact these speeches have, it is here one should realize that 55 percent of all human communication is non-verbal or in other words, understood through body language (facial expressions, gestures, postures and more). Hence one can register only 10 percent of spoken information, while 20 percent is registered via visual senses. This means that most of what is delivered by the PM depends majorly on the body language he displays. Regardless of roles played, leadership in any form influences opinions and creates impact and the robust competitive business world harbours leadership, where every business owner or entrepreneur is a leader that needs to draw in crowds and retain their loyalty.  

Entrepreneurs own just those brief precious moments of time to market their business, change mass opinions and influence audiences that could change the face of that business forever. You either acquire a hallowed triumph in the start-up world and beyond or crash your efforts to an audience that never understood your purpose. Entrepreneurs are the energizing souls of many business ventures who possess great deal of leadership skills. But when it comes to communication, most tend to falter. Thus consider the magnitude of impact a business curator or entrepreneur can influence on his/her audience by just utilizing the right body language to convey a message – Modi’s instance is apt-rated! However, mastering the art of body language is the missing ingredient for a majority of business owners who fail to convince their audiences with the right communication. Thus knowing how to communicate non-verbally is primarily and duly significant as communicating with words.

Under Constant Scrutiny         

Citing an instance where the PM faced the limelight for a nervous body language was when he made a speech at the BRICS summit several years ago. As opposed to the various occasions of triumphant speech-successes, this one was headlined for his lack of eye-contact with the audience, shifting-feet and constant clutching of the podium and an expressionless appearance he maintained throughout his speech, influencing a rather distracted audience further into scrutiny.

This is to hint that non-verbally we communicate through facial expressions, eye contact, posture, gestures, touch, locomotion/movement, proxemics or the physical space maintained, paralanguage including our intonation, audibility, pitch and tone of voice. These gestures are not just crucial to-do’s to capturing an audience; it is more likely means for creating a lasting impression of yourself and that of your business in the minds of potential consumers. Thus, justifying every minute of audience time is worthwhile, ensuring that your message has just bought you boosting profits already, increasing your bottom line and establishing connections to sustain your business.

In short, some thumb-rules to perfecting body language include maintaining a sharp yet convincing eye-contact, deliver friendly well-timed smiles, try steepling in case of listening or engaging in a conversation, avoid clenched fists, sit in an upright posture with relaxed arms beside and in case of making a presentation stand-tall and straight and concentrate on your body language and those of the audience, that will reflect volumes on the effect of your presentation or speech.

Body Language is more than Gestures

Although verbal language may set the backdrop to your entire agenda, communication through the body and non-verbal signals affect how you are viewed and respected as well as determines the level of trust that you have established with your audience. Once you have gained confidence in performing the aforementioned gestures, it is crucial to also know how to manage stress and develop emotional awareness that is also a part of the non-verbal magic.  While stress compromises of the ability to communicate, understanding one’s emotions and recognizing emotional cues of others is equally important. These elements build connection and enable entrepreneurs to gain control over how to think strategically and act accordingly.

In the realm of body language, much is purely instinctual. But as someone one said, “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression,” it would only deem right to say that despite being confident about one’s script, product or business, how one presents it makes the difference. Therefore as an entrepreneur, practicing these qualities as you grow in the business world is only going to make you master body language that may not even require words to speak the value of your business or its presence. As for our PM his oratory skills did not come to him overnight, rather the fact that he has addressed a public forum at least four times a week since the age of 25 years, really helped him master this great art and win followers from all over the world.

Master body language – Master Business!

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