Agent support manual
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How you act is as much a form of communication as what you say and how you say it. Non-verbal communication is not always easy to interpret, but it can be a great source of information about a person's attitude. An inability to interpret non-verbal cues can affect your working life.
The table below shows you how communication can be broken down into different communication types, and gives some examples of verbal, written and non-verbal communication.
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In a customer contact centre, most communication will be with customers over the phone. However, you should not ignore your daily communication with colleagues, supervisors and visitors to the centre. It is in these areas that non-verbal communication will be most important to your career.
Perhaps the most obvious form of non-verbal communication is facial expression. A smile, frown, raised eyebrow, yawn and sneer all convey information.
Your facial expression continually changes as you are communicating. The recipient monitors these changes closely (either consciously or subconsciously). You also monitor the recipient's reaction to what you are saying. For example, if you ask a colleague to do a job for you and they frown, you would know that they were not keen to be involved.
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Another non-verbal cue is eye contact. This can convey emotion and signal when to talk or finish. The frequency of eye contact may suggest either interest or boredom.
Looking people directly in the eye shows that you are interested in what they are saying. However, excessive staring may make someone uncomfortable.
Most people use hand movements regularly when talking. However, you need to be careful. Some gestures are inappropriate in the workplace. Be careful not to confuse the hand gestures you use while chatting to family and friends, with those you use at work.
Shaking hands, touching, holding, embracing, pushing, or patting on the back all convey messages.
You should restrict any physical contact to that which is appropriate for your workplace, such as shaking hands. Imagine how your Centre Manager would feel if you greeted them with a pat on the back? What you think is a friendly gesture might be interpreted as harrasment by a colleague.
The distance one person stands from another is a non-verbal cue. If you stand too close to someone during a conversation, you can make them feel threatened and uncomfortable.
This refers to the physical position you adopt, for example face-to-face, side-to-side, or even back-to-back. Co-operating people are likely to sit side-by-side while competitors frequently face one another. If you turn your back on someone, you are indicating disinterest and hostility.
The way you sit or stand can give people information about your attitude. If you are sitting slouched in a chair, then people will assume that you are not interested. Sitting upright and paying attention will persuade people that you are listening, and interested in their message. Leaning forward slightly while you are listening also demonstrates that you are interested.
Think about the way you sit: bullet point.
Do you cross your legs, looking relaxed and comfortable, but informal? , bullet point.
Do you cross your arms, looking hostile and self-absorbed?
What you wear at work can communicate things about you. Often, simply dressing neatly conveys a professional image. Dressing too casually, or even too formally, may not create the image that you want.
Bear in mind that every organisation has different standards for dress, makeup and jewellery. You should become familiar with the standards at your workplace.
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Let's now look at some dos and don'ts of non-verbal communication in some different workplace scenarios.
Do  Sit up straight and look attentive. |
Don't  Slouch in your chair and fidget. |
Do  Sit straight and make eye contact. |
Don't  Avoid their gaze, cross your arms |
Do  Give them a little space and |
Don't  Crowd them and make jokes when |
Do  Smile, shake their hand, make eye contact |
Don't  Sit at your desk, glance in their |
Do  Dress in a business manner, suitable for |
Don't  Dress too casually, or slouch. |
By interpreting non-verbal cues, you can improve your communication skills generally. You can identify when it is appropriate to speak or not, and deliver your message more effectively.
For example: bullet point.
You have planned to ask your team leader for three weeks leave to go on holiday. When you arrive at their office they are sitting with their arms crossed, and an anxious expression on their face. Based on these cues, you may simply ask to meet them later, at a time convenient to them. , bullet point.
You need to talk to a colleague or supervisor with whom you normally have a fairly informal relationship. After noticing that they are not making eye contact and not smiling, you decide to modify your normally informal language to be more formal and business like.
Because every situation is different, you need to be aware of non-verbal communication cues, and use them to adjust your behaviour and messages when dealing with people at work.
 ASM
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