Tune into body language and other nonverbals to really get a sense of who the other person is.
Non verbals include: body language, facial expressions, hand gestures. They also include the way one speaks – the tone, inflection, speed, choice of words. Lastly, non verbals also includes: where and they choose to have conversation, how close they sit/stand, etc.
People tend to have much less conscious control over their non-verbal messages than of what they’re actually saying.
You can sense someone’s passion on a topic in their voice and how their eyes light up. You can sense someone’s discomfort with the subject from the way they talk lower and slower. Some people speak with humility , others with false bravado.
Often, one’s words don’t match the non-verbals. For example, when someone says “it’s fine” when it clearly is not. It is worth paying attention.
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