Mark Bowden, voted no 1 expert in body language by his peers, is an author on body language and human behaviour. He is credited with pioneering non verbal analysis of human behaviour especially where it pertains to influence and/or persuasion.
Bowden's is particularly known for his Gesture Plane System, (the specific use of open palm hand gestures) in what he coins as the "Truth Plane" (the horizontal plane at navel height on the human body) to create feelings of trust, credibility, and confidence when communicating.
There are several podcasts available with Mark Bowden, but I have chosen this one for today’s podcast suggestion.
Mark Bowden explains how our brain (and the brains of others) judge unconscious behaviours and how they create triggers - negative or positive - when we interpret what is being said. The brain perceives less risk in people that we see more of, so if we choose open gestures and behaviours then we are more likely to get the responses that we want from others. When we see these gestures in others or they see them in us then it is easier to win trust.
We have a built in negative bias and flight and fight response and when there is insufficient data, the brain always defaults to the negative and leads to the brain catastrophising. Our body language reading capacity has a bias towards our safety etc so when there is a threat/risk perceived through insufficient data it will not give the benefit of the doubt and it goes for safety/protection mode instead.
Mark examines simple gestures and how our responses change when the same words are used but with different body language and gives specific examples about how we can shift responses by making simple changes in our posture or visible responses and giving sufficient time for others to register e.g. flashing a smile has little value but holding one for more than three seconds is likely to register positively with others.
If you are interested in listening more to Mark Bowden on this subject (with particular reference to business) then here are some further links:
The Art of Body Language with Mark Bowden (Full Episode - True Underdog Podcast)
This episode is about how connecting with people and becoming a part of their group will help you make more sales, gain more friends, and become more confident in yourself! Mark talks about how you can not only use the person’s body language, and non-verbal cues, but also their surroundings to understand the values that they hold and reiterate those values back to them.
Body Language and Zoom Tips from Mark Bowden | The Innovative Accountant
On this episode of the Innovative Accountant podcast Tim Coakwell chats to Mark Bowden about how to be more persuasive and engaging in person and on your next Zoom meeting!
Comments