Start a nonverbal behavior journal, and take some time every week to reflect on the nonverbal communication you use during your daily routine. Jot down some behaviors you use and what they...

Start a nonverbal behavior journal, and take some time every week to reflect on the nonverbal communication you use during your daily routine. Jot down some behaviors you use and what they communicate.

Now try an experiment: Choose some behaviors that you do regularly, and stop doing them for one day. For example, if you meet a friend at the same place for lunch every day, sit in a different seat or at a different table. Or, when you talk with your supervisor, make a point to shake his hand (if you don’t normally do that) or avoid looking him in the eye. Do people notice the change in your behavior? How do they react? Are they confused? Defensive? Annoyed? What accounts for the reactions?