Effective leaders are masterful nonverbal as well as verbal communicators. Nonverbal communication is important because leadership involves emotion, which words alone cannot communicate convincingly. A major component of the emotional impact of a message is communicated nonverbally. A self-confident leader not only speaks and writes with assurance but also projects confidence through body position, gestures, and manner of speech.

A general approach to using nonverbal behavior that projects confidence is to have a goal of appearing self-confident and powerful. This type of autosuggestion makes many of the behaviors seem automatic. Your external image also plays an important role in communicating messages to others. People pay more respect and grant more privileges to those they perceive as being well dressed and neatly groomed.

What constitutes a self-confident external image is often influenced by the organizational culture. Your verbal behavior and the forms of nonverbal behavior contribute more to your leadership image than your clothing, providing you dress acceptably. Videoconferencing places extra demands on the nonverbal communication skills of leaders, managers, and other participants.

An effective way of sharpening your telepresence skills is to be videotaped several times. Make adjustments for anything you don’t like, and repeat what you do like. Feedback on your behavior from another observer can be quite helpful.