We all know that actions speak louder than words.
That’s why, in the world of business, making sure we’re in control of our body language is so important.
In fact, according to research that was recently conducted by Princeton University, a person’s body language is a much better indicator of what they’re thinking and feeling than their facial expressions.
The report reveals that the emotions we convey through our facial expressions are actually quite “ambiguous and subjective,” while those we demonstrate through our actions are a more accurate representation of our internal landscape.
The following are a few tips to help you send the right message during your pitch in a capital raising.
Keep your hands away from your face
Avoid touching your face. This sends all the wrong messages, and can make you seem nervous – which is definitely something you want to avoid.
Needless to say, it can be extremely distracting for the person you’re conversing with.
According to the Economic Times, it is also commonly associated with deception, which is exactly what you want to avoid during a capital raising pitch. If you cover your mouth and place your thumb on your cheek, apparently it’s a sure-fire sign that you’re not telling the truth. This is known as the “mouth guard” – watch out for it.
This is also the case if you touch your nose, eyes or ears, or even if you scratch your neck.
A number of sources also state that if you touch your chin during a conversation, you run the risk of making someone think you are judging them.
If you rest your chin on your hands, you will give the impression that you don’t want to engage with you interlocutor.
So, it’s best to place those hands at your sides or in your lap, and make sure they stay there.
Keep your eyes on the prize
Finally, we’ve all heard that maintaining eye contact whether during a capital raising pitch or job interview is vital.
It demonstrates that you are paying attention to your interlocutor, and that you are a confident conversationalist. However, it is important to strike the right balance.
If you look away too often, you may appear uninterested or self-conscious. You may be all three, but you don’t want to leave your prospective business partner with that impression.
On the other hand, if you spend all of your time staring into that other person’s eyes, you’re likely to freak them out and put them on edge. The likely outcome – a lost opportunity to raise that much needed capital.
There are a few myths, however, when it comes to your eyes and what they convey during conversations.
You may, for instance, have heard that when a person looks to the right, they’re lying, whereas when they look to the left, they’re probably telling the truth.
According to Scientific American, a new study has revealed that there is no connection between our eye movement and whether we’re lying or not.
So don’t waste your time worrying about this at your next capital raising pitch – instead, keep your eyes on the prize.
If you keep all of these tips in mind next time you’re having an important conversation about raising capital in Australia, you should have a little more success when it comes to sealing the deal.