Non-verbal communication and body language play a vital role in business, so gaining a healthier understanding of people’s feelings and thoughts over video can significantly impact your success when discussing or negotiating key agreements.

In our Catch Every Hmm, Ahh, Uh-Huh blog, we shared how Neat’s pioneering video devices empower you to better read nonverbal communication and body language for more naturally engaging hybrid meetings.

Here’s a brief recap if you missed it.

When we’re in the physical presence of others, there are many subtle nuances we pick up on, making non-verbal communication just as important as the words we say. For example, you can tell a lot about a person by their eyes or how they position their hands, etc. According to former FBI agent and nonverbal communication and body language expert Joe Navarro, “A huge part of communication is assessing what signals a person is sending.”

Whether or not we’re aware of it, we’re continuously giving and receiving wordless signals when we interact with others. All of our nonverbal behaviors – the gestures we make, our posture, tone of voice, and how much eye contact we make, send strong messages.

They can put people at ease, build trust, and draw others towards us, or they can offend, confuse, and undermine what we’re trying to convey. These messages don’t stop when we’re not speaking, either. So even when we’re silent, we’re still communicating nonverbally. In fact, studies suggest that up to 93% of all communication is non-verbal. As the saying goes, “Actions speak louder than words.”

Reading nonverbal cues more accurately

With that in mind, Neat’s far-reaching audio capabilities, extreme resolution wide-angle cameras, and our patented Neat Symmetry, Neat Boundary, and Neat Audio Processing features enable you to read nonverbal cues more accurately. I’m talking about subtle gestures like the level of eye-to-eye contact you can gauge on a video call, noticing slight shifts in someone’s stance or even when people do talk, a change in their vocal tone, for warmer, more empathetic, perceptive meetings.

Also, with Neat’s innovative audio technology, you won’t experience any uncomfortable double-talk issues, where the device’s audio pickup unintentionally squashes or mutes someone’s voice when two or more people talk simultaneously, and everything sounds jumbled up and incomprehensible. Instead, with our double-talk algorithm, everyone in the meeting will hear both people talking at the same time equally clearly.

The results speak for themselves

Put bluntly, using Neat devices could help you ace that lucrative deal you may be negotiating instead of completely misreading someone with less intuitive, lackluster video technology and scuppering it. Imagine a Neat video meeting scenario like the following: each person can clearly read the other’s silent signals, micro-expressions and murmurs for enhanced context.

AN EXECUTIVE BOARD ROOM – MID-MORNING.

Claire kicked off the meeting, needing to know if she could clinch the deal with Tom. She noticed he had a faraway look in his eye, which made her nervous.

Tom had no problem with Claire’s company’s offer – he just wondered if he could broker a better price.

CUT TO:

CLOSE-UP OF CLAIRE’S LEFT EAR.

Claire heard him softly muttering figures to himself

After a tense silence, Tom made a counteroffer, which Claire swiftly rebuffed after noticing his lips tighten.

CUT TO:

CLOSE-UP OF TOM’S MOUTH.

Claire caught an almost inaudible “Hmm.”

Tom guessed he was pushing his luck, but heck, he’d gotten away with bolder proposals before.

“OK,” he said, finally. “You win.”

CUT TO:

CLOSE-UP OF CLAIRE’S SHOULDERS, NECK AND MOUTH.

Claire was relieved. It had taken months of negotiation, and she just wanted to crack on with the merger.

CUT TO:

CLOSE-UP OF TOM’S HANDS.

Tom moved his hands slightly forward, and Claire could tell he was relieved, too

“You’re a hard nut to crack,” Tom said. “It takes one to know one,” Claire laughed.

THE END.

Wouldn’t you want to better perceive someone’s silent signals, micro-expressions and murmurs for more naturally engaging, intuitive video meetings?

Discover how Neat’s industry-leading audio and video capabilities could help you to better read nonverbal communication and body language in our live Virtual Demo – Neat Devices and Experiences webinar.

Better yet, book a demo and experience our devices for yourself.