In summary, you will appear friendly and co-operative if you:

• Look at the other person's face
• Smile
• Nod your head as the other person is talking
• Have open hands and uncrossed arms
• Put your hands to your face occasionally
• Have uncrossed legs
• Lean forward slightly
• Move closer to the other person, while respecting their personal space.

Your non-verbal behaviour should reinforce what you say to customers

You will seem thoughtful if you:

• When listening, look at them for three-quarters of the time
• Tilt your head slightly to one side
• Lean forward to speak
• Lean back to listen
• Keep your legs still.

The secret of success is to concentrate on some simple combinations. If you do just one thing in isolation it will probably not have the desired effect because people gain an overall impression from a combination of the following:

• Your facial expressions and head movements
• Gestures with your hands and arms
• The rest of your body's movements, including your legs.

All three aspects need to be practised so that they all come together to create the right impression.

Non-verbal behaviour should accompany and reinforce what you are saying (i.e. your verbal behaviour). It is the combination of non-verbal and verbal behaviours that is likely to have the desired effect.