03.06.2020 Interview with speaker Henrik Fexeus
Interview with Henrik Fexeus as he gives us the fundamentals of what got him interested in his current speaking career, down to tips in enhancing your non-verbal communication skills.
- Could you give us some brief examples of how and why using body language in the work environment is vital for successful communication
Body language and non-verbal communication convey messages often too subtle to be put in words, but which nevertheless are extremely important to get across. It will tell you everything from a persons’ emotional involvement to how well they work with others and whether they believe what they tell you. By consciously using your body language, you can create strong bonds of trust and cooperation at record-breaking speed.
- Why do you think that your keynotes are impactful for organizations?
The ability to quickly create secure and trusting relationships, both in the office and with your clients, is an absolute necessity in today’s competitive environment. So is the capacity to influence the decision making of others. In my keynotes, I teach how to use body language and non-verbal communication to achieve this in every meeting you have, by taking control over tools you already possess. My goal is to show you how to use them.
- Do you believe that your keynotes spark creativity? Which topic in particular.
One of my keynotes is about something I call Mental Superpowers. There are quite a few mental skills which we are quite good at, but without knowing it. So we donät use them – and when we try, we often go about it the wrong way. Creativity is one of these. Creativity is a fantastic tool that can be used in any situation. But as with any device, there is a right and a wrong way to use it. In Mental Superpowers, my audience will already during the presentation prove to themselves that they can be more creative than 1 in 1000 – just by understanding how to do it.
- Could you provide three tips for enhancing your communication/body language skills?
First of all, understand that it is a vital part of your everyday communication. If you are in doubt, watch a tv talk show with the sound on mute. You will realize that you can still get the gist of the conversation, just by observing the body language of the host and guests. Second, understand that you always affect other people’s moods and thoughts with your gestures and facial expressions and that this happens whether you intend to or not. Third, start observing other people – and yourself – to see whether their nonverbal behavior is congruent with, or contradicts their verbal message. And notice how your nonverbal signals affect your overall communication.
- When did you first start to pick up on body language? How did you (then)use it to your advantage?
I got interested in all this precisely because I didn’t pick up on body language. I was socially awkward as a child and grew up feeling that there was some secret” code” or language that the others got, but I did not. So I started to look for the answer and studied theatre, marketing, psychology, communication, philosophy, magic, and hypnosis. I looked at every field concerned with human behavior and how to influence it. I wanted to learn these techniques for myself, to apply them in my own life and also in my work as a mentalist I had no idea that other people were as interested as me, or that it would become my career teaching this to others. But I am delighted to do so because the ability to communicate well is the most important thing we have.
- Where would you like to be in the next five years?
Good question. I’ll let you know in four years. But seriously, even though the world is changing fast and communication becomes more and more digital, there will always be a need for interpersonal communication. This means that there will always be a need to master the skills that I teach, at least if you want to be able to navigate your social surroundings successfully. So in five years, you will probably find me doing what I do now, more or less, and loving every minute of it.