Did you know that your words only account for about 20 percent of the information that people take in from you? The rest is a combination of factors. Follow this advice to boost your nonverbal communication skills and demonstrate your strength, leadership, and passion.

Body language expert Linda Clemons recommends these tactics to improve nonverbal communication:

• Minimize distracting movements. Less is more. Too much movement can give the impression that you are anxious. Consider recording yourself (long enough that you forget about the camera), and look for self-soothing movements—touching hair, rubbing arms, and pacing, for instance. Practice minimizing these distracting gestures.
• Remove barriers. When possible, when you are leading a meeting, give your audience an unobstructed view of you. Stand if needed. If you are giving a presentation, consider moving from behind the podium to be closer (but not too close) to the audience.
• Be aware of posture. Stand with your shoulders back and your head held high; studies show a confident posture produces feelings of confidence.
• Study your voice. Do an audio recording of yourself during a meeting or presentation and listen to your tone. If your voice is too high or if you speak too fast, you may sound nervous. If you’re too loud, you might seem overbearing. If your voice is too soft, you won’t inspire or motivate.
• Lead from behind. Nonverbal communication includes actions. Look for openings where you can step back and your team can step up, so they can take advantage of opportunities for growth. Lend support through your body language when you hand off a meeting to an employee—standing behind the person shows support, but make sure you don’t hover.
• Listen. In addition to projecting strength, you want to show empathy, which makes you a better leader and gains your employees’ respect. Pay attention to what others are saying and try to understand where they are coming from.

For more advice, read “This Is How to Decode the Silent Language of Leaders.”