A Matter of Trust

A few years ago I was hired to find out why the leaders of a utility company were having so much trouble implementing a large-scale organizational change. As I reviewed their communication strategy, I noted that the company definitely had a compelling reason for the change, a well-constructed change-management strategy, and an eloquent senior leadership team to deliver those messages.

But when I conducted focus groups throughout the organization, one comment kept repeating:” We don’t trust them.”

I was reminded of this when I read “Honest Signals” by Alex Pentland of Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab. At MIT, Pentland and other researchers study the nonverbal dynamics of human interactions. Their studies show that body language, vocal pitch and pattern are so critical to human trust that they alone can predict the success or failure of an interaction.

A device called a sociometer tracks body language signals and vocal speed and inflection – but not the content of the conversations. It turns out that, regardless of the words spoken, people who use positive nonverbal signals (looking at the other person, nodding heads in agreement, leaning forward, and speaking in the same vocal range an speed as their conversational partners) will win the other person’s trust.

So - you may have the most solid rationale for change, a bullet-proof communication strategy for delivering that message, and articulate leaders. But if leaders aren’t sending the right nonverbal signals, they won’t be trusted. And your organization won’t have a successful change.