--- title: "Daily Buzz: How Nonverbal Cues Can Create a Positive Meeting Environment" id: "47282" type: "post" slug: "daily-buzz-how-nonverbal-cues-can-create-a-positive-meeting-environment" published_at: "2019-07-17T18:46:10+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-17T01:41:00+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/07/17/daily-buzz-how-nonverbal-cues-can-create-a-positive-meeting-environment/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/07/17/daily-buzz-how-nonverbal-cues-can-create-a-positive-meeting-environment.md" excerpt: "Smile your way to a more memorable conference experience. Also: why employees don’t understand their benefits." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Communications" - "Meetings" - "nonverbal cues" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Daily Buzz: How Nonverbal Cues Can Create a Positive Meeting Environment If you’ve ever been in a room of giggling people, you know that laughter and smiles are contagious. At meetings, the same rule applies: When authentic joy is felt, it spreads. Why? Vanessa Van Edwards, a behavioral investigator and author of *Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People*, [told Smart Meetings (opens in a new tab)](https://www.smartmeetings.com/magazine_article/be-contagious-in-a-good-way-with-nonverbal-cues) that people are continually reading others’ nonverbal cues to determine whether they are friends or foes. So, the easiest way to communicate your conference’s message or goals might not be to say it, but rather to show it in your actions. Smile more, make eye contact, stand up straight—all of these tell attendees that you’re enjoying the event and attentive to what’s going on around you. Besides body language, taking extra strides to make meetings memorable can also stir positivity among attendees. Banishing predictable interactions—the ever-looming “What do you do?” or “Where are you from?” questions, for example—can create more meaningful conversations. Try “What exciting projects are you working on?” or “What good thing happened today?” to avoid stock answers. ### Know Your Benefits > Up to 80% of companies reported that their employees do not open or read benefit materials. Take a moment to understand why and help employees understand their benefits. [@Forbes (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/Forbes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [https://t.co/ySsdU2oO0v (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/ySsdU2oO0v) > > — eSkill Corporation (@eSkillCorp) [July 16, 2019 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/eSkillCorp/status/1151145027130798080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) Do you understand your benefits? If the answer is no, you’re not alone. Data shows that up to [80 percent of companies reported (opens in a new tab)](https://www.ifebp.org/bookstore/benefits-communication-survey-results/Pages/benefits-communication-survey-results.aspx) that employees don’t read or open their benefit materials. The reason? Benefits are complicated and often aren’t top of mind, [says Chris Renz on Forbes (opens in a new tab)](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2019/07/02/only-half-of-employees-understand-their-benefits-heres-what-hr-leaders-can-do-about-it/#42014cd57813) . “Understanding the barriers that prevent employees from using the benefits is a crucial first step in adjusting and redesigning employee benefits programs,” he says. “By embracing simplicity by design and streamlining employee experience, companies can create benefit programs that truly matter to employees, and are both easy to understand and use.” ### Other Links of Note **Can’t work from home?** *CMSWire* offers other [creative working space ideas outside of the office (opens in a new tab)](https://www.cmswire.com/digital-workplace/creative-alternatives-for-a-remote-working-space/) . **An underrated way** to minimize workload stress: [asking for an extension (opens in a new tab)](http://www.bethkanter.org/stress-trigger/) , according to nonprofit thought leader Beth Kanter. **Pride Month might be over,** but [the need for safe spaces in the workplace is not (opens in a new tab)](https://qz.com/work/1664471/how-to-build-self-spaces-at-work/) , says *Quartz at Work*. (Cecilie_Arcurs/E+/Getty Images Plus) [Jeff Hsin](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) Tags: [#Communications](https://associationsnow.com/tag/communications/) [#Meetings](https://associationsnow.com/tag/meetings/) [#nonverbal cues](https://associationsnow.com/tag/nonverbal-cues/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [Video2025 Summit Award Recipient: American Speech-Language-Hearing AssociationOctober 3, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/10/03/2025-summit-award-recipient-american-speech-language-hearing-association/) - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Contract: Building Stronger Destination PartnershipsSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-contract-building-stronger-destination-partnerships/) - [VideoMelvin Tennant, CAE, President & CEO of Meet Minneapolis, Welcomes You to Great Ideas 2026September 2, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/02/melvin-tennant-cae-president-ceo-of-meet-minneapolis-welcomes-you-to-great-ideas-2026/) - [VideoASAE TV Daily Recap: Final Day at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/24/asae-tv-daily-recap-final-day-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2019%2F07%2F17%2Fdaily-buzz-how-nonverbal-cues-can-create-a-positive-meeting-environment%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !