Denise Brouillette

You may think you have your non-verbals under control, but what if you don't? At best, you'd be thought of as simply not engaged; at worst, tactless and rude. Neither of those is good for your future. These 10 “what not to do” actions are damaging to your personal brand and to your future and should be eliminated from your repertoire.

Back when I was leading my first team, during an interview with a prospective new hire, one of the women on my team whipped out her nail polish and started brushing it on. How career-limiting is that! I'm sure you wouldn't do that during a work meeting, but here are some things you could be doing that can send the wrong message.

The following behaviors tell others: “I'm ready to bolt… I have more important things to do than listen to you."

1. Glancing toward the door… more than once.

2. Looking at your watch or up at a clock… and more than once.

3. Taking one step sideways toward the door from a standing position.

4. From a seated position, moving one foot in front of the other. Your torso moves slightly in the direction of your foot thus giving the impression that you're on your way out.

5. Looking from side to side while others are talking. You're scanning to see who's going to get up first so that you can quickly follow.

These next five actions tell others: “You're boring me… what you say isn't important enough to grab my attention."

6. Putting the top on your pen or clicking to retract the point… possibly several times.

7. Communicating with the person beside you while someone else is talking -- either with a note or by whispering something to them.

8. Looking at your BlackBerry or using your laptop (where others are not).

9. Rolling your eyes, sighing, or yawning.

10. Stretching your arms out to the side and placing them behind your head. This might be okay on its own, but if you also sigh, roll your eyes, or look at your watch or clock, the message is, “You're boring me.”

If you've been exhibiting any of these non-verbals, now's the time to replace them with behaviors that show you're engaged.