Performance review phrases – Non-verbal communication

Non-verbal communication (body language) is unspoken aspect of communication, which includes facial expressions, gestures, posture, and eye movement.

Exceptional/Superior:

1. Henry knows how to identify positive and negative emotions in other people based on their facial expressions and gestures.
2. James keeps his head high and chin up during communication. He always has a broad smile on his face.
3. Gloria approaches every client with an open posture, which helps to convey the feeling of openness and friendliness.
4. John has a perfect business shake.
5. Rachel looks engaged and attentive on every team meeting. She never fidgets.
6. Abigail understands all the subtleties of non-verbal communication processes.
7. Jack makes sure that his movements mirror what he is saying to demonstrate his confidence and knowledge.
8. Arnold strikes a power pose. He stands straight with head high and feet apart to appear more confident.
9. Oliver has mastered his social skills and ability to understand nonverbal cues.
10. Whenever Emma talks to a customer, she demonstrates her openness and desire to help.

Exceeds Requirements/More than Satisfactory:

1. George actively uses gestures when he talks.
2. Yvonne sits in an engaging position during negotiations with partners and customers.
3. Nigel has a wide and relaxed stance, which exudes confidence.
4. Philipp respects the company’s dress code. He is always dressed like a professional.
5. Valerie pays special attention to the body language of her clients.
6. When talking to a bunch of people, Harry holds his gaze for a few moments with each person.
7. Arthur always looks happy. He never has a tense or annoyed expression on his face.
8. Jeremy uses open hand gestures to demonstrate his willingness to communicate with other people.
9. Laura always stands as straight as she can to demonstrate her courage and dominance.
10. David has a solid handshake. It is neither too weak nor overly firm.

Meets Expectations/Satisfactory:

1. Jennifer never stares at people for too long.
2. Susan is a talented speaker. She understands how to engage the audience using body language.
3. Trevor maintains eye contact when talking with our clients and partners.
4. Peter nods too much. Some people might find him overly submissive or indifferent.
5. Thomas never crosses his arms in the presence of customers.
6. Sometimes Monica stands too close to coworkers. She does not respect other people’s personal space.
7. Rachel pays attention to her posture. She always keeps her back straight.
8. Samantha maintains appropriate eye contact.
9. Harry avoids touching his face while answering questions to look honest.
10. Elaine always keeps her hands out of her pockets.

Provisional/Needs Improvement:

1. When nervous, Bill clenches his hands.
2. Cindy maintains poor eye contact.
3. Mark holds his chin down and stares at the floor when talking with customers. He appears indecisive and bored.
4. Gerald makes inappropriate eye contact.
5. Sometimes Luke fails to keep his attention on the conversation.
6. Quentin hides his hands behind his back when answering questions.
7. Sometimes James touches his face when talking to customers. People might misinterpreted it as a sign of dishonesty.
8. Rebecca often bites her nails, which is a sign of stress and insecurity.
9. Donald does not know how to maintain an eye contact with multiple people at once.
10. Robert keeps his hands in his pockets all the time. It shows that he feels anxious.

Unsatisfactory:

1. Elizabeth never smiles when talking to customers.
2. Michael fails to maintain a professional image. He always has a bad posture and indifferent facial expression.
3. Gwen makes too many nervous gestures.
4. Ronald uses very firm and aggressive handshakes. Sometimes he even hurts people.
5. Mary wears dirty clothes. She violates the dress code of the company.
6. Thomas fails to nod and smile when listening to others.
7. During team meetings, Aaron glances at his phone too often.
8. Monica makes too much eye contact. Some people feel awkward because of that.
9. Sometimes Harry invades other people’s personal space.
10. Janet looks uninterested when talking with customers. She needs to start demonstrating that she is listening to others.

Self Evaluation Questions:

1. Is it hard for you to make proper eye contact with strangers?
2. How often do you get into awkward situations because of bad non-verbal communication?
3. Can you identify people’s emotions off their tone of voice and body language?
4. Do you apply non-verbal communication tricks?
5. Do your body language and gestures appear natural?
6. Does the tone of your voice match the message that you are trying to say?
7. Can you suppress your body language when you need to hide your emotions?
8. Do you pay attention to non-verbal signals from other people?
9. How good are you at reading body language?
10. Do you display engaging facial expressions during verbal communication?

The samples of performance review phrases for non-verbal communication is a great/helpful tool for periodical/annual job performance appraisal. Note that, non-verbal communication review phrases can be positive or negative and your performance review can be effective or bad/poor activities for your staffs.

If no matching phrase is found, you can also see a general list of performance review phrases and choose a more appropriate skill.