Body Language on Social Media: Why Being Present Means More Than You Think
Amy Reczek joins Mariah on the Content Queen Podcast (Episode 347) to break down the non-verbal communication skills that build credibility in person and online.
Quick summary
What if the thing holding you back in sales had nothing to do with your pitch?
Most professionals spend years sharpening their message — learning the right words, the right follow-up cadence, the right objection-handling scripts. But according to Amy Reczek, founder of Sales and Presence and author of Connect to Close, that focus misses the majority of what actually drives a buying decision.
"93% of communication is non-verbal," Amy told host Mariah on Episode 347 of the Content Queen Podcast. "The words you choose matter — but they are the smallest piece of what people are actually receiving."
Selling Has Evolved. Have You?
Amy spent 17 years in B2B sales before founding Sales and Presence. She watched the industry change dramatically — especially with the rise of social media and remote-first communication.
"When I started, you walked into a room and you made your impression there," Amy explained. "Now, you're making that impression on a thumbnail. On a video. On how you show up before the camera even turns on."
The internet didn't remove the human element from selling — it amplified it. Clients research you before they ever take a call. They watch how you carry yourself in a LinkedIn video. They read your caption. They scroll past you in 2 seconds or they stop.
That means presence — real, embodied presence — has become a professional superpower. And it's one that most people aren't training for.
The 93% You're Probably Ignoring
The 7-38-55 rule, first studied by Dr. Albert Mehrabian, breaks down how meaning is communicated: 7% through words, 38% through tone of voice, and 55% through body language.
What that means in practice: the moment you walk into a room, step onto a stage, or appear on a camera, people are already forming a picture of your credibility. Before you've said a word.
Amy puts it this way: "We make a first impression in a split second — and here's the kicker. That first impression is accurate 76% of the time."
That number is bracing. It means that if you're showing up distracted, slouched, or disconnected, people are noticing — and their read on you is probably correct. But it also means the inverse is true: show up with intention, and people will feel that too.
3 Non-Verbal Power Skills That Build Instant Credibility
1. Posture
It sounds almost too simple. But Amy points out that most of us are walking around in a chronic slouch — hunched over our laptops, collapsed into our phone screens, shoulders curved inward from hours at a desk.
"Tell me the last time you actually thought about your posture when walking through your corporate setting," she said. "When I say it out loud, everyone in the room immediately sits up — because our posture is just bad these days."
Good posture isn't about being stiff or performative. It's about openness. It signals that you are present, available for connection, and confident in where you're going. And when you're on camera — whether on Zoom, a podcast, or a social video — it's one of the first things people register.
2. Hands
Keep your hands visible. This is a trust signal that's deeply embedded in human psychology — when we can see someone's hands, we feel safer. When hands are hidden (under a table, behind a back, or deep in pockets), the subconscious registers mild unease.
In a video or presentation context, using your hands intentionally — to gesture, to emphasize, to ground your energy — keeps viewers engaged and adds warmth to your delivery.
3. Eye Contact
In a world of constant distraction, eye contact has become rare — and therefore powerful. Whether you're in an elevator, a meeting, or looking directly into a camera lens, choosing eye contact communicates: I see you. You have my attention.
"Put everything away," Amy advises. "Say good morning or hello to whoever's in the elevator and see what happens. You're going to be hyper-aware that you are now present."
She shared a story from a training she ran with about 100 corporate professionals. Before lunch, she asked them to put their phones away during the break and practice open, connected body language. When they returned, one attendee immediately raised his hand: "I went to grab my phone in the elevator — habit — but I stopped myself. And then the CEO of our company got on. We had a great conversation."
One elevator. One choice to stay present. That's what presence does.
Being Present Is a Competitive Advantage
Amy is quick to point out that presence isn't about being an extrovert or a "natural" communicator. She knows that pattern well — she spent years in corporate sales as someone who identifies as more introverted, learning to build genuine connection through strategy and practice rather than volume and charisma.
"Everyone here is already a professional," she says. "You know what you do. You know how to do it well. These tactics are to raise you by 1% — and that 1% creates enormous impact."
The goal isn't to become someone else. It's to make sure the version of you that shows up in meetings, in hallways, and on camera actually reflects the professional you are.
The "Ask 3 Before You Solution" Rule
One of the most practical frameworks Amy shared in the episode is what she calls "Ask 3 Before You Solution."
In sales — and in leadership — there's a near-universal tendency to hear the beginning of a problem and immediately jump to an answer. It feels helpful. It feels efficient. But it often isn't either.
"We want to get to what we want to talk about," Amy explained. "So we ask a question, and we already have a response loaded. That response may not be what they need. It may not be the value for them — but we think it is."
The fix is deceptively simple: ask three questions before you offer any solution. Use the client's own words. Invite them to go deeper. One of Amy's go-to prompts is as simple as it gets: "Tell me more."
"Tell me more is your best question-slash-statement you could ever ask," she said. "Instead of going right to what you have to say — sit with them. Let them tell you more about what's on their mind, what's on the agenda, what's happening next. You will get a lot further."
Listening isn't a soft skill. It's a strategic one. And as Amy notes, the person who listens well — who makes others feel genuinely heard — earns a level of trust that no pitch can manufacture.
Introducing the BREW Method
Throughout the conversation, Amy referenced her proprietary BREW Method — the four-step presence framework at the core of her coaching and her book Connect to Close.
BREW stands for:
B — Be the moment
R — Raise confidence
E — Engage
W — What about (shifting focus from yourself to the other person)
The "W" step is where Amy says most communication breaks down. We enter conversations with our own agenda front and center — what we want to convey, what outcome we need — rather than asking the deeper question: What does this person actually need from me right now?
"Shift from what you want to what the client needs," she said. "That's where the real magic of connection happens. And that connection is what ultimately closes."
Social Media: Stop Pitching, Start Educating
The second half of the episode digs into social media presence — a critical arena for sales professionals and coaches building credibility online.
Amy's core reframe: social media is not a pitch deck. It is an education platform.
"If you're leading with 'here's what I do and here's how to buy it' — you've already lost," she said. "People don't come to social media to be sold. They come to learn, to be entertained, to connect. Meet them where they are."
Instead of leading with product and price, Amy recommends building credibility through:
Client stories — real outcomes from real people (with permission)
Social proof — reviews, testimonials, and results that function like Amazon ratings: people want to know others have been there first
Educational content — the "how" that your audience is actually searching for
"Sales is a very loud space," Amy said. "A lot of people telling you what to do. What most of that content is missing is the how. That's what I couldn't find in my corporate career — and it's what drove me to write the book."
The professionals who win on social media are the ones who show up consistently, teach generously, and allow trust to accumulate over time. Presence online is an extension of presence in person — it's still about showing up as someone worth paying attention to.
From 17 Years in B2B Sales to Founding Sales and Presence
For those new to Amy's work, her background is worth knowing.
She holds a degree in psychology and spent 17 years in corporate B2B sales — watching talented people get stuck in patterns that limited their growth. Over and over, she saw the same gap: smart, hardworking professionals who knew their product cold but struggled to communicate their value in a way that connected.
"It's the same pattern across different industries, different people," she said. "What I recognized in my corporate career was that this is what was missing for me too. It's why I created the company."
Sales and Presence was built to close that gap — providing teams and individuals with practical, psychologically grounded tools for presence, communication, and sales effectiveness. Her book Connect to Close distills years of coaching into a methodology anyone can follow.
Listen to the Full Episode
To hear the full conversation between Amy Reczek and Mariah on the Content Queen Podcast, search for Episode 347: "Body Language on Social Media & Why Being Present Means More Than You Think" wherever you listen to podcasts, or visit the Content Queen Podcast website.
Ready to Build Your Presence?
If this episode resonated with you, Amy's book Connect to Close is the natural next step — a practical, step-by-step guide to the communication shifts that build trust, win clients, and advance careers.
📘 Get Connect to Close on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Connect-Close-Communicate-Momentum-Results-ebook/dp/B0G5QJCPV7
📖 Learn more about the book: https://www.salesandpresence.com/connect-to-close
🌐 Work with Amy: https://www.salesandpresence.com | https://www.amyreczek.com
Amy Reczek is the founder of Sales and Presence and author of Connect to Close. She works with corporate teams, sales professionals, and leaders who want to build executive presence, communicate with impact, and stop being overlooked.
