Can you see what I'm saying?

President Bush didn't like the questions - and it showed. In an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer broadcast Dec. 16, 2003, Bush - like many chief executives - displayed a range of nonverbal tics that muddied the message he wanted to communicate.

In the interview Sawyer quickly honed in on the issue of whether Iraq had "weapons of mass destruction" before American troops invaded last March. As he listened to the questions Bush fidgeted; he blinked rapidly, sucked on his lower lip and sighed. His eyes darted around and his chin jutted out. At times he was visibly frustrated with Sawyer's line of questioning. In short, he sent a clear signal that was far louder than his words.

He just flat out didn't want to be there.

Bush isn't alone. We all have tics, or habits that betray our true feelings. Being on television only applies a magnifying glass to them.

And that's a problem - because up to 93 percent of all communications is non verbal. A classic 1971 study by UCLA psychologist Albert Mehrabian showed that when asked what they remembered about a speaker from a verbal, vocal and visual standpoint, audience members indicated just 7 percent of their recall was verbal (what was said), but 38 percent of their recall was vocal (how it was said) and 55 percent was visual (the speaker's body language and confidence).

This is human cognitive behavior and a lesson for all executives, chief and otherwise. You say far more with your nonverbal expressions than you do with your mouth - so watch them. And while you're watching those non-verbal behaviors beware of another message-deflating tic, the verbal accompaniment to fidgeting: "um" disease.

Here's a cure for um disease (if job security isn't an issue): click your fingers every time your boss says "um" and see what happens. If you're still on the premises, chances are those ums will dry up almost instantly. The public speaking group Toastmasters has a novel approach in this area - every time a speaker uses a non-word like "um" "ah" or "er" a marble is dropped into a can. It's a Pavlovian method. But it works.

Another psychologist, Frieda Goldman-Eisler, found that up to 50 percent of speech is actually silence. She reckoned speakers used non-words while they were thinking of what to say next - which is fine at Rotary, but less comforting when it's the leader of a publicly held company, your boss - or the leader of the free world.

Chief executives have to talk to the media - it's part of their gig. And reporters can ask tough questions that trip those CEOS - it's part of their gig. But more often executives trip themselves, betraying stated messages by exhibiting bad nonverbal skills, suffering from "um" disease and having the arrogance to think they can just "wing it" in interviews or speeches.

Communicating a clear message and answering questions posed by reporters is a delicate dance. Like most things, it takes practice to do well. And the best practice for media interviews is videotaped coaching - something that CEOs often view with about as much fondness as a root canal beforehand, but wonder how they lived without afterward.

Executives who don't submit to videotaped coaching before media interviews are fooling themselves and flying without a safety net. If a chief executive hasn't practiced concise answers to the top 10 rude questions he will be asked, then he's a fool. If she doesn't know to pause long enough to formulate a good answer she's not helping her organization. And if he doesn't want to be there, no amount of words will overcome the nonverbal signals that make up 93 percent of a message.

So whether you're a CEO, an executive or a product manager who wants to clearly communicate a point - watch your nonverbal communication and vaccinate against "um" disease by submitting to videotaped coaching before media contact. Your electorate - that is, the reporters, employees, shareholders and investors who each have a stake in your performance - will thank you for it.

We always welcome your thoughts and opinions. If you'd like to contact DASH Consulting click here or send us a note at dave@dashconsultinginc.com