Sometimes all it takes is a much-publicized case of “he said, she said” to highlight the powerful effects of nonverbal cues and to demonstrate the link between masterful soft skills and employee engagement.

It all started during a Village Board meeting in the rural community of Island Lake, Ill. After a heated exchange over village finances, two trustees alleged that resident Greg Kachka, a retired mail carrier and disabled Vietnam War veteran, pointed his finger menacingly at them while wearing a T-shirt that read: “Don’t Move. If You Run, You’ll Only Die Tired.”

Kachka, however, claimed he was simply trying to draw attention to one of the trustees after she allegedly made sarcastic facial expressions to mock him for asking questions. Kachka faces two counts of disorderly conduct, and if convicted, could get up to 30 days in jail, two years of probation and a $1,500 fine.

Jarring and unfortunate in many respects, the Island Lake T-shirt debacle is an extreme example of nonverbal communication gone bad. This is a particularly important issue in organizations, where any and all forms of communication, particularly on the part of leaders, have a substantial impact on workforce performance. After all, “employee engagement is a direct reflection of how employees feel about their relationship with the boss,” according to Gerard H. Seijts and Dan Crim in a 2006 article in the Ivey Business Journal.

Yet, oftentimes people in positions of power can be insensitive to how they come across, resulting in hurt, angry or uncomfortable feelings among employees, said Robert Dipboye, an industrial and organizational psychologist and professor at the University of Central Florida.

“They don’t realize the impact that small behaviors, [such as] the way they say, ‘Good morning,’ has on those around them,” he said. “[Conversely], those in subordinate positions are often highly sensitive, for good reasons. The person in power has to be aware that they’re being watched, and everything they do is having an impact, even though they may just want to be casual and informal and spontaneous.”