If you are not aware of your body language or those of others and if you cannot read their non-verbal signals, you could be at a significant disadvantage in not being able to read their minds, while exposing yourself fully to them. In business this can have serious consequences as the other person can lie and it is critical to train yourself to improve your communication skills. Body language is an incredibility powerful communication method that many successful people employ to their advantage.
Body language is an incredibility powerful communication method that many successful people employ to their advantage. If you are not aware of your body language or those of others and if you cannot read their non-verbal signals, you could be at a significant disadvantage in not being able to read their minds, while exposing yourself fully to them. In business this can have serious consequences as the other person can lie and it is critical to train yourself to improve your communication skills.
Popular belief asserts that body language is mainly about non-verbal signals; how a person sits, body posture, facial expressions, hand gestures, head orientation, walking style, mouth gestures, leg placement, eyes looking at a certain direction and so on. However, body language encompasses all senses, so this includes touch and smell and to a much lesser extent taste. It also includes tone of your voice, pitch, speed of speech, pauses in speech, etc. Together these signals will contribute to expressing a particular feeling. It is the expression of feelings or reading these feelings that matter the most when we are studying body language.
Many body language signals are genetically determined. For example expressions such as smiling, showing anger, showing fear, showing domination and other basic physical gestures are almost universal among humans. This is because, as we have evolved, those genes that contributed to certain body language gestures increased our chances of survival. For example, if a homo erectus could show his domination by adopting a gesture that made him look bigger than what he actually was, then he had a higher chance to frighten off the other person in a fight and win it or best to avoid it altogether. This could then directly lead to his better survival and higher chances of making an offspring.
Around the world the following universal expressions have been identified:
With a combination of these expressions, we can show a multitude of feelings such as happiness, anger, glaring, fear, concentration, excitement, confusion, surprise, contempt, desire, empathy, flirt, disgust, frustration, love, sadness and snarl.
These six fundamental non-verbal expressions were first identified by Charles Darwin and led to extensive debate. Much later, through the work of Paul Ekman, a comprehensive system of facial expressions was constructed which is widely used today. Perhaps the most significant result of these studies was that there are certain expressions that are made universally and can be recognised universally by all people.
However, not all gestures and non-verbal signals are genetic or universal. Many are nurtured; learned from the society as we grow. For example, across the world there is a large variation on attitudes towards touching each other. Some cultures are quite comfortable and people of these cultures show their affection or interest in each other with physical contact, hugs, pat on the pack, touching arms, shoulders, hands, etc. while others are very conscious of their physical comfort zone and like to keep their physical space to themselves, disliking physical contact. This is simply learned through the environment. A person of one culture may feel uncomfortable in another, but since this is a skill, it can be relearned by practice and training.
Knowledge of both sets of body language signals can help you to improve your communication skills and show your feelings. It is critical to read body language in context. For example, crossing arms is an indication of being defensive. However, suppose your colleague is cold and she crosses her arms. Just because you see her crossing her arms doesn’t automatically mean that she must be feeling defensive. You should put this non-verbal signal into perspective. This means you must read gestures as a whole and interpret a cluster of gestures together to form a meaning. You should also interpret people in their respective environment. People are not in vacuum and are constantly responding to their environment. Knowledge of this environment is crucial in understanding people’s body language.
The reason this analysis becomes significant is that those who are good at body language may try to deceive you by adopting a different body language than the one that they should express based on their true feelings. Hence, you should isolate conditions such as tiredness, stress, overwork, unfamiliarity, alcohol, illness, weather and similar conditions before making a decision.
Reading body language is an art. With extensive training and persistence you can learn to read people like a book and respond to them accordingly. Remember, the ultimate aim of learning body language is to improve communication skills, learn to build rapport quickly and reduce the likelihood of misunderstanding, leading to better relationships. To learn more on body language attend a training course so you can practice various gestures under the supervision of a qualified body language trainer.
Body Language of Lying
There has been a lot of research within the field of body language since historically people seem to be extremely interested in either being deceptive, or catching those might be lying. This guide explores the body language of lying.Traditionally there are certain signs that are associated with lying and deception.
Top 6 Mistakes Made When Reading Body Language
Unfortunately many seem to make mistakes when using body language and non-verbal signals to the extent that their attempt in reading actually reduces the quality of the communication. In this article you will explore a number of common mistakes made when people read body language.
Essential Roles of Hands in Body Language and Non-Verbal Communication
Body language of hands works both ways. The way people hold their hands, place their hands, use their hands or show their hands can tell you a lot about them. Some of their gestures may not be intentional and you can use this as a clue to their emotions. In this article you will be introduced to a number of hand expressions and their meanings.
