Unit 3 Body Language1.doc

Unit 3 Body Language BodyBody languagelanguage isis a a formform ofof non verbalnon verbal communicationcommunication whichwhich consistsconsists ofof bodybody postureposture gesturesgestures facialfacial expressionsexpressions andand eyeeye movementsmovements HumansHumans sendsend andand interpretinterpret suchsuch signalssignals almostalmost entirelyentirely subconsciously subconsciously JohnJohn BorgBorg attestsattests thatthat humanhuman communicationcommunication consistsconsists ofof 9393 percentpercent bodybody languagelanguage andand paralinguisticparalinguistic cues cues whilewhile onlyonly 7 7 ofof communicationcommunication consistsconsists ofof wordswords themselves themselves 1 1 however however AlbertAlbert MehrabianMehrabian thethe researcherresearcher whosewhose 1960s1960s workwork isis thethe sourcesource ofof thesethese statistics statistics hashas statedstated thatthat thisthis isis a a misunderstandingmisunderstanding ofof thethe findingsfindings 2 2 see see MisinterpretationMisinterpretation ofof Mehrabian sMehrabian s rulerule OthersOthers assertassert thatthat Research Research hashas suggestedsuggested thatthat betweenbetween 6060 andand 7070 percentpercent ofof allall meaningmeaning isis derivedderived fromfrom nonverbalnonverbal behavior behavior 3 3 BodyBody languagelanguage maymay provideprovide cluesclues asas toto thethe attitudeattitude oror statestate ofof mindmind ofof a a person person ForFor example example itit maymay indicateindicate aggressionaggression attentivenessattentiveness boredomboredom relaxedrelaxed state state pleasurepleasure amusementamusement andand intoxicationintoxication amongamong manymany otherother cuescues Understand Nonverbal Communication through Body Language Whether in your personal life or professional life you need to be able to communicate well in order to be successful Many times communication occurs without the usage of words This kind of communication is referred to as non verbal communication Some people also call it body language Here facial expressions posture eye contact and gestures come in Often non verbal communication is used to show agreement or disagreement anger or happiness or any other kind of feeling like love or dislike Therefore a person should put in efforts to understand non verbal communication through body language Whenever a person interacts with others there will be gestures and actions that he or she will do These gestures and actions show a lot about what the person is feeling or thinking about a conversation or about what is occurring around him or her The way the person listens looks moves or reacts to what is being said will give an idea whether he or she is interested or disinterested or whether he or she is listening carefully to what is being said or taking place If you want to connect with a person you should be careful about your body language You should show just positive signs so that the person realizes that you are interested and carefully listening to what he or she has to say There are several kinds of nonverbal communication that person uses when interacting with others Often facial expressions tend to mirror what a person is thinking or feeling Simple feelings like anger surprise fear happiness and disgust can be conveyed with the help of facial expressions The way a person sits walks stands or holds his or head will give you sufficient knowledge about the person and his or her inner thoughts Likewise even gestures convey a person s mood thoughts and opinions Many times gestures are used unconsciously to reinforce an idea or to show disagreement However in different cultures different gestures have different meanings Hence one should be careful not to misinterpret a gesture HOW TO READ BODY LANGUAGE TOP 10 TIPS Interested in learning how to read body language Would you like to be able to tell when people are lying and understand people s intentions This article will provide you with the top 10 tips for reading body language I feel Body Language is the most important language you can learn It bypasses avoid the verbal communication barriers and gives you an insight into what others might be thinking or what actions they are likely to take Remember that the art of being able to read body language is to be able to look at some one pick up the signals and at the same time not let on to release that person you are doing this If you do the person will become uncomfortable Tip 1 Eyes Dilated pupils the person is interested in the topic People say that the eyes are the windows to the soul They can tell so much information about the person if you know what you are looking for As in most situations the same signal can be interpreted in a different way It depends entirely on the circumstances at hand The example above could also mean that the person is on drugs or it could mean that they are focused Tip 2 Hands Open palm the person is relaxed and comfortable The hands have many expressions and are a good place to start when learning how to read body language Generally when some one s hands are open it means that their defenses are relaxed Tip 3 Mimicking When you are talking to someone if they are mimicking your body position and action it means that they are comfortable in the situation and most likely interested by you and what you are saying Tip 4 Eyes If someone s eyes are gazing to the side it is a trait that they are feeling guilty Likewise if they are gazing down this express s shame Remember the eyes have so many meanings and it s easy to make the wrong evaluation Practice makes perfect Tip 5 Arms The main two expressions with arms is that they are either closed folded or open When folded the person is possibly angry or disapproving When their arms are open the person is in an honest position and is accepting of the situation Tip 6 Rubbing of the Chin If someone is rubbing their chin it generally means that they are thinking Tip 7 Feet When you are in conversation with someone you can tell if they are comfortable and interested by what you are saying by their feet position When standing opposite one another the other person s feet are facing in your direction This means that they are comfortable and their head and eyes will also be focused on you When standing opposite someone their feet are pointing away and their head and eyes are not focused on you They will most likely be nodding and agreeing with a fake smile This means that the person in question is not interested and might even feel uncomfortable in the situation Tip 8 Legs When stood up Legs are a good indicator of how confident someone is If someone is standing with their legs shoulder width apart they are relaxed If they are standing with a stance wider than that they are a confident and are in a grounded position to show they are in control When stood up with legs crossed the person is probably shy When sitting down if the legs are crossed it shows the person is in protective mode This is very much used alongside crossed arm action If the legs are open when the person is seated then they are in a relaxed position The same as when standing Tip 9 Fingers Fingers can create many gestures and are great for reading body language A pointing finger can either be someone pointing to an item or place it can also indicate anger If someone is curling their fingers tightly they are usually pleading for something Drumming or tapping with the fingers indicates frustration The faster the beating the greater the frustration and tension inside the person Tip 10 Eyebrows The eyebrows have many uses Listed below are some examples When the eye brows are raised normally the person is shocked or surprised The greater the surprise the more raised they will be When someone flicks their eye brow up and down quickly they are greeting someone else or are showing they have acknowledged them I hope you have enjoyed learning how to read body language tips Remember reading body language is not a skill that can be learned over night The more you practice the easier it will become and the more subtle you will be able to do it Body Language And Sign Of Attraction No matter what setting a person is in formal or informal he or she will always have some or the other body language Many people try to gauge body language and sign of attraction when they are interested in someone from the opposite gender In fact this could be a good way to figure out whether a person is interested in you or not Here is some body language that could be signs of attraction When you meet the person in question and he or she asks their friends to move so that you can sit next to him or her it definitely is a sign of attraction The person wants you close to him or her and therefore it can be concluded that he or she is attracted to you Check out the eye contact of the person If the person makes a prolonged and sustained eye contact with you even though you are across the room it means that he or she is attracted to you This long and sustained eye contact is a sign of attraction Many a times if a person is attracted to another he or she can end up copying the other person s actions and gestures This occurs unconsciously and is not meant to undermine you or make fun of you It is a body language that shows a sign of attraction If a person is attracted to you he or she will make a sustained eye contact and smile at you This is one of the age old signs of attraction and you should be happy that the attraction is reciprocated Touching is another sign of attraction This touching will be restricted to the arm back or shoulders while talking to the person or walking with the person in a crowd This body language is a definite sign of attraction and should be welcomed When you are holding a conversation with the person in question and he or she tends to lean towards you then it is a sign of attraction as the person is interested in what you are saying and showing it Sponsored Links Body Language And Eye Contact Body language is a kind of non verbal communication that people use in different situations And based on a study conducted by UCLA it turns out that most of human interaction occurs through non verbal communication Body language and eye contact can tell a person so much when holding a conversation Just paying attention to a person s body language and the way he or she makes eye contact will allow you understand many things about the person in question The way a person stares or looks will give you an understanding as to what the person is feeling or thinking Hence body language and eye contact often go hand in hand For instance if a person has softening of the eyes it means that he or she is relaxed and trusts the other person A long focused eye contact means aggression while a short focused eye contact means that the person is interested but is not willing to be rude or that the person is shy On the other hand if the person is not looking at you then he or she could be thinking about themselves or they could be daydreaming When a person is squinting while talking to you then it means that he or she is evaluating something or the situation Winking is often used to create a bond between 2 people but in most cases winking means that the other person is interested in you Hence understanding body language and eye contact can give you an understanding of another person and will allow you to form your own judgments and opinions of the person However remember that you could be wrong in your assessment so do not let this be the sole criterion for judging and assessing a person Examples Of Cultural Differences In The Interpretation Of Body Language While body language is universally studied by experts there are subtle cultural differences that people should be aware of In today s global world business is being conducted in all corners of the globe Hence knowing the cultural differences in the interpretation of body language will not let you make any embarrassing faux f u fake pas pa helper faux pas f u p z 法 失言 失礼 失态 特指妇女的 失足 embarrassing mistake indiscreet When it comes to a culturally diverse society different body language is used in different situations In fact this is the same for most people We have a different set of body language for home friends and workplace And all of us use this language as and when the need arises However where cultures are different body language is also different For example at work the setting is formal Hence two people will not hug each other If they do then it will be mistaken for flirtation or having an affair However when the same two people meet in a social setting it is okay for them to hug each other It will not be taken amiss wrongly In many cultures like in Spain Italy or Latin America the body language is accentuated emphasized by men and women If one person kisses another on the cheek or hugs then it is not mistaken for a flirtation or affair It is a normal way of greeting a person However this kind of greeting is not used in cultures that are reserved or strict like in the Middle East Asia or Japan In these cultures if you kiss a person on the cheek or hug a person in public it is considered rude and inappropriate Even something as simple as holding hands also varies from culture to culture If a man and woman hold hands in the US in public it is considered to be a sign of intimacy However in reserved cultures like in Japan and the Middle East if two people from opposite gender hold hands it is considered to be promiscuous pr miskju s immoral and vulgar On the other hand when two people from the same gender hold hands like 2 women or 2 men then it is considered to be a sign of friendship with no sexual connotation However in the US or the UK it would be considered a sign of lesbianism or homosexuality Another example is that of forming a ring using the tip of the thumb and index finger In France if you do this gesture it means that you think the other person is worthless However in Japan when the same gesture is done it means that a reference is being made to money Facts About Body Language Body language is non verbal mode of communication wherein people use various gestures and actions to communicate what they are feel think or experience These gestures and actions may or may not be accompanied with words It is said that if a person studies body language thoroughly he or she will be able to spot a person lying Knowing how to use body language effectively can help reinforce a message or what you want to express Hence a person should know how to effectively use body language and verbal communication Just by looking at a person s body language it can be deciphered decode how confident he or she is There are many different kinds of body language According to experts people can have as many as 700 000 signs and gestures And one person is capable of making more than 250 000 facial expressions and has around 5 000 gestures of the hand When you look into the facts of body language you realize that there is something called positive and negative body language In the former the non verbal gestures and actions show others that a person is giving a positive or optimistic response to what is being said Nodding of the head in agreement or smiling with enthusiasm is an example of positive body language On the other hand negative body language shows that a person is in disagreement or is not in agreement with the entire idea of what is being said Frowning shaking the head and raising the eyebrows are examples of negative body language Even crossing hands is considered to be a negative action UnderstandingUnderstanding bodybody languagelanguage TheThe techniquetechnique ofof reading reading peoplepeople isis usedused frequently frequently ForFor example example thethe ideaidea ofof mirroringmirroring bodybody languagelanguage toto putput peoplepeople atat easeease isis commonlycommonly usedused inin interviews interviews MirroringMirroring thethe bodybody languagelanguage ofof someonesomeone elseelse indicatesindicates thatthat theythey areare understood understood citation citation neededneeded ItIt isis importantimportant toto notenote thatthat somesome indicatorsindicators ofof emotionemotion e g e g smiling laughingsmiling laughing whenwhen happy happy frowning cryingfrowning crying whenwhen sad sad areare largelylargely universal universal citation citation neededneeded 4 4 however however inin thethe 1990s1990s EkmanEkman expandedexpanded hishis listlist ofof basicbasic emotions emotions includingincluding a a rangerange ofof positivepositive andand negativenegative emotionsemotions notnot allall ofof whichwhich areare encodedencoded inin facialfacial muscles 13 muscles 13 TheThe newlynewly includedincluded emotionsemotions are are A A studystudy inin bodybody language language 1 1 AmusementAmusement 2 2 ContemptContempt 3 3 ContentmentContentment 4 4 EmbarrassmentEmbarrassment 5 5 ExcitementExcitement 6 6 GuiltGuilt 7 7 PridePride inin achievementachievement 8 8 ReliefRelief 9 9 SatisfactionSatisfaction 10 10 SensorySensory pleasurepleasure 11 11 ShameShame BodyBody languagelanguage signalssignals maymay havehave a a goalgoal otherother thanthan munication BothBoth peoplepeople wouldwould keepkeep thisthis inin mind mind ObserversObservers limitlimit thethe weightweight theythey placeplace onon non non verbalverbal cues cues SignalersSignalers clarifyclarify theirtheir signalssignals toto indicateindicate thethe biologicalbiological originorigin ofof theirtheir actions actions ExamplesExamples wouldwould includeinclude yawningyawning sleepiness sleepiness showingshowing lacklack ofof interestinterest sexual sexual interest survivalinterest survival interest interest attemptsattempts toto changechange thethe topictopic fight fight oror flightflight drivers drivers editedit PhysicalPhysical expressionexpression PhysicalPhysical expressionsexpressions likelike waving waving pointing pointing touchingtouching andand slouchingslouch