You have an interview and you are all prepared to face the big day. But as you step inside the office, you a re greeted with onlookers who study your every detail as if they have a scanning machine in their eyes.
And when you meet the Interviewer, you start fidgeting with your tie or maybe your handshake won’t be as firm as it used to be friends. This act of depicting your mental condition without speaking is called Body language. This is an effective communication tool sending signals of your thought processes. It can easily detect what goes on in your mind without you having to speak a single word. Most of the time, people are unaware that they send and receive body signals all the time. The idea of understanding what the other person is thinking might require an art. It involves a dedicated approach in understanding the other person completely in and out. The body language is very powerful as it constitutes about 55 percent of communication as compared to spoken words.
HOW DOE YOUR BODY COMMUNICATE
A few of the postures that determine a person’s body language are as follows:
Crossing arms and legs give a signal of non interest. It shows the person is not interested in you and prefers his own statements rather than others. He is putting a barrier in between him and the other person. It clearly signals an opposition towards the opposite party. Giving a blank expression signifies hostility and negative attitude towards the other person. A consistent eye contact amplifies a positive impact a listener is having on the speaker. On the other hand it can also mean that a person has no faith in the speaker so he does not want to shift his focus on anything else. Altogether ignoring the speaker or not having eye contact signifies negativity towards the other person. Also if the listener is crossing his arms while looking at you it shows that he is very apprehensive towards your opinion and it is bothering him. If the listener is fidgeting with his clothes or something in his hand, it shows that his attention is somewhere else. Scratching or twitching the ear while gazing at the speaker indicates that the listener is not interested in listening.
If a person is bored, he might twist or turn his neck looking elsewhere.
Sexual interest of the opposite sex and attracting the other gender is also communicated without speaking a word. Dropping hints such as pointing the toes, crossing legs, neck touching, head rotation, playing with hair, laughing playfully, listening carefully, showing wrist, eye contact, shoulder shrugs are some of the signals that work well with women. Hand gestures such as raising hands with all the fingers closed except the index and little finger indicates sign of V for Victory. Iconic gestures are helpful when a person illustrates a physical item by using the hands to show how big or small it is. It is also helpful in depicting the image of something a person wants to communicate. It helps in adding detail to the thing. Gestures can also be used to display emotion form tightening of the fist to touching self. Holding hands or the body displays anxiety. Beating with one’s fingers on a desk show that the speaker requires attention form everyone in the room. Rhythmic beating creates an emphasis and grabs the attention. A single beat marks an important point in a conversation.
Attribution of Personality
A person’s Persona is depicted before uttering a word. A woman who walks inside a room very confidently dressed up shows how organized she is in her personal life. Whereas a woman who is shabbily dressed even while attending a meeting depicts her unserious attitude in life. Therefore this form of body language indicates about your nature and your position in the social hierarchy. Other features showing personality are:
Dressing style which shows your style quotient. Your particular dressing style depicts your personality.
Accessories like watches, bags, shoes, belts, jewelry add your personal adornments that show luxury and style a major phenomenon in your life.
Your style of walking. A person with an erect posture has a confident approach to life whereas people who tends to swoop and bend while walking signifies an unconfident approach in life. They need someone to support them all the time.
Personal spaces like maintenance of desk, wardrobe, house, and car show your attitude in life.
A Few Examples of Body Language
Brisk walk – Confidence
Sitting with legs apart – Relaxed frame of mind
Arms crossed over chest – Defensive attitude
Walking with hands in pocket – Unconfident
Sitting with legs kicking lightly – Boredom
Biting nails – Nervousness
Stroking hair – Insecurity
Open palm – Openness, innocence
Drumming Fingers – Impatience
Non Verbal Mode of communication
Quite many times our body tend to show the person about our thought. It might prove dangerous as sometimes we do not want the other person to know what is going on in our mind. This form of body language has a significant effect on what is communicated. Changes relative are:
Drastic change in the skin tone
Change in the voice pitch
Sweating
Speed of talking
Expression of emotions
Expressing your emotions through body language is very helpful instead of words where the body and the voice modulation can tell a lot more. Particularly if you are unable to express your emotions your body reacts in the same manner. The art of body language is very helpful since it makes you understand the other person and helps in communication. As they say actions speak louder than words, therefore any action done subconsciously helps in understanding what the person has to say without speaking a word.
