Saturday, 04 July 2009

• Body Language: All the Right and Wrong Gestures

  Miss Antelope
  
  I've always been intrigued with how actions speak louder than words.  Body language always seems to tell the true story, while someone's words are trying to say otherwise.  This can come in handy from everything to a job interview to dating.  It will also make you aware of some of the common gestures you do without even thinking twice.  The following are some tips I found at http://www.selfgrowth.com:  
  
  1) Eye contact is one of the most important aspects of dealing with others, especially people we've just met. Maintaining good eye contact shows respect and interest in what they have to say.
  
  

  
  

  
  2) Posture is the next thing to master, get your posture right and you'll automatically start feeling better, as it makes you feel good almost instantly.
  
  

  
  

  3) Head position is a great one to play around with, with yourself and others. When you want to feel confident and self assured keep your head level both horizontally and vertically.
  
  

   
  
  

  4) Arms give away the clues as to how open and receptive we are to everyone we meet and interact with, so keep your arms out to the side of your body or behind your back. This shows you are not scared to take on whatever comes your way and you meet things "full frontal".
  
  

   
  
  

  5) Legs are the furthest point away from the brain, consequently they're the hardest bits of our bodies to consciously control.  So best to keep them as still as possible in most situations, especially at interviews or work meetings.    

  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  6) Angle of the body in relation to others gives an indication of our attitudes and feelings towards them. We angle toward people we find attractive, friendly and interesting and angle ourselves away from those we don't, it's that simple! Angles includes leaning in or away from people, as we often just tilt from the pelvis and lean sideways to someone to share a bit of conversation.
  
  

  
  

  
  

  7) Palms slightly up and outward is seen as open and friendly. Palm down gestures are generally seen as dominant, emphasizing and possibly aggressive, especially when there is no movement or bending between the wrist and the forearm. This palm up, palm down is very important when it comes to handshaking and where appropriate we suggest you always offer a handshake upright and vertical, which should convey equality.
  
  

  
  
  

  8) Distance from others is crucial if you want to give off the right signals. Stand too close and you'll be marked as "Pushy" or "In your face". Stand or sit too far away and you'll be "Keeping your distance" or "Stand offish".
  
  

  
  
  

  9) Ears, yes your ears play a vital role in communication with others, even though general terms most people can't move them much, if at all. However, you've got two ears and only one mouth, so try to use them in that order. If you listen twice as much as you talk you come across as a good communicator who knows how to strike up a balanced a conversation without being me, me, me or the wallflower.
  
  

  
  
  

  10) Mouth movements can give away all sorts of clues. We purse our lips and sometimes twist them to the side when we're thinking. Another occasion we might use this movement is to hold back an angry comment we don't wish to reveal.
  
  

    

  
  

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