Body language basics
How to perceive emotions and how to ‘read the room’.
By Isobel Sutherland
Our inspirational corporate training will not only support you in gaining confidence, building resilience and becoming an active listener, it will also help you to become a better communicator by tapping into your emotional intuition, and having a greater awareness of what body language actually means. Our training will teach you exactly how to perceive emotions and how to ‘read the room’, all of which are essential skills when engaging with clients, customers and co-workers.
We have put together this simple guide which introduces you to some of the body language basics. We hope that this guide, combined with our in-depth training, will help you develop a greater understanding of how to read body language and work out exactly what people mean by just observing how they are standing, sitting, and/or using eye contact.
In a nutshell, body language is a range of non-verbal signals that people use, either consciously, or subconsciously, to communicate feelings and intentions. They can include, but are not limited to, posture, facial expressions, smiling and hand gestures.
Waving, pointing and using your fingers to add numbers are some of the most common and easily identifiable types of body language. People use the behavioural gesture of waving to say hello or goodbye to each other. This is a universal symbol and easy to understand.
Other types of body language can be a lot more complex but no need to worry, this guide will help you to understand them! Being aware of what body language means is becoming incredibly important. Patti Wood, author of Success Signals: A guide to reading body language, says that 90% of what we actually say comes from non-verbal cues.
So what kind of effect can the basic body language that we display and observe have on and other people?
Handshakes
A simple handshake says so much more than ‘hello’, Patti Wood believes the most important part of the handshake is the palm-to-palm contact. By two people actively taking part in this subconsciously sends a message that neither party is threatening or intimidating.
We often hear phrases like ‘they gave a limp handshake’. When someone gives a ‘limp’ handshake, it usually means that palms don’t touch.
This sends a subconscious message to the person receiving the handshake that the person giving the handshake should not be trusted, or they are dishonest, or unfriendly, because they actively chose not to touch palms.
Other types of handshakes and what they mean include:
Bone-crusher: is when one person grips the other persons hand extremely tightly when handshaking.
When a person gives a bone-crushing handshake, it could suggest that they are insecure, vulnerable or anxious and trying to overcompensate with an over the top ‘hello’.
Palm-down shake: is when someone shakes your hand but as they grab it, they pull your hand down so that it is beneath their hand.
When a person gives this type of handshake, it could suggest that they have personality traits of assertiveness, confidence and strong-willed.
Left-handed wrap from the bottom shake: is when someone shakes your hand but from underneath.
When a person gives this type of handshake, it could suggest that they are trying to comfort or support you. It could also suggest that this person may be sensitive, emphatic and introverted.
2. POSTURE
The way a person stands, sits and presents their physical posture are non-verbal, subconscious cues associated with how they are feeling. People who hold their posture in a particular stance often give subtle signals about the type of person they are and what their personality is like.
CONFIDENT Posture
A person who stands with their feet wide apart, shoulders back, arms on their hips and chest open might suggest their personality is extroverted and assured.
In contrast, when a person stands like this during a confrontation, it might be them trying to express their dominance.
LESS Confident posture
A person who stands with their feet together, shoulders hunched forward and arms folded might suggest they are more of a private person who is introverted.
When a person stands like this during a confrontation, it might suggest they feel a sense of guilt or shame.
What can you do if you notice someone you are interacting with has a ‘less confident posture’? How can you put that person at ease?
You could lower the tone of your voice - a lower voice sounds more relaxed.
Maintain your own relaxed posture.
When we interact with people, we usually mirror the other person's posture. If someone is displaying this ‘less confident posture’, you can maintain your own posture and subtly offer a different possibility in the body - this might help put that person at ease.
What can you do if you notice yourself embodying this ‘less confident posture’?
A ‘less confident posture’ increases tension in the shoulders.
If you bring your awareness to your breath, you can breathe through it and your shoulders will automatically relax and cause less tension in the body.
People physically l present themselves in all kinds of different ways and it's down to us, as fellow co-workers and people generally, to be aware of what these different ways mean. Facciocose’s training will give you all the knowledge!
3. Eye contact
The way people look and the level of eye contact they give can also be clear indicators of intentions or feelings they are trying to communicate. With all body language, eye contact can give us clues about people's personality type too. Eyes are so powerful and can mean lots of different things.
Expressing an interest
Also known as flirting and ‘giving someone the eyes’.
Can mean a sense of openness and availability.
Looking directly into someone’s eyes.
High levels of eye contact.
Annoyed
Rolling your eyes.
Looking away from the person you’re annoyed with.
‘Can’t even look you in the eye’.
Low levels of eye contact.
HAPPINESS
‘Smiling with your eyes’.
High levels of eye contact.
Sense of joy and satisfaction .
Open wide.
Anger
Raised eyebrows.
Narrow/squinting eyes.
Either intense eye contact or no eye contact.
Pursed lips.
4. Challenge for you!
Try to become more aware of your own body language, how can you make yourself more assertive in challenging meetings? How can you be more emphatic when a co-worker tells you bad news? How can you show people that you are being truly present when they are telling a story? How can you give a good first impression?
Try to become more aware of the people around you and the body language they give off. How can you tell if someone at work is upset or angry? Who in the office always tries to assert their dominance? Which people at work give you eye contact and which people don’t?
So much more to body language…
There is so much more to body language and what it all means which is why we urge you to sign up to our corporate training and become experts in this. Understanding even just basic body language meaning will have a profound effect on the way you think, talk, and do business.