Nonverbal Communication: The 7 Body Language Cues you must know to avoid the trouble
Your body language can tell a lot about you!
Have you also misunderstood someone who could not timely respond to you when you were speaking to them? The perception that they did not listen to you, right? But what if I tell you that they kept telling you about it in the first place. And it was you who kept talking anyway!
If you believe in the idea that actions speak louder than words, then you must know the power of nonverbal communication. While we know that communication is the key to the success of any relationship, we don't realize most of our discussions rely upon the nonverbal cues. These cues include all kinds of body language. Examples of body language involve facial expressions, eye movements, body posture, gestures etc.
According to David Matsumoto, a professor of psychology at San Francisco State University and a founder of Humintell, our nonverbal behaviour can speak volumes without narrating a single word. So if you think understanding people by their actions is not an art, you need to think again.
Psychologically, apprehending the characteristics of nonverbal communication is a great tactic to read people’s silent thoughts. Further, understanding body language and other nonverbal cues are also essential because this fundamental aspect can tell you when you must stop accosting people. For this reason, we have come up with the 7 nonverbal signs of body that will help you to prevent irritating people without having them to tell you.
Indifferent Body Posture: Body posture often expresses what people hesitate to describe through words. Since the body posture presents a clear picture of how a person is likely to feel from inside, we need to beware of people around us and watch out what each body is saying. So for instance, that person we just discussed above was perhaps sitting with his body leaned forward and head held by the palm followed by sagging eyes, exhibiting his least interest in listening to your story. This posture serves as an alert to stop inviting a person to a conversation he is not heedful of.
Gestures of Resentment: No doubt gestures are the most common body language signals we get to see in our daily lives. While sometimes people’s words and actions do not go parallel to each other, but the use of hands as they speak demonstrates their true intentions. For example, a person agreeing with you on something holding their fists tight reveals they are just faking it and instead are very angry. Likewise, if the feet or other body parts of a person are aiming towards the exit while you are talking to them, this means that they are just watching the clock and are ready to leave.
Distressing Eyes: Our eyes are the windows to the soul. Reading eyes is important because it helps you to communicate better. One knows how the shape of a person’s eyes is often enough to disclose the tale. If you see someone staring at you with joined eyebrows and the wrinkled forehead, generally indicates displeasure. Similarly, a frequent blink is a sign of discomfort by the person.
Concerned expressions of Mouth: Our facial muscles are an incredible mean of nonverbal communication. Movements of mouth and expressions is another way to understand what people might be unable to tell you otherwise. For example, the extended mouth combined with disdain eyes exhibit a sarcastic smile. Additionally, the pursed lips and the mouth slightly turned down can display disapproval and show absolute discontentment of the person.
Unfitting Proxemics & Body Language: Anthropologist Edward T. Hall coined this term to discuss the suitable distance between individuals when interacting together. When a person stands 6 to 18 inches from another, this refers to an intimidating gap, a sign of trusted relationships and eternal comfort. Correspondingly, the ideal social distance between acquaintances is between 4 to 12 feet. Violating the ethical grounds and practising unsuitable proxemics reflects a lot about you as a person. So the next time someone feels disturbed by you, make sure you have analysed the space between you two.
Inappropriate Touch: What if I tell you that our sense of touch and body language goes hand in hand as well? Haptics is a nonverbal form of communication that involves a sense of touch. High-fiving, shaking hands and gently patting on the back are the bodily cues that consist of the physical touching. However, unnecessary use of touching can be disrespectful and in fact, can set us off in trouble. While this could differ based on cultures, there are some specific haptic movements we should restrain doing. Like, we cannot apply the conduct on our boss by which we greet our friends. This act could not only make him uncomfortable but also harm us in terms of reputation.
Tender Prompts of Paralanguage: Paralanguage includes the pitch, tone, pace, volume and emphasis of the voice. Despite paralanguage may not directly link to the body language, the resonance in which someone is talking works as a guide to their body language. When the tone of someone’s voice is imposing and loud, this is when you should know a person is either angry or distressed about anything and would probably show similar behaviour as well. Though, the reason might not necessarily be associated with you, understanding the tone of voice at the right time can certainly save you from unnecessary arguments.
At last, as Harvey Wolter says "You can tell a lot by someone's body language", if we focus on each other's visible bodily cues, we can get away from unwanted misfortunes because apparently, the body is an unspoken language that never lies.
About the Creator
Hareem Syed
An undergraduate student by job, a writer by passion, an optimist and an explorer by nature.
Follow me on Instagram: @hareemsyeddd
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