Human Body Language

Human Body Language

When we think of human communication, what examples spring to mind? The

internet? Books? The spoken word? Of all our forms of communication,

one of most often forgotten (and least understood) is probably the

humble art of body language: The indications we give off - generally

unconsciously - by means of our posture, our gestures, our facial

expressions, and even our clothes. It performs a different function to

verbal language - verbal language is for communicating abstract ideas

or facts. But for communicating the feelings of a person, few forms

are as effective as body language.

You're talking to your teacher - the class ask for a day off homework.

The teacher listens to you, and says that she'll "think about it".

This might sound open, but you didn't notice the steeple shape formed

by the hands, or the distracted way in which she rubbed her nose.

Unimportant? Certainly not. You've probably been given an answer

already, whether you've realised it or not.

It is one of the most powerful forms of communication; very few people

will ignore or not notice signs of anger or stress. Lord Chesterfield

probably said it best in Letters to his Son when he intoned that

"learning is acquired by reading books, but the much more necessary

learning, The knowledge of the world, is only to be acquired by

reading men, and studying all the various editions of them."

How important is body language? Interestingly, studies have shown that

we give more weight to the messages given off by a person's body than

to what is said. If somebody claims to be interested, while

simultaneously staring off into the distance and twiddling a...

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...mebody leans forward as we speak, but it still has a

substantial effect on us. Society is beginning to take notice of it,

though, and people are learning how to use body language to their

advantage - or at least avoid broadcasting negative signals. Books are

now beginning to come to the market, under the ambiguous genre of

'kinesics' (and, for the adventurous, 'olfactics' - smell). Most apply

body language to professional situations, including interviews, where

first impressions are vital.

It's important to realise that body language complements verbal

language, rather than being superseded by it. Indeed, both are but

part of the same highly complex art of inter-personnel communication.

It still does, and will continue to, play a very significant role in

our society. Hopefully, people will now sit up and take notice.