The Process Of Communicating Nonverbally Through Unconscious Gestures And Movements

Body Language is the process of communicating nonverbally through conscious or unconscious gestures and movements (S. Rouse, personal communication, October 17, 2015). Interestingly, there are some fundamental concepts to remember: eyes express emotions, body movements show signs of discomfort or stress, and variations in voice tone and level is evident when someone is upset or angry (Pearl, 2012). Uniquely, “the ability to understand the intention, motives, and goals of the person you are meeting with or negotiating with is one of the most powerful tools you can acquire in today’s business climate” (Rouse, 2015, p. 4).

Why is learning how to read body language important? Undoubtedly, there will be times when you need to make a decision and you are relying on information

What is more interesting, the other person may not even be aware of the subtle movements in their body. Sequentially, there are five categories of gestures, as illustrated by Paul Ekman, which are emblems, illustrators, manipulators, regulators, and emotional expressions (2013). Each gesture is a response to the brain’s reaction to a question or statement and manifests itself in various actions (Rouse, 2015). For example, most of the time when a person is asked a question about something they did not do, like rob a bank; they will emphatically say, ‘I didn’t do it, there is no way I could’ve done that’. However, a person who is lying, more times than not, will say, ‘ I did not rob the bank’. Typically, a person will use contractions when they are telling the truth (S. Rouse, personal communication, October 17, 2015). Further, some other verbal and nonverbal cues include: repeating the question, imitating thinking deeply, qualifying the statements, or fading facts about the situation (Rouse,