According
to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, the origin of
body language comes from its relation to animal
communication. Body language in humans may in fact
represent a continuation of forms of communication that
our non-linguistic ancestors in the animal kingdom already
used.
As
humans, we use body language to transmit a variety of
emotions - both voluntary and involuntary. For example,
when a person is overly excited when telling a story, he
may purposely wave his hands in the air or point for
emphasis. However, if that same person is telling a story
and stretching the facts, he may look away from his
audience or shift his eyes slightly to the left indicating
the storyteller is lying.
Sales
professionals learn early how to read a potential
customer’s gestures and movements before moving in for the
close. These seasoned sales personnel, often trained by
body language experts, skillfully read subliminal cues and
interpret how to move the deal in one direction or
another. Business managers interviewing for a new position
often use the same skills to discover more than their
potential employee would like them to know.
In our
daily lives, we encounter many types of body language
gestures. Here are a few examples to keep you ahead of the
competition:
·
Standing with hands on hips - readiness, aggression
·
Arms crossed over chest - defensiveness
·
Hand to cheek - evaluation thinking
·
Sitting with hands clasped behind head, legs crossed -
confidence, superiority
·
Tapping or drumming fingers - impatience
·
Tilted head - interest
·
Pulling or tugging at ear - indecision
·
Rubbing the eye - doubt, disbelief
·
Fondling hair - lack of self-confidence, insecurity
Although the human race has come a long way from our
knuckle-walking friends of the forest, sometimes it takes
a just little more learning to accurately read the folks
we encounter every day.
About
the Author: Dana Persia is Owner and Principal Consultant
of DP Image Consulting, a company specializing in
individual and corporate image consulting. For more
information visit
www.dpimageconsulting.com
