Body Language in Communication

Have you ever caught someone who is lying to you just by looking at their face and posture? Have you ever noticed that someone giving a classroom presentation is extremely nervous, even though they are speaking with clarity? What individuals say and what they think or feel is sometimes inconsistent, but how can you tell?

The answer can be found in one's body language in communication. Body language in communication is a reliable predictor of a person's mindset, desires, and emotions. Body language refers to the nonverbal communication we make use of when interacting with others. It helps in informing us of what a person is thinking about but is unable to or choosing not to verbalize. Body posture, hand movements, and eye contact all help us in interpreting what is beneath someone's words. It can be or not be in accordance with what people say.

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Importance of Body Language in Communication

a) Body language in communication takes 90% of our attention- The importance of body language was revealed in a research conducted by Albert Mehrabian in 1981, wherein it was found that words, body language, and voice tone account for 7%, 55%, and 38% of effective communication. To state the importance of body language in other words, we devote more than 90% of our attention to body language and voice tone than we do to actual words, which marks the importance of body language in communication.

b) Conveys to others how well we are engaged with them- Communication is more than just using words to express oneself. Maintaining eye contact with people you're speaking with, leaning back on a video conference, or your hand gestures while speaking are all examples of the use of body language in communication. Body language cues, or the way you attend to others, gaze, walk, and react, tell the other people whether or not you respect them if you're being genuine, and how effectively you're listening. Thus, how we communicate our engagement to others demonstrates the importance of body language in communication.

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c) Positive body language in communication strengthens bonds- When your body language matches up with what you're saying, confidence, clarity, and relationships automatically grow. Conflict, suspicion, and uncertainty can be caused if your body language does not match your words. This states the importance of body language in day-to-day communication.

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Types of Body Language

When attempting to understand a person’s body language in communication, you must keep the following types of body language in mind.

Types of Body Language- Facial Expressions

The human face is incredibly expressive and capable of conveying a wide range of emotions without speaking anything. Facial expressions, unlike other types of body language cues, are universal. Across civilizations, the facial expressions for joy, grief, hatred, shock, fear, and rejection are all the same. Our facial expressions can convey our genuine sentiments about a situation in some situations. While you may claim that you are all right, the expression on your face may suggest otherwise.

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Consider how much information a person can convey simply by changing their facial expression. For example, a simple word like “OKAY”, when said with a grin can be used to express acceptance or enjoyment whereas when it is said with a frown, it can convey hidden rejection or dissatisfaction.

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Types of Body Language -Eye Contact

Many things can be communicated by the way you look at somebody, including attention, compassion, anger, or attraction. Maintaining eye contact is important for keeping the discussion flowing and assessing other people's attentiveness and response.

For example:-

• When someone glances at you in the eyes directly throughout a conversation, it means they are engaged and paying attention.

• Extended eye contact, on the other hand, can make you feel unsafe.

• Losing eye contact and glancing away repeatedly, may suggest that the person is preoccupied, embarrassed, or attempting to hide his or her true feelings.

Types of Body Language- Mouth Expressions and Smiles

Interpreting types of body language also relies on mouth expressions and smiles. Mouth expressions like chewing the lower lip, for example, may signal that the person is worried, afraid, or insecure. Smiles, on the other hand, can signify a variety of things depending on the facial expressions.

There are a variety of grins, including cheerful smiles, hesitant smiles, friendly smiles, and sarcastic smiles. Some common mouth expressions that help us in understanding this types of body language are:

• Lips pursed: Lips that are pressed together may indicate disgust, rejection, or suspicion.

• Biting a lip: When people are scared, anxious, or upset, they may bite their lips.

• Covering the mouth: People may cover their mouths to prevent showing smiles or chuckles if they want to hide an emotive response.

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Types of Body Language- Gestures

Gestures are one of the most obvious and expressive types of body language. Waving, nodding, and denoting numerical amounts with the fingers are all common and simple gestures.

For example, the "okay" gesture which is made by touching the thumb and index finger in a circle while extending the other three fingers, means all right in most countries, but in India, this gesture is sometimes used to indicate that the person is looking beautiful.

The following are a few examples of popular gestures as types of body language, and their associated meanings:-

• In some situations, clenched fists denote fury, but in others, they represent solidarity.

• Thumbs up and thumbs down are common acceptance and rejection gestures.

• In many cultures, the symbol "V", made with the index and middle finger stands for peace or victory.

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Types of Body Language- Posture

The style in which you move and hold yourself sends out a plethora of information to the world. Your posture, attitude, position, and minor movements are all types of body language. Try to observe some of the messages that a person's posture can transmit while reading body language-

• Open Posture: The torso of the body is kept in a visible posture. This position expresses openness, flexibility, and readiness.

• Closed Posture: It is when the body's torso is hidden by leaning forward and crossing the arms and legs. Resentment, rudeness, and nervousness can all be indicators of this posture.

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Types of Body Language- Physical Proximity

Have you ever felt nervous during a discussion because someone was getting too close to you and overrunning your personal space? We all require physical space, yet how much space we require varies depending on culture, environment, and the proximity of the relationship. Physical space can be used to transmit a variety of body language cues, including signals of familiarity and compassion, hostility, and authority.

It's also worth noting that the amount of personal space required to feel at ease varies with culture. The distinction between people from rural parts of India and those from urban parts is a well-known example of this. People from rural areas prefer to interact by being closer to one another, but those from urban areas require more personal space.

Knowing body language cues can help you communicate more effectively with others and grasp what they're trying to say, even if they are not saying it directly. While it's easy to pick separate body language cues one by one, it's also critical to determine how they interact with verbal communication, other nonverbal signals, and the environment. For example, closed body postures may not always indicate resentment or rudeness, sometimes we lean down and cross our arms and legs just because we are feeling cold.

Once you learn about body language, it can boost your self-confidence and positive self-esteem by eliminating any negative nonverbal signs. This would also lead to an increase in self-motivation because with the elimination of negative body language cues, people would start responding positively to you as a colleague, employer, teammate, friend., or simply a family member.

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