BODY LANGUAGE

MORE HUMAN COMN TAKES PLACE BY WAY OF GESTURES, POSTURES, POSITION AND DISTANCE, THAN BY ANY OTHER WAY
- PROF RAY BIRDWHISTLE

WHAT IS BODY LANGUAGE ?

BODY LANGUAGE IS THE WAY PEOPLE UNCONSIOUSLY TELEGRAPH THEIR PRIVATE THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS THROUGH BODY MOVEMENTS .

"Crossed Arms" Body Language

Decoding the "Defensive" Gesture
When a person crosses his arms, it may mean any of the following:

1)

When You're Talking - He may not agree with what you said, and may be doubting or suspecting you. He may have a bad impression on you and may not wish to continue talking with you. It may also depict arrogance or defensiveness. 2) When He's Talking - He may be hiding something from you, or may even be lying. A person engages in this protective posture when he feels anxious or nervous. 3) He may be protecting himself from verbal attack to maintain his composure. 4) He might just be feeling cold.

"Handshake" Body Language

Your Handshake Can Either Make or Break You
1. Smile while shaking hands, but don't smile for too long because it might give the perception that you're gullible or not too smart. 2. Make eye contact for around 3 seconds while shaking hands. Don't look too intensely nor too long into their eyes. 3. If you're sitting down, stand up to show respect when shaking hands (except in special cases like when you're eating). Remaining sited while shaking hands may give the impression that you're not interested in the other party, and will probably offend them. 4) If you have sweaty hands, wipe out the sweat with a napkin or handkerchief before shaking hands.

"Handshake" Body Language

Your Handshake Can Either Make or Break You
5. Extend your arm outward to show them your enthusiasm and confidence. 6. Your palm should come in contact with their palm. This conveys openness and sincerity, and proves that you're not hiding anything. 7. Don't squeeze their hands too hard. Shake hands firmly, but don't give too much pressure.

CHARACTERISTICS OF BODY LANGUAGE

TWO ESSENTIALS OF ANY LANGUAGE ARE :
A MEDIUM OF COMN SCRIPT

NON VERBAL VOCALISATION

PARALANGUAGE IS THE TECH TERM FOR VOICE CUES THAT ARE NON VERBAL, eg :
LAUGHING CRYING GROANING YAWNING FEEDBACK SIGNALS LIKE GOOD,REALLY

What is Paralanguage?
All of us are aware that the meaning of what we say is contained, in part, in the words, or what we say, but that HOW we say things also contains powerful messages. The word, "Yes", for example, can mean completely different things depending on HOW it is said. The "how" something is said is referred to as paralanguage, which includes intonation, emphasis, word and syllable stress, and so on.

APPLICATIONS OF THE SCIENCE OF BODY LANGUAGE

BODY LANGUAGE ANALYSIS IS NOW UTILISED IN WIDELY DIVERSE FDs BY :
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATORS INTERROGATORS PSYCHOLOGISTS ACTORS

 EDUCATIONISTS COUNSELLORS MANAGERS INTERVIEWERS EVEN IN THE ARMY IT HELPS A ARNY MAN TO READ HIS COMD BETTER THEREBY GIVING HIM A BETTER GRIP OF HIS MEN AND FEELING THEIR PULSE.

CONCLUSION
WORDS ARE ON THE HEAD LEVEL WHILE NON VERBAL LANGUAGE IS AT THE FEELING OR GUT LEVEL WE FEEL RATHER THAN THINK ABOUT ITS MEANING UNLIKE WORDS, BODY LANGUAGE POSTURES, GESTURES, MOVEMENTS -ARE UNEDITED, INVOLUNTARY , UNCONSCIOUS AND SPONTANEOUS.

 HENCE ITS MSG IS INVARIABLY MORE TRUTHFUL AND GENUINE DESPITE SEMANTICS, WORDS ARE BY AND LARGE SPECIFIC, WHEREAS BODY LANGUAGE NEEDS INTERPRETATION. THE GREATEST ADVANTAGE OF BODY LANGUAGE BEING THAT IT IS UNIVERSAL