Some people think that body language is the most powerful language in the world. It is an international language of human being, because most of the gestures mean the same in other countries, even if someone is communicating with a person on the other side of the globe. Making gestures is an innate skill. The ethologist Irenäus Eibl-Eibesfeldt conducted research in which it turned out that even blind children show gestures in the same way as people who have eyesight, which proves that gestures are encoded in our DNA.
Non-verbal body language includes: body gestures and movements, facial expressions, posture and orientation of the body, eye movements and pupillary reflex and ways in which someone uses interpersonal space.
It is extremely important to know how to use body language and how to get output from others, because more than 65% is transferred via body language and the rest is verbal communication.
Only a few seconds is enough to determine whether you like or dislike someone. So when you meet a new person it is important to be smiling and have an open mind, if you would wish to be liked by this person.
There are some very popular gestures. One of them is the crossed arms or/and legs. Mostly it means that this person is negative about something. Maybe he doesn’t like someone who is speaking or just has a bad mood and doesn’t want to talk. But you must remember about one extremely important thing... It all depends on the context, because assuming it’s winter and the person is sitting on a bench and has this gesture, then that means that he is freezing. Every gesture depends on context.
Source: https://www.bodylanguagetrainer.com/negative-body-language/
Tip:
If you want to have friendly and calm meeting the best option is to sit in 45 degrees to each other like in the photo.
Source: https://westsidetoastmasters.com/resources/book_of_body_language/chap18.html
This position with 45 degrees gives physical comfort, everyone has possibility to naturally look at other people and if necessary, can change his/her eye position.
It is a frequently used technique in psychologists' offices, so that the patient can feel good and without embarrassment. In contrast, when two people are sitting opposite each other, they feel like they are in an interview and may look away when it is convenient for them.
Source: http://psychodynamiczny.pl/nowy-gabinet-psychoterapii-dzieci-gdansku/
If you want to read more about the body language I truly recommend you to read the book by Alan and Barbra Peace entitled “The definitive book of body language”. They wrote about secrets of non-verbal communication skills. The book is dedicated... “to people who look but don't see”.
Questions:
Do you have a high ability to recognize other people's body language?
What gestures do you know and what does they mean?
In which professions these skills could be useful?
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonverbal_communication
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_language
https://www.bodylanguagetrainer.com/negative-body-language/
https://westsidetoastmasters.com/resources/book_of_body_language/chap18.html
http://psychodynamiczny.pl/nowy-gabinet-psychoterapii-dzieci-gdansku/
Alan and Barbra Peace, “The definitive book of body language”
Comments
About the gestures I do know about (except for the eye contact I talked about above) and keep them in mind, is that sometimes they can be very confusing when it comes to the context of a country or the culture a person originates from. I think the most famous example, and not a very noble one, is the sign you make with your index finger and middle finger, called "peace" (or sometimes "v for victoria"). In modern culture it's a gesture that is connected to pacifism and hippies, a very positive one. But in the countries of Commonwealth (Great Britain, Australia, Canada), if you do the same gesture with your palm facing you, not the receiver of the gesture, it's considered a serious insult. The legend says that English bowmen captured by the French had those fingers cut, so they couldn't continue the fight, as they couldn't hold the arrow and tighten the bow's chord. So when the English soldiers wanted to insult someone, they were showing off those fingers, still in place.
If you think about it, the knowledge of gestures and body language can be useful in many professions, but I think it's mostly used in politics. People that want to get elected or try to gain some sympathy from their electorate, tend to use body language tricks in their campaigns - TV or Internet video commercials, photos made for billboards, etc.
So, to sum this up - I think we all should learn a little bit about body language, as words are easier to use as a disguise for some hidden intentions - while our bodies speak the truth beneath the surface.
2. I will not of course tell you about all gestures, but let's take one for an example. If a person is lying, he likely will not be able to keep their hands in one place - they might for example scratch their thigh. They might also not look into your eyes.
3. I think it could be useful in all professions that involve communication between people. We can use these skills to understand how a potential client is feeling about our proposition. You can feel if somebody is stressed so that you might make a short talk with him to make him feel more confident and relaxed.
I really love local and insider gestures, which are used in closed communities or simply group of friends. For example, our mentoring team had a sign “M”. It looked like a “peace” gesture with two hands but lowered down. “M” stood for “Manipulation”. When someone used manipulative methods of education or cooperation with teenagers, they could get this sign.
Honestly, in every field these skills could be useful as they are social skills. A human being is not able to live in a society and be free from it. Knowledge of body language gives opportunity to understand better both colleagues at work and family members at home.
As for the questions you asked:
1. To be honest I do believe I have some skill in recognizing a person's body language. Most of the gestures I recognize from myself and how and when I use them personally. It also comes from the fact that after reading about body language for the first time ever I've started analyzing my behaviors and also my friends(sound kind of creepy but oh well, what can you do😅).
2. I like to remember how people behave when they feel uncomfortable in order to stop whatever might be causing it as soon as possible. Usually, when the person is uncomfortable in a conversation they will sit deep in the chair or hunch(basically it means that the person wants to hide). People also might move their hands or fingers a lot or start fixing their hair often.
3. Well, I think some basic knowledge on this topic is useful for everybody even in day-to-day life. It makes communication easier, as for me. If we are talking about professions I believe it's a must for HR, teachers(especially with children), speakers, socials workers.
dont even know that i have gained some advantage because of that. Yet sometimes when i'm consciously and intentionally thinking about the body language of someone, i can "read" this person much better then subconsciously. Reading books like "The definitive book of body language" can give you ability to understand body language knowingly, but rather not subconsciously.
My favourite "gesture" is that people unintentionally are leaning towards person that they like or love. They are physically turning themselves in specific direction, or sitting in a way to always be open to communicate with this person. This way you can determin if someone likes other person even before they will tell you. My friend, who tought me that, was sure about my attitude towards someone twice and in both cases she was right about it. It's like mind reading!
"Reading" gestures and also sending signals this way is a part of our life. If body language is part of communication, then it could be useful in every profession that requires to communicate face to face. I would say that reading them perfectly could be great advantage for detectives or criminal profilers. From the other hand sending precise nonverbal communication could be best for politicians and salesman.
If you are particularly interested in the case during an interview or work in general, I recommend you a book by the same authors called "Body Language in the Workplace".
I agree with you that there are a few specific gestures that are read differently in different countries, so be careful when dealing with learned gestures.
Thanks for this suggestion. I already know what will be my next book :)
It is true. When people get nervous, it has to release the stress in some way, so it can be difficult to keep your hands calm and gesturing.
I can see that your profession may be particularly demanding of such skills, so at the same time you answered my last question ;)
You are the perfect example that such skills are very useful.
Sometimes it is good not to admit that you are interested in such issues because your friends will suddenly become stressed when you analyze them :D
Even more difficult can be when you are a psychologist, then other people may feel completely followed. A bit of a joke ... :)
I did not know about the "gesture" you are describing, but it seems to be a good clue if you want to see if this person is interested in you. Good tip, thanks!
I see that the book you recommend is in German. Does it exist in English or Polish? Most of the books describe general body gestures, including facial expressions, but not quite that accurately, so it can be especially interesting.
You mentioned that reading helped you understand the basic gestures. I am also not the best at it, so it's good that we have access to such knowledge.
2. One of the basic body language tricks is keeping your hands in view of the person you are talking to. This will mean that we have nothing to hide and that we are open to conversation.
3. Body language skills can be useful in politics or in corporate HR positions
I think I focuse more on if particular person catch eye contact with me or if he/she doesn't move hands and legs nervously while talking.
About position with crossed legs and arms - I think it is just a very confortable positon to seat, especially for women, and I seat like that very often even if I consider myself as an open person. But I have no knowlage about body language so it is just my opinion.
I think that knowlage about body language is very important for journalists, politics, managers and HR and PR workers. But for ordinary person it may be usefull as well while, for instance, political performances et cetera.
2. When it comes to gestures, there is one that comes to my mind. I have an impression that talking to someone while they are sitting down and you are standing close to them can seem intimidating as it creates the "look up - look down on someone" feeling. It is more comfortable when there is bit of distance, so the person seated have clear view on the person having conversation with them.
3. Recognising body language can be useful for any profession, but I would say the most for psychologists, therapists, interrogators, security workers and teachers.
If you are interested in this topic, I recommend that you also read the books, because you can usually find more detailed information there than in short movies. Besides what I recommended in the blog, apparently the book that @Piotr G wrote about is also good.
Some politicians employ teachers who teach them what gestures to make at a given moment so that they appear real in what they say. In the link provided, you can find an analysis of such movements: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_aWmQQGErA
Such a person, the better they use such gestures, the better chance they have to support people in elections.
I agree that some people may try to cheat through body language, so it is good to be very skilled at recognizing gestures. Most often it is inborn talent, but it can always be trained.
Intuition is something subconscious, and I think we can call it the ability to recognize the body. People who have this intuition are incredibly perceptive, so it's a big advantage in everyday life.
I read a publication that making such gestures, even if it's just convenient, still affects us. For example, if our legs are crossed during a lecture, our brain will absorb less information than if we are in an open position.
Then if this topic seems interesting to you, try reading this book that I recommend and maybe it will show you something new.
I agree that the more information, the greater the chance of knowing someone's intentions. Even so, there is always a chance for a mistake.
I like to think about myself that I able to recognize the body language of
the person I'm talking to. I haven't read any book on that topic but watched a couple youtube videos and I think that was the main factor that helped me improve my knowledge in that topic.
2.
In depends if we are talking about some gestures that are done subconsciously
or conciously. The latter I know the peace sign of doing a V shape with your index and middle finger. A subconscious gesutre could be the act of throwing hands in the air, and it would mean that the person is happy.
3.
I think that mostly in sales, marketing, somewhere where we would meet the customer and we would need to sell them something or trying to finilize a deal. Also
a psychologist is a person that should know body language very well to help their
patients.
I would argue if this statement is actually true. To back my opinion up I'd like to paraphrase prof Bralczyk. He said that if this statement would be true, we would be able to let's say conduct physics lectures using only our body language.
I don't disagree that body language is a important part of communication, which is totally neglected during COVID times.
1. Do you have a high ability to recognise other people's body language?
I haven't recognised such abilities in myself. Im certain that I intuitively perceive body language but I'm not able to focus on it and make some structured conclusions about anybody.
2. What gestures do you know and what does they mean?
I've heard that if you have crossed arms it means that you are closed or doesn't feel confident.
3. In which professions these skills could be useful?
In fields that are highly dependent on interacting with others like salesmen and professions such as teachers or doctors.
I don't think that I have very high ability to recognize other people's body language. Of course I can notice some basic things like unwillingness or willingness but I mostly just listen to other person.
2. What gestures do you know and what does they mean?
I know few of them but for example one interesting gesture that You might not know you are doing is that when You lie You often look aside with your eyes.
3. In which professions these skills could be useful?
These skills are very important in marketing, politics and psychologists.
I am not sure that high ability is a good term. I think i do it pretty well. I know few gestures and also i can feel in conversation emotions of the other person. In my opinion quite related topic to recognize people's body language is voice tone.
2. What gestures do you know and what does they mean?
There is a lot of gestures but the first which i have in my mind is crossed hands or legs from your article. I think this is one of the most popular. The other can be that when someone is holding his neck it means that he is not confidence in that situation.
3. In which professions these skills could be useful?
In my opinion this skills can be useful anywere. If you ask stricte about proffesion i can give you example when you want to get promotion - for you it will be better to talk about it with your boss when he is happy instead of when he is angry for something or nervous. It can be also useful when you want to get new clients etc.
I know some basic let's say "positions" in body language but I don't think I have a high ability to recognize other people's body language. After reading this article and doing some research about topic I ascertained that is not that an easy thing.
2.
Open posture and continous eye contact - being confident
Head tilted to one side - listening carefully, interested in what is being communicated.
3.
I think this skill can be usefull in almost every profession but especially in this ones where contact with people is important, for example in HR, lawyers/advocates job or being a spokesman for some company.
To be honest, I don't usually pay attention to the gestures that other people make. I think that body language is an important part of the conversation, but I have never paid special attention to it.
An interesting thing about the article is the position of the chairs at a 45-degree angle, I have never heard about it before,
However, as I think now I have seen it many times on TV and in life situations.
2. What gestures do you know and what does they mean?
As I mentioned above, I believe that a chair set at a 45-degree angle has a positive effect on the physical comfort of the interlocutor, he does not have to be stressed out by constantly looking at the person sitting in front of him.
About gestures which I know and their meanings :
Supporting the head with your hands indicates tiredness or fatigue.
Hands hidden deep in trouser pockets mean that the person we are talking to does not want to betray his or her reaction and hides his or her feelings
3. In which professions these skills could be useful?
I think that body language is very important in any profession in which you talk to another person.
For example, in the work of a psychologist where there is an interaction between two people, gestures are very important.
We observe our interlocutor and expect him/her to understand or help us, we must pay attention to the gestures so that the person we are talking to does not get confused with, for example, we are not interested or bored.
I'm able to recognize some for instance:
Head Tilted to One Side means that a tilted head demonstrates that a person is listening keenly or is intrested in what is being communiacated.
Rubbing Hand Together Briskly means that an individual is excited for something or is waiting in anticipation. It can also indicate being cold, so be mindful of the setting.
I think those skills can be usefull in any kind of career, mostly there where listening carefully is highly recommended for instance in hospital during medical operation when every single member of staff has to do what doctor will say precisely
Referring to the questions:
1. I think I have a quite high ability to recognize other people's body language. I am able to detect friends' mood by observing them.
2. I will mention a few gestures that are quite interesting. As I wrote earlier, shaking leg often means that the person is stressed. If you are not familiar with the body language, you might look away (and smile slightly) when lying. If someone asks you a question and you think about an answer, you often look up.
3. Body language skills can be useful anywhere, even in everyday life. Being able to read body language may be very useful in jobs that require working with people, such as psychologists/psychiatrists, or in HR
For instance: As with pipe smoking, the shackle sucking can be used to deliberate. In a negotiating setting, it has been observed that this gesture usually appears at the end of a conversation when a person is asked about a solution. People who wear glasses can use another way that gives them the opportunity to gain time - this is the constant removal and putting on of glasses, wiping the lenses. When you observe such a gesture immediately after asking the person for their decision, it is best to keep quiet while waiting.
The ability to determine the true content of the information presented by sign language is one of the components of emotional intelligence. The ability to become aware of one's own emotions and the emotions of others in order to apply this knowledge to control one's own behavior and the behavior of others. For example, the MBA and Mini-MBA programs of the MFLA Business School include disciplines aimed at developing emotional intelligence, for example: "Business Career Management", "Effective Leadership", "Team Building", "Business Communications".
I knew about the crossed arms gesture and its meaning, but I’m not sure if I cross my arms only when I’m negative about something. I think I’m just comfortable this way, but like you said it all depends on the context of the situation. The only other gesture I know is pointing your feet, while standing, in direction of the person you are listening to, and if you’re not, you are not really interested in the conversation.
I think that those skills could be useful in every profession that involves talking to other people like clients. It might help to adjust the way you talk, the topic of discussion, or signalize that your interlocutor is not pleased with what you are talking about.
Mirroring body language has always been fascinating to me. It's more than just body language. It’s an imitation of gestures, postures, and sometimes even speech patterns, that a person is unconsciously making. Mirroring is easy to observe among family or close friends, because it usually shows up when people like each other.
There are a whole range of professions in which the ability to analyze another person's body language can prove useful. An HR employee responsible for recruitment interviews, a customer advisor in various stores or a reporter collecting information, to name a few. Even a babysitter in kindergarten should have some basic skill. And of course a psychologist, who want to better understand and reach the patient during therapy.
Well it's really hard to judge. There are a lot of people with better and also weaker abilite than mine, however I think that my skill in that field is on pretty high level. Due to my work I really need to adjust my opinion about some situation not only to what someone is telling me but how is he telling the thing becouse hard data from sentences is one part and the hidden thinking about subject is the other important part.
2. What gestures do you know and what does they mean?
A lot of, I can tell that the classic one - crossing hands or legs(which is really tricky in terms of real negotiations) which can suggest a little bit of clamming up. It's simple in theory however we first of all have to check the natural body language of some person and adjust our judgments to the normalized situation both in comfy and unconfy conditions
3. In which professions these skills could be useful?
Any profession but in terms of effectivness - especially those connected with negotation, mediation and generally handling people
Do you have a high ability to recognize other people's body language?
Honestly, I don't think so. I can recognize some of the signs others make, but I wouldn't call it "high ability". Maybe I am beyond normal in this case, because I am paying a high attention to moves my speaker is making and so I can see his/her "true" intentions.
What gestures do you know and what does they mean?
There are a lot of them and I think that it is hard to name them one by one. :)
I know that eyes are showing the "backstage meaning" of the things your speaker is saying. For example if he/she is avoiding the eye contact it means that they are probably lying, or their intentions may be false. Standing or sitting with your arms crossed can indicate that you are "closed" or agressive. Walking in circles, or jumping from leg to leg is showing that you are nervous and sometimes it can have impact on your audience behaviour.
In which professions these skills could be useful?
Definetely in those, which requires ability to persuade others. Any proffesion that requires public speaking. For example it is very important for politicians. They are almost always talking publicly, their movement is analized and put to consideration. They need to be credible and influential, and so the signals they are sending are very, very important. Businessman, who is trying to sell the product or idea needs to operate with words, visual presentations and body gestures to work effectively and to complete his goals. Insurance agents who are trying to sell the right policy, or should I say - the most profitable one, knows exactly how should they act to finish the goal. There are many of professions in which knowledge of body language is important, but I personally believe that it is useful even in our everyday life.
Kind of and not always. As said it depend on the context. I can easily spot when someone is telling a lie and if someone dont like me but try to not show that as much.
What gestures do you know and what does they mean?
Eyes are very important. The way person looks with eyes show a lot. For example looking left side up meaning that someone is trying to get images from the past but looking down is creating images and can meant that someone is lying.
In which professions these skills could be useful?
Proffesions that are strongly based on relations with different humans. Psychiatrists, psychologists, sellers, business people. Almost every prossefion that face to face relation exists can benefit from understanding non verbal communications.
I think I can recognize body language, but usually I do so unconsciously. The crossed arms or/and legs is one of the most easily recognizable gestures. In additional to article I want to say this gesture means that we we don't admit the other person to us, for example we don't trust them. Most of us recognize body language subconsciously so it's especially important to know how to present yourself and make a good impression on the other person.
What gestures do you know and what does they mean?
-Tapping your feet. We do it when we feel nervous it often happens that people interested, for example, in the topic of a lecture stomp their feet. Generally it means increased emotions, stress or excitement.
-The body posture is upright or hunched. When the interlocutor is hunched over, it may mean his lack of confidence or low self-esteem. A person with an upright posture shows self-confidence and involvement in the conversation.
In which professions these skills could be useful?
This is the skill that will be most useful to journalists, lawyers, politicians and lecturers. It's strongly related to any job that requires communication with other people and the awakening of credibility. In fact, it is a skill that will be useful to all of us! Each of us must present ourselves well during the job interview. Awareness of body expression will significantly increase our success in finding a new job.
2. When I talk to someone even with my friends I always look where the feet are directed. It is bit strange, but it like a habit. If someone's feet or body directed to oposite then I try not annoy and just leaving them. I do that even in the group, I am talking to the one whos body or part is turned towards me.
My bad habit that usualy I am staring and embarrassing the collocutor, but usually I dont notice that I am doing this
3. I think it is useful everyone. Nowadays we are all working with people, customers. Communication is very important part of life, I think there is no particular professions where it is needed. It is important to everyone.
I think, in most cases, yes. I guess body language is a part of talk, i try to recognize, how my interlocutor behaves, it helps me to react when talk is going wrong. Some people don't say what they really think, and their body language very often shows us that something is happening.
What gestures do you know and what does they mean?
A lot of, i will focus, in my opinion, on the most important one. Eyes. When i talk to someone, and he is avoiding eye contact, or he is looking down, probably, he is lying.
In which professions these skills could be useful?
I think that those skills can be useful in every profession, especially where there is a need to negotiate. Of course even during a talk with your friend, you can use those skills.
I woudn't say that I posses any special skills when it comes to recognizing other people body language. I simply understand some of them without even realizing it just like everyone else. There are many people that actually study behaviors in order to become more social or just to manipulate the flow of conversation by being more expressive with gestures.
What gestures do you know and what does they mean?
Keeping an eye contact is one of the gestures that i consider as really important. That shows that we actually are paying attention to the speaker. Of course when it comes to the group of people and you're the one talking - there is another way you should behave. And I'm talking about the 3 second rule. The rules itself says that you should circle between listeners and look at them for approximately 3 seconds. Doing that negates the possibility of excluding anyone from conversation and I consider that as a great thing.
There are also crossed arms - shy, not really wanting to open about anything.
Steepled hands -
when someone is certain about what he says with pure confidence and a lot of more.
In which professions these skills could be useful?
These skills are useful to literally everyone that works with people. From big CEO's to even poor student that is just starting his working journey. Using proper body language can open a door to easy promotion, more friends and even enhance our self esteem as the results are positivie.
I know quite a lot of gestures. I have a friend from Italy who explained me how important are gestures in his country and that they are basically part of their language. He also showed me some most important or most used hand gestures like „Pinecone hand” which is probably the most characteristic one. Italians use it when someone says something silly or if they want to show their disagreement.
Undoubtedly, the skill of reading others body language is necessary in HR. One of my friends is working as a human resources employee and she told me that she always observe every gesture and move of the applier. Basing on their body language she can decide if the applicant is lying or how stressed he is. She gave me a few tips. For example, a person who is stressed about lying may blink about six times in rapid succession or that tapping your fingers may be seen as symptom of impatience.
I haven`t a high ability to recognize body language, especially if it is a person I don`t know well. But if it is my friend or close relative, I can understand their mood by gestures and facial expressions.
Also, I think, that it is not just the ability, you should learn body language to get such skill. Cause, as you have mentioned every gesture depends on the context. It is necessary to understand this. For example, I often cross my legs while sitting just because it is comfortable for me.
What gestures do you know and what do (does?) they mean?
Hope, I don`t need to name all gestures I know :)
I remember so-called personal gestures. It can be gestures that identify a person. They are more noticeable if it is famous people. The most vivid example is Merkel diamond when the fingers are in front of the stomach. In such a way that a rhombus is formed:
https://external-preview.redd.it/x2Trx9vV1H83tnEwRSS-E4E-atey9tTtb1mfnqshf5c.png?auto=webp&s=84f7549b1090a94debb54c0e626bb5230f2e71db
In which professions these skills could be useful?
Maybe, understanding nonverbal body language is useful in society at all. Such soft skill can help you with teamwork, during job interviews (in the role of both interviewer and interviewee) and job meetings. But, of course, politics and media are areas where the ability to recognize other people's body language is extremely important. There is even a job vacancy for which people who are experts in nonverbal communication is required.
In my opinion, I have advanced body language recognition skills. When I was a sales representative, we had a lot of training in body language recognition. It helped me a lot in my daily life. I started paying more attention to what the person I'm talking to is doing with their hands, hair and face. It allowed me to identify what the person was really thinking at the moment. When the topic I was talking about was boring for my interlocutor, I could recognize it rather than wait for him to tell me about it himself. This has greatly reduced the number of uncomfortable situations in everyday life.
The first gesture I always try to recognize is eye contact. Depending on the person, it is very important. Because it may mean that the person we are talking to may not want to talk to us, but also that the person is shy. As the author mentions, we need to add the whole context of the situation to it all.Only then is it possible to determine the correct conclusions.
As I mentioned, I was a sales representative. In this industry, body language recognition is crucial. We had to encourage the client to buy an expensive product in a very limited time. There was no time for mistakes. During the meeting with the client, it was necessary to react immediately. When body language indicated that the customer did not want to talk about the product, we changed the subject to a more pleasant topic to relax the atmosphere.
Then, when we noticed that the person was more relaxed, more interested in the conversation, we went back to talking about the product we wanted to sell. Managing a conversation and responding to a customer's body language is essential to any successful sales rep.
I think that I'm pretty perceptive when it comes to reading people's emotions, but it doesn't come with actual empathy. I find it difficult to react properly if someone is being scared or crying, and I'm not sure why.
I'm really sensitive to the tone of voice. It's easy to feel if someone is angry or happy, or sad, only by their voice. The second important factor for me is eye contact. When I talk to the person that is looking around or avoids me, it's obvious that they aren't interested in talking to me.
2. What gestures do you know and what do they mean?
It's difficult for me to think of any not classic gestures and try to call them. While speaking, it's more of a feeling, than actually knowing the theory and explaining what do they actually mean. I think it's because of the context, as it was stated in the text. You can shrug your shoulders if you don't know something, or you can do it if you don't care about what the other person is saying. There is a lot of meanings to each gesture.
3. In which professions these skills could be useful?
I think that every person that works with customers has to know at least a small amount of those skills. Sometimes this knowledge can be crucial when you have to deal with an irritated customer. I think that teachers also should use those skills. It might be a good way to gain the interest of students, or to help them in difficult times.
Such people are called emotionally intelligent.
I will also remind you of a very important profession, especially now when there is a shortage of such people. The nurses. They must know the needs of patients who often shows only the gestures, without saying a word because of some healthy issue.
Do you have a high ability to recognize other people's body language?
My first thought that came to my mind was ”no, I'm not good at it”. But on the other hand, I always know when some stranger wants to come to me. Throughout the years I manage to learn some techniques to avoid these situations. I simply follow a few rules: never keep up eye contact, if you need to look in the direction where some stranger wants to approach you, look above them. Also, you need to turn your whole body in a different direction if possible. If those tips wouldn't help you and a beggar starts talking to you, you can always politely respond ”Please don't bother me”.
What gestures do you know and what do they mean?
I've heard about a few gestures. The first one is about feet. If someone points them your way it means they are friendly toward you. Another gesture is about lying. When someone is nervously touching their face, ears, or hair it probably implies dishonesty.
In which professions these skills could be useful?
I think they are useful at every job that requires working with people.
I would say that body language skills are useful in every profession in which you need to communicate with other people, especially your clients. Sometimes you can gain new clients only with the great communication skills and making other people feel comfortable around you. For example, I wouldn’t really trust a lawyer who doesn’t meet my eyes while talking to me or shaking hands… Also the position with 45 degrees, which was mentioned in the article, reminds of the position presidents always sit in when they meet. When it comes to politics, I feel like body language is incredibly important as they are being watched by the whole world and people not only pay attention to what they say but also how they behave while saying it.
The gestures that I am aware of, and possibly those are the most popular, are things like crossing arms that show someone's defensive position on the topic or that they generally are not so willing to talk about certain things. Another one would be - mostly seen in female speakers or listeners - playing with their own hair. It symbolizes that they're shy (of course to some extent, as people often feel the urge to correct their hairstyle, not necessarily feeling shy).
I believe the skills of telling someone's feelings are generally very useful when someone wants to achieve something by conversing with someone else. It helps you to understand other person's feelings, you can predict what will be the response and tells you what can you say to other people and if it will be natural or will it be met with disapproval or disagreement.
2. Let me give you one example. When someone is lying, they often look away in one direction, to the right or left. Liar doesn't look everywhere, but always looks one way.
3. These skills are actually useful in any job. From athletes, analysts, salespeople to economists. In each profession, we must observe the surroundings and try to gain an advantage over others.
I know about crossed legs and arms as mentioned in the article. I also know about scratching your nose which might indicate lying, hands in the pockets might show a lack of interest. Also, eyes position (ex. looking away from the subject) might show emotions.
Understanding body language is useful almost everywhere but especially when applying to a new job. Unfortunately, for many people, it is extremely hard to be relaxed during interviews.
2) Not many unforunately, but I know that Iif someone is looking into the left bottom corners of their eyes it might mean that they are lying about something they are talking at the moment. Cool and simple trick which might someday become useful.
3) Detectives, police officers, judges, teacher, businesspeople, anyone to be honest would benefit from the skills which help you recognize lairs. I would love to have such skills. I might even try to learn those.
I don't know if it's high or low, because I don't have any scale, but based on my experience, I think that I can guess other people's moods and feelings by some kind of gestures. So I will mark my ability as a medium.
2) What gestures do you know and what does they mean?
Not many, because I know that there is really huge number of them. I know that when someone has his/her arm crossed over the chest that shows a defensive position. Stroking your chin or beard can be read as deep thinking about something. Avoiding eye contact can communicate to others that you are scared or dishonest. On the other side, too intensive and too-long eye contact may be taken as a creepy signal.
3) In which professions these skills could be useful?
Every profession that is connected with people.
One moment when I was interested in this topic was right after reading Remigiusz Mróz's book named ,,Behawiorysta". The main character Gerard Edling, a former prosecutor is a specialist in kinesics, a branch of science that studies non-verbal communication. He is helping in the investigation by reading everything that the murderer didn't tell but showed on the videos from the crime scenes. His character interested me so much, that I spent some time reading about kinesics.
I can recognize a lot of gestures and guess how people feel their self right now, for me this ability provide additional comfort in conversation because I can feel how this conversation going and how I can continue it. Sometimes it’s difficult with some kind of people who is not open minded, not even recognize but just feel their mood at this moment, I guess not only me had this problem 😊
The last question was “In which professions these skills could be useful?”
So, I think it will be useful for HR department – recruiters especially, in this case recruiters can recognize soft skills of candidate and predict candidate perspective for future development. Also it’s gonna be useful in psychologist sphere, to better help person with his/her problem.
1) I don’t think so, even If I’m doing that probably I’m doing that unconsciously. I have some kind of a habit that I’m analyzing everything and everyone around me. In my opinion it is more likely that people can easily recognize every sign in body language but in many cases they’re doing that wrong or cannot aware themselves that what is the truth – they're avoiding problems and its always easier to make an excuse and tell other person that we have misunderstood.
What gestures do you know and what does they mean?
2) I don’t know many of them, just some primary. I know for sure this one from the article – about cross hands. Next one if I do remember was about the open arms when we are describing something and that should help others to be more open minded for what we are saying.
In which professions these skills could be useful?
3) For sure in politics, but that shouldn't be surprise for anyone. I’m not a big fan of a stand’s up but what would be very useful in making shows like that. Maybe that would be some kind of a help for policeman's of paramedic’s.
Not immediately but if it is a consistent or at least done 3 or more times it would capture my attention leading to my curiosity to find out what is the reason for it.
What gestures do you know and what does they mean?
Failure to maintain eye contact. This usually interprets a shy person or someone who isn't bring transparent or confident with what they are saying.
In which professions these skills could be useful?
These kills would be useful in any profession as it's a way of communicating and better understanding. But if I must say, it's highly required for teachers, doctors, police and lawyers because they I believe these people have important roles that shape people's lives and even depend on it in some way.
Yeah, I think it's quite good, I usually understand body language, indicating changes in someone's mood and so on. I never learn to do it, just something that developed independently, but I have seen people that learned it on purpose.
What gestures do you know and what does they mean?
Hm... a lot of them? We use gestures a lot in our everyday life and know them good enough. Some of them are good, some - neutral, some - rude. If you ask more about hidden ones - so the best trick is to pay attention to a person's eyes' movement, speed and tone of speech. Common stuff, in fact.
In which professions these skills could be useful?
In those, where you should speak with people. Almost one hundred percent of professions, you know. Even if you don't have to speak with customers, you often have colleagues and to understand them can be even more important.
1. No, I don't have a high ability to recognize other people's body language because I talk to them little and never pay attention to it.
2. There are different gestures. For example, crossed arms signify a lack of interest, and no eye contact signifies shyness or embarrassment.
3. I think that such skills are very important in psychology, judiciary and prison. From the behavior it is possible to deduce and get to know the other person better.
I'm not that good with body language, I'm better for sure with recognizing tone of voice.
2.What gestures do you know and what does they mean?
One of the most popular is the pyramid. You shape your fingers in the shape of pyramid and it makes you look believable and professional.
3.In which professions these skills could be useful?
Skills like that could be useful for sure if you are working as psychologist or therapist. It could help you find solutions for your patient much easier. There are many things hidden in every person's body language, and people knowing it on expert level can get advantage from it.
I know a few gestures and their alleged meaning. Shuffling feet, avoiding eye contact when asked a crucial question, rolling the lips back - these all might be potential signs of lie. However, the more I read about lie detection the less black and white answers I get. After all, we cannot be sure if someone is not stressed by the situation of being suspected of lie or has amazing skills of covering up the truth. I am sure that there are a lot of professions where the ability of body language recognition can be very useful, but the first one I thought about is psychotherapist. Speaking about emotions, which can be stressful and difficult experience, is not always about actual speaking. It is about what is read on our faces, what our body expresses or how we react to other person. A good therapist should be present, sensitive to signals and ready to interpret them. Another profession that can use body language skills is police officer. Well conducted questioning can be an invaluable tool to moving cases forward. Nowadays the topic of body language is very popular. I think that we should do our best to examine what we can use that knowledge for.