Secrets of Body Language

Body language, the signals you send out when you are communicating with another, has been shown to make more of an impact than spoken words.

While people will listen and respond to your words, they are instinctively reacting to how you hold yourself and what your posture and gestures are telling them as well. The following tips and hints will help you become a better communicator with your loved ones and your business associates.

Use Eye Contact, But Not Too Much

If you avoid making eye contact with the person to whom you are speaking, he or she will, at least on some level, think you are not being truthful. Too much eye contact, however, and he or she will become intimidated or enter into a staring contest with you, neither of which will help get your message across. Find the happy medium between avoiding all eye contact and staring.

Watch Your Posture

If you slouch in your chair when talking to another person, you will give the impression of being tired or lacking in confidence. Sit and stand with your shoulders back and your head up. This openness to your body will encourage the other person to trust what you are saying and take it seriously.

Don’t Cross Your Arms or Your Legs

Crossing your arms and legs is a classic sign that you are not responsive to what the other person is telling you. It signals that you believe the speaker is lying, that you are uninterested in what he or she is saying, or that you don’t buy into the message being conveyed. If you leave your arms at your sides, the openness of your body sends the right message to the person speaking.

Be Aware of Others’ Personal Space

This can be the most difficult thing to judge when speaking with another person. Some people are naturally tactile, while others are naturally averse to being touched. If, however, you come too close to someone else, they will signal this by subtly moving away from you. Pay attention to this signal and back away. If you are too close, you are seen as threatening, and your message will be lost in the other’s need to get away from you.

Putting these subtle changes to work for you will enable you to better communicate in nearly any situation. Being aware of the other person’s body language will also enable you to gauge how your message is being received.