Here is a quote – This “original” language of total bodily gesture is thus the one and only real language, which everybody who is in any way expressing himself is using all the time.
—Robin George Collingwood
A greater part of all communication is done through body language. The tone of our voice accounts for a relatively smaller part of it, which, at times, tends to overstress or understate the rationale behind the communication. Words, on the other hand, matter less than both.
Body language is just a way of conveying information and, yes, it has a name – kinesics! Kinesics is a specialized branch of knowledge that studies how people use their gestures, postures, movements, and stances to communicate.
So, when it comes to communicating clearly, casting an impression (both positive and negative), and adding charm to one’s persona, our body language does it to a nicety. Well, only if we can afford to leave sexism aside, both genders resort to certain behavioral semblances to make body language the purest form of expression.
Art of eloquence has body language as its central component
Be it in public speaking, interviews or other routine communications, kinesics plays a very important role. Our posture, gestures, hand and head movements or whole-body movements emphasize or reinforce what we are saying. Such movements also provide information about the attitude, emotions, and character of a person. Anyone who intends to master the art of kinesics, thus needs to ensure that his body movements never conflict with what he is saying.
Kinesics further branches out into different categories, some of which include emblems, regulators, illustrators, and adaptors. To understand them, it’s imperative for anyone to realize their interpretations in different cultural contexts.
Understanding body language and kinesics in cultural contexts
Holding another man’s hand in public is something that displays mutual respect in Gulf countries; however, in the USA or England, people don’t usually follow this practice. According to M. Argyle49, owing to their cultural differences and locale-specific uniqueness, humans have around 700,000 forms of body language. From our head to our toes, every movement and gesture could signify different things to different people. For example, you may have seen the Japanese not making gestures with broad movements of their arms, because it is simply an impolite way of expression for them. Italians, however, cannot imagine a moment they didn’t use their arms freely.
Similarly, sitting cross-legged in the Middle East and Asia has nothing to do with a balanced and solid-sitting posture – as European nationals and Americans would do it regularly; instead, it means disrespectful in the eastern part of the world.
So, we need to understand that such differences exist; hence, it’s always better to observe the body language of the locals and, accordingly, alter our mannerism to lead a dialogue or interact with others non-verbally.
Improve your posture for impressive non-verbal communication
Whether you like it or not, a large part of body language consists only of our facial expressions. In olden days, keeping your face on your hand was thought to be a means of attracting attention. However, in today’s scenario, we need to work on correct posture as well. If you want the other person to admire you, prove that you have a backbone: sit up straight! Similarly, avoid hunching over your computer or desk when working; else, such posture could become a part of our body language, which undeniably is a source of concern for all.
Similarly, non-verbal communication means sending or receiving wordless clues, such as haptics (touch), paralanguage (voice), distant communication (proxemics) and, of course, kinesics. According to The Definitive Book of Body Language (2004) by Allan and Barbara Pease 50, any message reaches the other person or group through all our five senses: 83 percent sight, 11 percent hearing, 3 percent smell, 2 percent touch, and through 1 percent touch. Thus, non-verbal communication is as important as the overall body language of a person. By hitting the right combination of positive body language and correct non-verbal communication, we will develop a commanding style of communication.
The impression that you cast!
Ensure that you are putting forth the right persona through your body language. To begin with, don’t sit cross-legged or cross-armed, it will simply mean that you are no longer interested. Try not to mirror anyone’s body and be your own person. At the end of it all, no one needs a guide to be themselves. It can be fathomed from your face itself when you are furious, disgusted, afraid, extremely happy, sad or surprised. Other than that, it is also easy to spot hate or embarrassment.
Hence, body language is the most effective tool that you can use to create the impression that you want others to have of you. Just focus on being expressive, respect cultural mannerisms, adopt right postures and have confidence in your stance to better your body language.
