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How to Read Body Language and Facial Expressions
Gestures
- A clenched fist indicates anger in some situations or solidarity in others.
- A thumbs up and thumbs down: gestures of approval and disapproval.
- The "okay" gesture: "okay" or "all right." In some parts of Europe, the same signal is used to imply you are nothing. In some South American countries, the symbol is actually a vulgar gesture.
- The V sign: peace or victory in some countries. In the UK and Australia, the symbol takes on an offensive meaning when the back of the hand is facing outward.
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Key Ideas
Eye signals
- Eye gaze: Directly eye contact indicates interest and paying attention. Prolonged eye contact can feel threatening.
- Blinking: People often blink more rapidly when they are feeling distressed or uncomfortable.
- Pupil size: Highly dilated eyes, for example, can indicate that a person is interested or even aroused.
Lip signals
- Pursed lips: an indicator of distaste, disapproval, or distrust.
- Lip biting: signals people are worried, anxious, or stressed.
- Covering the mouth: used when people want to hide an emotional reaction.
- Turned up or down: When the mouth is slightly turned up, it might mean that the person is feeling happy or optimistic. A slightly down-turned mouth can be an indicator of sadness/ disapproval.
Gestures
- A clenched fist indicates anger in some situations or solidarity in others.
- A thumbs up and thumbs down: gestures of approval and disapproval.
- The "okay" gesture: "okay" or "all right." In some parts of Europe, the same signal is used to imply you are nothing. In some South American countries, the symbol is actually a vulgar gesture.
- The V sign: peace or victory in some countries. In the UK and Australia, the symbol takes on an offensive meaning when the back of the hand is facing outward.
Arms and legs
- Crossed arms: a person feels defensive, self-protective, or closed-off.
- Standing with hands placed on the hips: an indication that a person is ready and in control, or is a sign of aggressiveness.
- Clasping the hands behind the back: might indicate bored, anxiety, or even anger.
- Rapidly tapping fingers or fidgeting can be a sign that of boredom, impatience or frustration.
- Crossed legs can indicate that a person is feeling closed off or in need of privacy.
Posture
- Open posture involves keeping the trunk of the body open and exposed. This type of posture indicates friendliness, openness, and willingness.
- Closed posture involves hiding the trunk of the body often by hunching forward and keeping the arms and legs crossed. This type of posture can be an indicator of hostility, unfriendliness, and anxiety.
SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
Picking Up and Understanding Nonverbal Signals Lauren sighed. She'd just received an email from her boss, Gus, saying that the product proposal she'd been working on wasn't going to be signed off after all. It didn't make any sense. A week ago she'd been in a meeting with Gus and he'd seemed really positive about it all.
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Key Ideas
Body Language
Is the unspoken element of communication that we use to reveal our true feelings and emotions - gestures, facial expressions and posture.
When we are able t...
Disinterested interlocutors
Signs of a disengaged, disinterested or unhappy audience:
- Arms folded in front of the body.
- Minimal or tense facial expression.
- Body turned away from you.
- Eyes downcast, maintaining little contact.
Being aware of these signs can help you to adjust what you say and how you say it, so you can make him feel more at ease and receptive to your viewpoint
Unengaged Audiences
Some signs that people may be bored or disinterested in what you're saying:
- Sitting slumped, with heads downcast.
- Gazing at something else, or into space.
- Fidgeting, picking at clothes, or fiddling with pens and phones.
- Writing or doodling.
When you notice that, you can re-engage people by asking a direct question, or by inviting people to contribute an idea.
3 more ideas
What is your body language telling others about you? Last week I wrote about how to read other people (you can check that out here.) But being able to evaluate other people's body language just ain't real helpful if you're sending off all the wrong signals yourself.
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Key Ideas
Looking Friendly
- Smile. It is even more important than you think. It's a great way to create trust. We judge people to be more pleasant when we are smiling.
- Expand. Body movements th...
Being More Influential
The best body language for influence depends on your goal. Make sure your body language matches your words to make you more effective.
- If you want to increase the attractiveness of an offer, think sales-y. Use animated movements. Lean forward. Move and speak quickly.
- If you want to reduce resistance to what you're saying, think calm and authoritative. Specific gestures. Lean back. Move and speak slowly.
Looking Like A Leader
It is important to balance the appearance of authority and warmth.
- You show authority and power by your upright posture, your command of physical space, purposeful stride, a firm handshake, and palm-down gestures.
- You communicate warmth nonverbally with open body postures, palm-up hand gestures, full-frontal body orientation, positive eye contact, synchronized movements, nods, head tilts, and smiles.
one more idea
Before we commence with the festivities, I wanted to thank everyone for helping my first book become a Wall Street Journal bestseller. To check it out, click here. *** We'd all like to learn how to read people like Sherlock Holmes. And research shows understanding things like body language is even more powerful than you might think.
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Common errors when reading people
- Ignoring context: Crossed arms don’t mean much if the room is cold or the chair they’re sitting in doesn’t have armrests.
- Not looking for clusters: It’s a consisten...
Trusting your instincts
Your first impressions are usually pretty accurate. But whether they are wrong or right, first impressions affect us in a big way and we are slow to change them.
You have to be willing to update them quite rapidly.
Reading first impressions
- Studies show that if someone seems extroverted, confident, religious or conscientious, they probably are.
- We all pay more attention to pretty people, and so we tend to take the time to evaluate them.
- If you want to know if someone is good at their job, watch them do it for 30-60 seconds.
- Funny people are smart: Effective humor production acts as an honest indicator of intelligence in humans.
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