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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.