What does body language mean?

Actions speak louder than words is a phrase everyone has heard. This phrase states that a person’s body language and actions substantially impact their words. Studies have shown that it is easier to manipulate our words than our bodies. Our body language can reveal our true intentions even when we are trying not to. According to Deborah Bull, “. . . 80% of what you understand in a conversation is read through the body, not the words.” 

BODY LANGUAGE

Body language is how we communicate with our gestures and movements. This is also known as nonverbal communication. Our nonverbal communication is sometimes done consciously, but it is done the majority of the time unconsciously. For example, when we are nervous and tell people we are calm, our body language will show us shaking, sweating, and looking all around the room. In this scenario, we are obviously nervous even though our words communicated that we are calm. Body language can become complicated when it contradicts our spoken words. 

TYPES OF BODY LANGUAGE

Body Movement and Posture

Sometimes we do not pay attention to our movements or our posture when speaking to someone, but others are paying attention, and we are communicating a lot more than we think. The position in which we stand when we are angry or tilt our head when we are thinking communicates various information.

Gestures

Many of us talk with our hands or make lots of gestures with our hands while talking. We make numerous gestures in our daily lives, such as pointing, waving, clapping, and more. Some gestures mean different things to different people, cultures, and countries. Gestures are often misinterpreted and should always be used cautiously. 

Facial Expressions

Our faces can express abundant emotions before we ever say a word. Facial expressions are universal. A smile represents happiness, and a frown means unhappiness across all cultures.

Eye Contact

Eye contact is the most important form of nonverbal communication. The eyes can reveal a lot about a person, and it is believed that the eyes are the windows to the Soul. Eye contact could communicate respect or a lack thereof, depending on the culture. The direction we look, how often we weblink, and even if our eyes are dilated send various messages when we are communicating. 

Voice

We have all been told that it matters not what we say but how we say it. The nonverbal cues of our voice are tone, volume, inflection, and pace. Our voice volume can communicate anger, while our pace can communicate fear.

Awareness of our body language will allow us to communicate effectively at all times.

As we become better at managing our stress and emotions, we become better at reading body language and keeping our body language consistent with our words.