Body Language

By
Rayan Sequeira
(rayan@dnsconsulting.net)
Teach yourself how to read and interpret

 Non-Verbal Communication  Confidence

 “Clusters”  Cooperation willingness/relaxation
 Eye Contact  Readiness / Expectancy
 Less Eye contact  Open-mindedness
 Eyebrows  Interest/evaluation
 Mouth  Dominance superiority/aggression
 Head  Frustration
 Smile  Anxiety/nervousness
 The body - seated  Boredom
 Attitudes and Gesture Clusters  Defensiveness
Non-Verbal Communication
 Non-verbal behaviour can communicate more
powerfully than the spoken word.
 The problem is that it is difficult to read and control.
 Look for ‘clusters’ of non-verbal communication to help
you to interpret correctly
 In communication, seeing is more important than
hearing. What you see will corroborate the verbal
message – and may also convey new, interesting
information...
“Clusters”
 If the verbal and non-verbal behaviour does not
match, then go carefully and be prepared not to
believe!
 A key message can be dramatically reinforced by
supporting gestures which are consistent with
the spoken word
 Remember the old saying:
“A Picture is worth a Thousand Words”
Eye Contact
 Most of us look directly at other people between 30% and 60% of
the time while listening
 More eye contact than this indicates greater interest in the person
than in what he/she is
saying
 Lovers and Fighters often demonstrate this high percentage of
eye contact!!
– In negotiation you should make your point and then
keep silent but maintain eye contact – you might feel
the tension but the other person will feel the
pressure. Wait for them to ‘crack’ first
Body Language and Lying
 Signs of Deception and Lying
 Less eye contact will occur when we feel uncomfortable
or guilty
 Policemen or lawyers are working on this principle
when they persistently look at the suspect or defendant
 Hands touch their face, throat, nose, mouth, ear
 Physical expression will be limited and stiff
– The liar takes up less space with their hand,
arm and leg movement facing towards their
own body
The Eyebrows
 When eyebrows are lowered a person is usually
frowning
 This may signify worry, criticism or disagreement
 But look for supporting evidence to make up the cluster
 The frown may simply mean concentration or
puzzlement
 Raised eyebrows can indicate surprise or disbelief
– One raised eyebrow suggests an element of
suspicion or challenge
The Mouth

 When the mouth drops open this can suggest

either astonishment or surprise
 Or may simply be a question of relaxation
 Tightened lips indicate a defensive mode
 A rebellious streak can be identified by thrusting
out the chin
The Head
 Held straight up – indicates a neutral position – listening hard and
evaluating
 Small nods acknowledge that information is being received, but do not
necessarily mean agreement
 Tilting the head the head to one side signals a developing interest.
– A downcast head could mean a problem. Basically the
gesture signals evaluation but with negative overtone
leading perhaps to submission
– You cannot see their eyes & they cannot pick up on your
non-verbal signals - say something to get their attention!
The Smile

 We associate a smile with happiness but there

are different kinds of smile!
 The grimace, the wry, resigned sardonic or coy
smiles
 These all represent very different emotions,
particularly when linked with other associated
gestures...
The Body when seated
 Crossed legs and crossed arms shout ‘resistance’ – but it
can just mean that someone has been sitting for a long
time and are feeling uncomfortable
 Leaning forward – eager
 The right ankle resting on left knee – indicates an
argumentative or competitive frame of mind
 Legs together, or slightly in front of the other is a
positive signal
 Legs and feet pointing toward an exit is an unreceptive
sign
The Body when Standing
 A receptive position is when a person's weight evenly
distributed and the body is tilted toward the speaker
 Crossed legs indicate a negative stance
 Legs pointing away from the speaker or toward the exit
is also a negative signal
– Other negative signals are hands clenched,
arms crossed in front of the chest or
rubbing the neck
 Arms spread, hands open or relaxed are all positive
signals
Attitudes and Emotions
 Positive and Negative!
 The next pages will give you an insight into varying
attitudes and emotions
 Learn to use them to your advantage!
 And remember the customer could be trying to read your
body language!
 Read on to teach yourself more about the fascinating
subject of reading and interpreting Body Language ...
Confidence
 An erect stance or sitting position
 Confidence is conveyed by plenty of eye contact
 Leaning back in a chair with hands clasped
behind head
 ‘Pyramiding’ i.e. the hands effect a pyramid
shape but with only the tips of the fingers and
thumbs touching
 Over emphasised gestures can convey arrogance
Willingness and Relaxed
 Head is inclined to one side
 Body leans forward in chair
 Jacket or coat is unbuttoned
 Palms of hands are opened and upturned
 Sitting at right angles to or directly alongside
other person (be careful not to invade ‘body
space’)
 Remember this information during interviews
Readiness and Expectancy

 Starts to move closer

 Speaks confidently
 Hands rests lightly on hips
 Sits on edge of chair
 Palms of hands rubbed on thighs
 Snaps fingers
 Rubs palms of hands together
Open-minded Attitude

 An Open-minded Attitude is conveyed by the

following body language:
 The person will sit forward in front of chair
 The head is raised
 Legs are uncrossed
Interest and Evaluation
 The Head is raised
 Chin is stroked slowly
 Hand is raised to the cheek
 Pinches the bridge of nose
 The arm of spectacles placed in the mouth
 Acceptance
 The hand placed on the chest signifies loyalty, honesty
and devotion
Dominance, Superiority and
Aggression
 Hands are clasped behind head
 The head is well back
 Legs are extended
 Ankles are crossed
 Holding the lapel of jacket
 Coat is buttoned
 Hands are placed in pockets with thumbs
pointing outwards
Frustration

 Rubs the back of the neck

 Fingers are run through hair
 Breaths are short
 Hands are clenched or wrung
 One index finger is pointed
Anxiety and Nervousness

 The throat is cleared

 Fidgets in chair
 Tugs at earlobe
 Hands cover mouth when speaking
 Fiddles with tie, cufflinks, rings etc
Boredom
 Doodles on pad
 Drums fingers on table
 Taps feet
 Ballpoint pen continuously clicking
 Head rests in hands
 The eyes droop
The blank stare – the person is almost asleep
with eyes open, illustrated by lack of blinking!
Defensiveness
 Arms are tightly folded high on chest
 Ankles are locked
 The head is down on the chest
 Twiddles with earlobe or nose – in a speaker these two
gestures can signify exaggeration or even lies!
 Fists are clenched
 Coat is buttoned
 Hands grip the arm of a chair
Body Language Summary

 Non-verbal behaviour communicates far more

powerfully than the spoken word
 The problem is that is difficult to read and
control
 Body language signals our innermost feelings
which we may try to mask by what we say
Putting theory into Practice...

Presentation Skills

 Putting theory into Practice

 Interesting, Interactive PowerPoint slideshow format
 Free Interactive Training on Putting theory into Practice
 Easy techniques - Eye Contact and Body Signs
 Improve your skills - easy Interactive training format
 Helpful information about reading & interpreting Body Language
including Putting theory into Practice
 Free online web training on Body Language including Putting
theory into Practice
 Free online PowerPoint style training presentation
 How to interpret and read body language
 Teach yourself males and female signs
Thank You