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Knowing Body Language

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Knowing Body Language Knowing a few things about body language can be very valuable to everyone. There are a lot of simple things that everyone does that most people don’t realize, and they all mean the same thing. Have you ever wondered what body language you should look for while at a job interview? Have you ever wondered about body language on a date or in an argument? It’s pretty easy to figure out. “Our posture, facial expressions; even the placement of our legs can speak volumes about what we're conveying in the workplace. We can put in hours networking or working late and then blow our image as confident experts by sending a different message with something as simple as a smile.” (Krischer Goodman a40) Body language can be helpful to know the emotions of someone, and when you know someone’s emotions you can generally predict or alter their motive. Knowing these cues can be helpful in situations like a job interview, on a date, or in an argument. When at an interview it can be very stressful to figure out who would be a good applicant to hire for a job. If an applicant and the boss are talking there are a few things that the employer can notice that would be helpful. People will lie to get a job, it happens; let’s say that the boss asks a question about the applicant’s experience, and when answering, the applicant covers part of their face with their hand. They most likely are lying. When people lie they tend to take more time to think of a response and when they do respond they tend to talk faster. Men will make their voice deeper and women will make their voice higher pitched when lying. If the applicant is sitting with their arms crossed then they are closed-off to the employer, and in other words they’re just not feeling it. If the employer asks a question and the applicant touches the back of their neck that’s a pacifying act and it doesn’t mean that they are lying it means something isn’t quite right and they’re uncomfortable. You can tell an applicant’s confidence by their hands. Hand steepling (spread fingertips of both hands touching, not interlocked and palms not touching) is a sign of high confidence. Hand wringing (hands clasped together) shows low confidence/stress. If you are on a first date there are some things that you can notice about the person’s body language that would tell you if they are interested. Seated leg crosses are revealing. When people sit side by side, the direction of their leg crosses become significant. If they are on good terms, the top leg crossed over will point toward the other person. Also, when people get good news or are told something that makes them really excited, people tend to lift their foot up with their heel on the ground and their toes pointing up towards the sky. So if you ask a woman on a date and she does this, it’s a good thing! You can tell if a date isn’t going well by if the person has their feet pointing towards the door or exit. That literally means that they’re ready to leave. Also, if someone is sitting and they have their toes on the ground but the heel of their feet is raised that also means that they are ready to leave. People also tend to learn towards people that they like, and literally lean away from people they don’t like or disagree with. You can test someone’s comfort with you by taking a step towards them during conversation or while shaking their hand. If they step back or further away to regain the distance then they aren’t comfortable with you. It’s quite simple and obvious body language that a lot of people don’t realize.
“There are a few key points to bear in mind about body language. First, it is not random, but follows certain rules. Take eye contact, for instance. This is in part determined by physical distance (stand too close in the lift and eye contact drops); topic of conversation (shame and embarrassment are signaled by reduced eye contact); interpersonal relationships (we look more at those we like); co-operative tasks (we look more at co-operators than at competitors) and personality (extroverts look more than introverts).” (Furnham 13) When in an argument a person’s ears will literally get bright red out of anger. If someone feels that they are in danger, whether real or perceived, the brain recruits the rest of the body to guard vital organs (heart, brain, liver, lungs, digestive tract). Men are in an argument or uncomfortable with one another tend to do certain things with their stance. “Genital framing” is a powerful dominance display. (Thumb hooked in waist and fingers dangling, for example); also, the wider a man stands with his feet apart then the more he’s feeling the need to claim dominance, police officers do this all the time. There are plenty of times when a person can use body language to help them understand things better. In certain situations where stress is high, fearful, anxious, happy, it is a really good thing to be able to pick up on these cues so that you can help yourself. Knowing these cues would allow you to be able to know when to leave a situation or when you’re welcome. You can never go wrong with knowing body language, it would only benefit you.

Works Cited
Furnham, Adrian. Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Management Body Language. LexisNexis.com Financial Times (London) (London, England). April 12, 1999 Monday London edition 1 Krischer Goodman, Cindy. Wipe that smile off your face; Be in control of your body language. LexisNexis.com, McClatchy Newspapers pg A40. July 29, 2012 Sunday

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