Non-Verbal Communication:
The Use of Body Language

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The way you listen, look, move, and react to different situations tells the other person whether or not you are showing interest in a conversation, if you are being truthful and how well you are listening. Again, when your nonverbal signals are in balance with the words you’re saying, they increase trust, clarity and harmony. When they don’t, they produce tension, mistrust and confusion. Therefore, it is helpful to be more related to certain cues to gain a better understanding of what people are telling you. Together, the following nonverbal signals and cues that best communicate your interest and impact to others are:
Facial Expressions: Halberstadt, J. (2009), researcher at the University of Otago in New Zealand says “facial expressions are blends of multiple emotions, they are open to interpretation”. Also facial expressions are the best indicator of human emotions but also the most misleading and unlike to some nonverbal signals, they are universal. For instance, facial expressions for anger, happiness, surprise, fear are the same across cultures. Furthermore, facial expressions are usually more obvious when we use our eyes and mouth to create an emotion. In fact, generally speaking, failure to make eye contact can be a sign of dishonesty or disinterest. In addition, a raised eyebrow shows interest or surprise, but if we raise both it indicates surprise or even horror.
Postures: Just as facial expressions, posture and movement can also transmit information. For instance, arm-crossing, and leg crossing, are now interpreted as defensive postures that usually means you are hiding something or there is something you feel uncomfortable to reveal. Moreover, a person who is standing straight with shoulders back, chest out and stomach in is usually someone who is open, with confidence and demanding attention. On the other hand, a person who is standing with shoulders down, with the head down is someone who is lacking confidence or feeling inferior and shy. Furthermore, postures unlike facial expressions, which are generally universal, are characterized by cultural differences. For instance, sitting with the legs crossed is offensive in Turkey, showing the sole of the foot is also considered rude and offensive in Thailand and Saudi Arabia. It is important to be aware of the cultural differences, especially if we find ourselves traveling to a far, very different culture. Gestures: Movements and signals are an important way to communicate meaning without words. Common gestures include waving, pointing, and using fingers to indicate amounts. Pease (2006) wrote in her book The Definitive book of body language: There are more connections between the hands and the brain than between any other parts of the body, and therefore the gestures and positions we take we take our hands give powerful insights into our emotional state. In addition, politicians and other public personalities make use of hand gestures in their speech, but only when it is used appropriately, they can transmit an effective message. Many people emphasize important key points with gestures; they use their arms and hands to demonstrate size or described situations in a conversation. These gestures have a purpose and they are often natural, but like other forms of body language, gestures can frequently be processed subconsciously. For example, rubbing the thumb against the fingertips is widely used in America when referring to money or cost. Tapping you fingers, could be a just a nervous habit, but it can also send signal others that you are eager to end or start and interaction with them. Furthermore, other gestures vary from culture to culture. For instance, simple things like using hands to point and count differ from every country, in the U.S people point with their index finger, in Japan with their entire hand, in fact most Asians consider pointing with index finger to be rude.