Total Communication With Body Language

Total Communication With Body Language

Communication is perhaps the single most important element of the successful proliferation and flourishing of the human race. It is unimaginable where humans would be now if there were no means of communication. Perhaps people would still be living in caves, or worse, have long been extinct if it were not for the human ability to send, receive, and process complex messages.

What makes human communication successful in comparison to the forms of message exchange done by other living things is that it is multifaceted and holistic. Human communication involves several media, enabling people to exchange messages that have several instructions, meanings, and contexts. The most noticeable form of communication done by humans is speech. However, there is another form that, while taken for granted, is equally important to talking: the body language.

The Importance of Body Language

While verbal communication allows people to exchange a large bulk of messages to one another, it lacks certain aspects that would make these messages more meaningful and comprehensible. What verbal communication lacks is filled by body language. Movements, gestures, and postures transmit rich signals that tell more about the speaker and what he is talking about. While most would not notice these signals consciously, the subconscious mind interprets these messages, helping the receiver get a better understanding of what is being communicated.

Examples of Body Language Signals

People’s movements tell a lot of things. For example, speaking with open palms reveals a speaker’s sincerity, innocence, or openness; on the other hand, talking while fondling or patting one’s hair would reveal the speaker’s insecurity or perhaps secrecy. Slight kicking would tell someone’s boredom, while the rubbing of hands would tell of someone’s excitement and anticipation. The rubbing of the nose would reveal that a speaker is lying, doubting, or rejecting. Frequent fixing of someone’s hair or clothes could reveal that the person is flirting.

One can decipher many other things by understanding body language. Conversely, one can tell many things to another by employing body language.

Applications of Body Language

The study of body language has several useful applications in daily life. One particular example is with the recruitment function in the field of human resource management. Recruiters and interviewers can know a lot about applicants by interpreting the way they carry themselves and the way they move. Interviewers not only listen to applicants, they also study notice the gestures and postures to tell whether a potential employee is fit for a job.

Psychologists and therapists also use body language interpretation to know more about their patients. Body language is important to reveal many things that a patient may not be telling the therapists during sessions. This is necessary for the therapist to get a proper diagnosis and give effective advices.

Average people can also take advantage of body language in their daily life. Body language can help one know more about the people encountered every day. One can also stress what is being talked about by using gestures and movements.

How to learn about body language

Many resources provide information about body language. Several books and magazine articles have been written about the topic, and they could easily be found in bookstores and libraries. Courses about body language are available in schools and organizations. There are many websites dedicated to body language and they are but a few mouse clicks away.

Learning and understanding body language is useful and can be applied to many aspects of life. With body language, one is ensured of total communication.