Gestures give you away
There are many languages in the world. We use language for
communication. If we try to use the language without learning its
grammar and idiomatic expressions, our communication fails. Body
language is of recent origin but its value in non-verbal communication
is immeasurable. Unlike any other language, we cannot learn body
language in the classroom or by merely poring over books on the subject.
There is, in fact, a plethora of books written on body language.
However, theories alone cannot make anybody an expert on the subject.
Basically, body language is a form of non-verbal communication
consisting of body posture, gestures, facial expressions and eye
movements. The strange fact is that almost all human beings use body
language without being aware of doing so. John Borg, an authority on the
subject, says that our communication consists of 93 percent body
language. That means we use only seven percent of language. Others have
challenged John Borg’s statistics but the fact remains that body
language has a major share in human communication.
Universal gestures
Most of the basic communication gestures are universal. For instance,
we smile or laugh when happy. When we are sad or angry, we frown or
scowl. Nodding of the head indicates “Yes” or affirmation in many parts
of the world. Similarly, shaking of the head from side to side indicates
“No” or negation. Even infants use these gestures. Yawning is another
universal gesture which reveals sleepiness or lack of interest. Experts
say that women have an innate ability to decipher body language signals.
This appears to be true because few husbands can lie to their wives and
get away with it easily. On the other hand, most women can pull the wool
over their husbands’ eyes without their realising it.
People use various forms of non-verbal communication such as
touching, pinching or even gazing at another person when verbal
communication is not possible. Such physical expressions reveal many
aspects of a person’s character.
Threat gesture
Today, smiling or showing the teeth partially is a gesture to
indicate pleasure. However, the primitive man took it as a threat
gesture. Another expert says that we should not look at or show our
teeth to stray dogs because they might take it as a threat gesture.
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Winston Churchill’s “V”
sign for victory |
The shoulder shrug is a common universal gesture that shows
somebody’s lack of understanding. Such a gesture usually has three main
parts: Exposed palms, hunched shoulders and raised eyebrows. When
somebody asks us for directions to a certain place, we usually shrug our
shoulders even without using any words. Even a foreigner would
understand what it means.
Eye signals are quite common in non-verbal communication. If a person
is gazing at a woman, he is probably interested in her or is admiring
her beauty. Sometimes such gazing can be pretty embarrassing to the
woman. When a woman is walking ahead of a man, he usually looks at her
buttocks. Even the woman knows about it!
Another powerful body language signal is when a person crosses his
arms across his chest. This is common when people attend public
lectures. If the speaker sees this, he will at once realise that you are
putting up an unconscious barrier between you and him. It can also mean
that the listener is thinking deeply about what the speaker says. But
this is a sign of opposition.
Ring gesture
Non-verbal signs may vary from country to country. For instance, the
ring gesture made with your thumb and index finger is an “OK gesture” in
the United States. However, if you make this sign in France, it means
“Zero” or “Nothing”. Quite interestingly, the ring gesture means “Money”
in Japan. In some Mediterranean countries it would mean that somebody is
a homosexual!
The “V” sign was popularised by the British Prime Minister Winston
Churchill during the World War II. Today, it is used by sportsmen,
politicians and contestants in TV shows. Like animals we also have our
own “personal space” or the “portable bubble” to be carried around. We
allow only those who are emotionally close to us to enter our “Intimate
zone”. At social gatherings we maintain a “personal zone”. When we
attend a public meeting, we maintain what is called the “public zone.”
We often see how groups of protesters become aggressive when their
numbers increase. On such occasions the police would use force to break
up the “temporarily welded human chain” before they commit a breach of
the peace.
Body language or non-verbal communication is a fascinating subject to
study. By observing people at work in offices. universities and
factories, you can learn a lot about their behaviour. While studying the
gestures of other people, be aware of your own body signals. This will
make you a better judge of human behaviour.
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