The importance of body language…

The importance of body language…

This website gives some good tips about understanding your own body language.  Unsurprisingly, it’s vital to understand the context. Body language is like a game of Chinese whispers as signals get distorted, but they can still be a useful guide. We use them all the time!

Here are some of the top tips:

  • It’s important to make eye contact, but don’t stare. Both extremes can be a bit creepy, people who don’t look at you when you speak or at the other end of the scale, people who constantly stare.
  • Don’t fidget – it can be really distracting. So if you are a leg shaker, a pen tapper or someone who fiddles with their jewellery, be mindful of this and stop!
  • Smile. But make sure it’s sincere…
  • Relax your shoulders.  We carry a lot of tension there, so try and loosen them up.
  • Handshakes are important and often the first contact you have with someone.  So ensure they are firm and always hold out a vertical palm (palm down and palm up can mean that you are dominant or submissive respectively, so avoid these gestures).

And many more – check out the website for the low down on your body language.