Facial Appearance: When we observe the face of a person, we can determine the ethnic origins, age, gender, jewellery, make-up etc or simply we can see the image that the person wants to project self before others. To make a character judgement from facial structure and appearance only can be superficial. Facial appearance is only one of the wide range of non-verbal gestures that we need to take into consideration.
Generally the expression on a person’s face is the foremost and basic indicator of his/her emotions like happiness, surprise, sadness, anger, fear, disgust and many more. Different types of smile transmit different non-verbal information reflecting the basic personality with respect to his/her body language. Before analyzing someone’s personality through his body language, we must be aware of the fact that some people have cultivated much greater control over their expression than others. These kind of appearance or expression can be deceptive or misleading because they have mastered in hiding the actual or true message for being delivered.
Eye Contact: Eye contact is one of the most important non-verbal cues as described earlier. We are expected to meet other peoples’ gazes when we communicate. If we fail to do this, we can be interpreted or meant as being deceptive, weak, bored or angry. There are actually complicated rules governing eye behaviour, with much variation on the direction of the gaze and the length of the time you look at someone. For example, you will look less frequently and for shorter periods, if you are lying or it you are embarrassed or if you dislike the person you are talking to. The longer gaze indicates more intimacy and shows a sign of interest and attention. Depending on the context and relationship, it can be friendly, hostile or sexual. While eye contact is supremely important in Western Society you will need to know that in some societies- mostly Asian, for example—it can be embarrassing and intrusive. So, before dealing with personalities from another culture, you must be aware of their background and allow for the differences in their culture.
Voice: Voice is another reliable indicator of personality, nationality, regional origin, social class, education level, age and gender. Allied to para-language (rate, pitch, stress, intonation) it can carry up to 38 percent of the message conveyed. It also discloses the emotional state of the speaker and conveys attitudes such as sarcasm.
Body/Physique: Body in general reinforces the face, so that if a face shows dejection the body will tend to droop. This is not surprising, as it is the whole person who is having these feelings. The body often reflects an individual’s self-concept indicating their self-esteem or confidence level.
Clothing: This aspect of non-verbal body language gives you a lot of information. The clothes a person wears can disclose economic and social class, values, beliefs, morals, ethics and personality as a whole. Clothes are used to project an image and to indicate group memberships and affiliations.
Posture: Posture refers to “how you position your body”, often indicating your feelings, emotions or attitudes at the particular period of time. Posture can be open or closed as described earlier. When you place some kind of barrier in front of you body---for an instance, folding arms across your chest or crossing your legs or your ankles indicate closed posture which is particularly defensive or rejection. And when your posture is open or has got no barrier between yourself and the other person then you are signaling receptivity or acceptance. For example—inclining the top half body towards the other person indicates interest and involvement in what they are saying or doing.
Space: Each of us has a different personal space requirement; this is because we do have individual personalities and experiences. Certain situations and cultural backgrounds can influence the amount of personal space required. Invading someone’s personal space can make that person uncomfortable and non-receptive and even can create negative condition. So, we must respect other’s personal space.
Touch: Out of all senses, the sense of touch has more potential with feelings and sensitivity. This type of non-verbal communication is extremely powerful and effective. It must be used with discretion. To be effective, touch must occur at the right moment and in the right context, otherwise it can be violently rejected and may even lead to charges of harassment. In general, we prefer not to be touched by other people especially who are totally stranger to us.
** Therefore before analyzing or going through any of the above mentioned body language gestures, only should have full knowledge regarding the field of body language **
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