Body Language (Part-ix)

   Body Language: Action Speaks Louder than Words
 

The Use of Body Language:
As man being social animal, we can't live in isolation. We need other people in stages of our life. The moment we come into contact with another person, we start communicating with him/her ( receiving and delivering the messages via verbal and non-verbal means) no matter the communication can be conscious or sub-conscious. In non-verbal especially silent communication tells us about the relationship between people. Often this is more important than getting the content of the message across. The exchange of ideas about this non spoken communication, which tells us something about the relationship between people, is known as meta communication. Actually it communicates about communication.

Only Words are not enough:
While connecting with a person, we also have to make it clear to one another how the content of a spoken message or term needs to be interpreted. For an instance, we do not tell or express one another very easily how we feel about the other person or how the words of a message need to be interpreted. To make the implication of our words apparent, we make use of body language. Body language is the language of body without spoken words and is therefore termed as non-verbal communication. Either we don't communicate with words all the time, but we make use of body language almost all of the time. Like the handicapped who can neither speak nor talk, the only option is body language or gesture. Therefore, in this special case, non-verbal communication is the primary option for them. By this example also we can estimate the importance and necessity of body language.

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Body language (Part-viii: Deceptive Appearance)

Body language (Part-viii: Deceptive Appearance)

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.

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