Human behavior is quite interesting to observe and interpret. The way how you interact with others and communicate your thoughts to them gives them a fair idea of your personality. It often happens, while in a discussion, we sometimes unconsciously communicate our opinions, thoughts, beliefs and perspectives without even giving a serious thought on what they actually convey. Usually, non-verbal cues account for 90% of human communication. Sounds somewhat unbelievable, but is true! What may sound stranger is that, inapt body language is likely to create miscommunication and misinterpretations. Others are also likely get a wrong hint of your personality at times. It is, therefore, highly essential to develop a powerful body language so that people perceive your cues correctly.
The tips below will supplement your understanding of body language signs and will help you in grooming your personality further.
Correct and Confident Postures
The first thing that people usually take notice of in you is your posture. Your posture plays a very significant role in determining your attitude and other competencies. Whether you stand tall or slouch, tells the person, you are communicating to, a lot of things about your personality. Slouchers tend to demonstrate an unfriendly and unpleasant approach. Slouching is not only awful for your body, but is also not favorable for your image. Others might also assume that either you are ill, shy, indifferent or insecure. On the contrary, people who stand tall exude an air of confidence and seem pleasantly approachable. It gives a perception to people that you a friendly and easy-going person. Standing with a straight back adds more points to your personality and always keeps you up for a good time.
Head Angles
Your head angles are also an important determinant for people to judge your character and personality. The angle of your head, while in a conversation, has a lot to say about your interest and involvement in the particular conversation. Avoid staring at the ground or looking sideways while in a discussion as this may convey a negative message to your spectators. Always keep your chin and eye level upright. Take care not to tilt your head to the back as this conveys a sign of arrogance. Keeping your head leveled with the ground makes you appear down-to-earth and friendly. Do not keep your head constantly steady and do give a few head tilts at intervals to communicate that your interests are active in the conversation.
Hand Signals
Avoid talking with your hands in excess. Hand signals are acceptable, but seem indecent when used in excess. It is crucial to understand the use of hand signals for communicating our views. The placement of our hands is also equally important in everyday conversations. We should be very careful about our hand signals as at times they may lead to conflicting perceptions. Keeping your palms up communicates that you have an open mind while palms down connotes that you have a very arrogant attitude. Try to orienting your palms inward while active in discussions and this demonstrates that you have a very friendly and sportive personality. Pointing your finger at someone is the most disliked hand signal as this depicts a very hostile attitude. Crossing your arms is often a formal body language, but keeping this posture steady might make your audience perceive that you seem to be stubborn.
Handshakes
Handshake is usually the first gesture you give upon meeting someone. It also gives an immediate impression to people of how confident you are. The grip and temperature of your hands speaks a lot about your energy and confidence levels. A weak grip is a sign of insecurity and nervousness whereas having a good grip is a sign of wisdom and confidence. Placement of the palm is another important component of this form of body language. Handshakes ooze an air of comfort so you should be very particular of your palm position while shaking hands. Keeping your palm down is a very uncommon gesture and should be avoided unless you rank a very high position of power. Keeping your palm vertical to that of the person’s palm expresses your sense of respect and implies equal footing. The time of handshake is also an important aspect to keep in mind. Shaking your hand three to five times is generally acceptable. In case, you are shaking hands with someone who is superior to you, then wait until the other person retracts his hand; this is usually considered as a sign of respect.
Alertness
We display many such body language signs that lets people know how alert we are. Alertness is a key trait of a good listener. Alertness doesn’t only mean your attentiveness to the discussion, but it refers to how you capture the incoming body language signs. If you are alert, you tend to understand what exactly the other person is trying to convey you. Being a good listener is definitely a positive trait, but staying alert to body language signs is also equally important. Alertness often helps us in understanding the nonverbal cues of people, communicating with us. Yawning a very bad sign while amidst of a discussion as this makes people perceive that you lack interest in the discussion. This can sometimes be annoying for people and sometimes can even hurt their sentiments. So stay alert to let people know how well you are connecting to them.