The importance of body language and how to use it
The concept of body language:
Body language varies from one individual to another, depending on the nature of the personality and the fact that the person is closed or open to himself or others; some characters can understand their body language easily and with one look, and others can use their body language to show the opposite of what is implied internally.
For example, he may appear confident of himself in a situation in which he himself feels terrified and very afraid, but his personal obligations force him to appear to others as a leader who is not afraid of anything, or that someone tries to appear understanding and surrounding a topic, but facial expressions reflect 100% naivety of his thinking and lack of knowledge of the topic being discussed.
Body language is used to deliver unspoken messages, such as someone looking at you sideways until you stop telling a particular topic, understand the real purpose of it and shut up or change the topic, send a silent distress message in a dangerous situation, or express admiration, fall in love, or feel familiarity and satisfaction.
Body language is also used, especially by those who are able to do so, as a personal mask, which helps them either by hiding their true personality and not revealing their secrets to others, or using it to drop the mask from what others are trying to hide and read them very easily and easily. However, humanity has not yet reached the stage of mastery of this field, especially since the concept of body language is a modern concept in the scientific arena, even if it has been used innately in practice for thousands of years.
According to a statistic released by a university in California, 7% of human communication is limited only to words, while 55% of it depends on body language and its movements and suggestions, and 38% on the tone of voice and the stances used, so when we talk about the most important languages that one must learn, we are not talking about ancient or living languages, but we are talking about the language that is more responsible for effective human communication, which is body language.
Body language is known as one of the types of non-verbal communication, which can be described as non-verbal language that uses physical tools such as movements, gestures and looks, in addition to the use of the face, limbs, or even the foot, shoulder shaking or head, and all this to communicate the idea to the addressee in a way that one feels internally and involuntarily reflects on his body.
Body Language Signals:
To understand body language, we need to recognize its types and signals, which are either natural or acquired or can be a combination of both;
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Natural such as: crying, laughter and different feelings of the individual.
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Acquired signals, such as raising hands when greeting or bowing in some cultures, are due to the fact that they are acquired from the society and environment to which the individual belongs.
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A mixture between innate and acquired: such as shaking the shoulders when the child rejects something, which is basically a habit acquired from the tradition of a member of his family, but it grew in him from an early age to be more like instinct and personal habit.
The importance of body language in communication:
Body language is of great importance in communication between people, especially since 55% of it depends on it, as we explained earlier, so the power of this language and its wide role in influencing human understanding and development can be understood as follows:
1. Body language is based on improving the process of communication between humans, especially if it is used based on knowledge to deliver communication messages in a correct way that is not marred by any misunderstandings.
2. Avoid body language from entering into useless conflicts, especially resulting from misunderstandings.
3. Body language helps its owner to express his feelings and feelings honestly, even if his linguistic outcome does not help him in that.
4. Body languages reveal what the latter is trying to hide or artificially show, so that it is difficult to deceive those who are able to read them well.
5. Professional body language helps to leave a positive first impression of a person, especially in job interviews.
6. Body language helps in detecting false deceivers and this is because it is a language that is difficult to fake or deceive in.
7. Body language is characterized by being a universal language that does not need an interpreter, and through it it is possible to build an effective human communication bridge, regardless of the different cultures and complexity of languages.
8. Body language is a very effective language, especially in communicating with animals, where their needs can be easily understood and satisfied, and reassuring or warning messages can be delivered to them as well.
How to read body language?
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Head curvature:
The bowing of the head usually indicates great comfort, that is, if the person with you bows his head slightly while talking in front of you, this is an indirect message that tells you that he feels very safe with you, and sometimes this bow is used as a kind of appreciation and respect for the great, especially with the elderly in some cultures.
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Walking:
The way of walking from the expressions of body language may indicate that the person is confident in himself or vice versa, if the person walks fixed-footed with a raised head and a relaxed body and his shoulders straight, this indicates self-confidence, unlike if he walks with a straight back and his shoulders back, this indicates that he is an anxious person and not confident in himself.
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Eye Language:
The language of the eyes is one of the biggest keys that give you a complete definition of the personality we are dealing with; it indicates in a real and correct way what is going on inside the person, if the eye widens, it indicates happiness and joy, and if it narrows, the opposite is true here. If a person rubs his eyes, it indicates wonder about something, but if the person avoids looking at who is talking to him, this indicates that he has lost confidence in himself, or there is something to hide.
In addition to the above, the language of the eyes usually reveals much more than that; if a person looks up, it means that he is imagining the conversation or that he remembers a situation, but if he looks down and then raises the eyes to the addressee, this indicates the person’s shyness of himself, but if the eyes shine and the pupils widen, this indicates that the person is in love.
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Tone of voice:
You can know what a person hides through the tone of his voice, if he speaks in a high tone of voice with a smile, this indicates that the person is happy to talk and feels entertained and fun, although some body language scientists disagree on this point and believe that some may speak in a high tone of voice trying to hide something. If the speaker speaks in a very low tone of voice, this indicates a lack of self-confidence and a weak personality.
Body language scientists also believe that a person’s view of the addressee in a direct way with a high tone of voice, indicates either hatred and jealousy of the other person or challenge and confidence, but if he speaks in a quick and deliberate manner and loudly while looking at who is talking to him, this may indicate that the speaker enters a state of emotional excitement, whether it is joy, sadness, or even anxiety or anger.
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Hand movement:
The movement of the hands plays a big role in the importance of body language, because most people use the movement of the hands to express what is going on in their minds, if a person puts his hand on his neck, it means that the conversation has gained its approval, and if a person clasps the hands while sitting, this indicates either respect and appreciation if it is followed by relaxation in the movement of the body, or indicates anticipation and apprehension
If the movement of the body is unrelaxed and serious. If he puts his hand in his pocket, this indicates apathy, and if it is fixed to look somewhere and put his hands on the cheeks, this indicates that he is in a state of deep reflection or evaluation of his information. Holding hands and holding them together or holding one finger lightly also signifies shyness.
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Foot movement: