Mastering Body Language: Tips and Cultural Differences

Elements of Body Language You Can Consciously Work On:

• Posture:

  This will enhance your positive aura and help you appear more responsible and reliable. Few basics:
  • Stand tall with straight shoulders while leaning forwards slightly.
  • Keep your posture open by not folding your arms across your body.
  • Don't tuck your hands in your pockets, keep them free to gesture.
  • Work on improving your body language.

• Facial Expression:

  Use your face to show you're a friendly person. Express enthusiasm and conviction on your views through your face. The basics:
  • Nothing better than a genuine smile to express your warmth.
  • Keep your face relaxed with your gaze steady.
  • Make eye contact (not more than 2 seconds).
  • Keep the comfort of your audience in mind.

• Voice:

  Research shows that we tend to follow people with deep voices. Margrethe Thatcher, the former British Prime Minister, is a good example for voice improvement, as she consciously trained and lowered her voice to get more votes. You can do the same:
  • Start to listen to people's voice and understand the impact voice can have.
  • Establish a 10-minute morning routine to improve the voice.
  • Before an important event, do some relaxation exercises for your voice.

• Gestures:

  Gesture with your hands and arms to present your thoughts better and openly.
  • Use relevant gestures which flow with your words.
  • Use them wisely and subtly to involve your audience and encourage their participation.
  • Too much hand gestures can make you appear nervous, so limit them to need.

• Distance:

  This highly depends on the culture. In western culture, you should keep distance.
  • Watch your distance to the person in front of you.
  • In case you have to come very close to another person, verbally excuse yourself.
  • In situations where you need to show confidence and 'take the lead', ensure you're close to your conversational partners.

• Grooming and Clothing:

  Personal grooming influences your body language. When you are not dressed up well to match your credibility, you might not be able to convince your audience as the persona you are projecting yourself as.
  • So groom up befittingly to match your image.
  • Poor or distracting hygiene and clothing can easily confuse from your message.
  • Groom up professionally in appropriate attire you are comfortable in.

More Tips: 10 Powerful Body Language Tips

• To boost your confidence, assume a power pose.
• To increase participation, look like you're listening.
• To encourage collaboration, remove barriers.
• To connect instantly with someone, shake hands.
• To stimulate good feelings, smile.
• To show agreement, mirror expressions and postures.
• To improve your speech, use your hands.
• To learn the truth, watch people's feet.
• To sound authoritative, keep your voice down.
• To improve your memory, uncross your arms and legs.

Understanding Hand Gestures

Intro:

It's important to understand different hand gestures. If you're in a setting where hearing is difficult, hand gestures are one of the ways to communicate or if you talk with someone that doesn't speak your language.

• Thumbs-Up/Thumbs Down:

  As far as most in the Western world are concerned, thumbs-up is a sign of positivity, a signal that everything is okay, while thumbs-down signals disapproval or rejection.

• The Dog Call:

  With the dog call, you repeatedly curl your index finger towards you, as if summoning someone or something.

• Clenched Fist:

  Is usually interpreted as a sign of aggression or anger.

• Finger Snap:

  Can have different meanings. Some view it as offensive, especially when fingers are snapped close to another's face.

• OK:

  OK hand gestures are made by forming a circle with the thumb and index finger, while the other fingers are pointing upward.

• The V Sign:

  Is formed by pointing up the index and middle finger, while curling the thumb and other fingers under with the palm towards the person.

• The Corna:

  Is one of the names of the hand gesture that is made with the index and pinky finger pointed up with the two middle fingers and thumb curled under.

• The I Love You Sign:

  Is made by pointing the thumb, index, and pinky fingers out, while curling the two middle fingers under.

Cultural Differences

Cultural differences in body language may show up in a wide variety of ways, such as the amount of physical touch, the conversational distance between people, the interactions between same genders, the interactions between different genders, and the like. For examples, some cultures are very expressive when it comes to physical touch. Think about Italy where a big hug and kiss on each cheek is considered a common and acceptable greeting, and then compare it to Japan where a proper greeting consists of a respectful bow and no touch at all. Personal space and comfort distances are very personal, of course, but they also are influenced by cultural expectations. In South America, for instance, personal space and comfort distances tend to be quite small. People stand very close to each other to talk, even when they don't know each other very well. Go to the United States, though, and personal space becomes much larger; people are not as comfortable when others stand close to them, especially if they are not very well acquainted.