body language

is for Body Language

"What you do speaks so loud I can't hear what you say."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Experiments conducted by Professor Michael Argyle, one of Britain's foremost social psychologists, have shown that non-verbal signals (body language) have about four-and-a-half times the effect of verbal ones.

In his book titled, Nonverbal Communication, the leading Californian researcher Albert Mehrabian claims facial expressions are almost eight times as powerful as the words used.

Professor Ray Birdwhistell of the University of Louisville found that in face-to-face conversations two-thirds of the communication takes place non-verbally.

Space = Power

Watch the body language of a leader. Leaders tend to take up more space than others. The general rule for posture and presence is that “space equals power.” Posture which is erect, feet planted 13-18 inches apart and gestures that are broad convey confidence and power. Clasped hands, crossed arms and feet planted closely together contract your presence, conveying a less-than-powerful message to your audience.

Gesturing - Be Natural

When presenting, we want our gestures to be natural. Watching how we converse in private will give us clues on how we should converse in public.

Watch yourself as you recite your favorite story or when you climb up on your favorite soapbox. Chances are likely you’ll see lots of facial expressions, dramatic (maybe even wild) gesturing, and hear plenty of vocal variety. These represent YOUR way of expressing yourself. Pick them out and bring them into your presentations. Better yet, incorporate stories and examples that you feel passionate about into your presentation – your gesturing will be natural.

Your Hands

Pointing

Accredited Speaker Sheryl Roush tells us one gesture to avoid is pointing your finger directly at members of the audience. Instead, gesture to the audience with an open, sideways palm, as if offering your hand for a handshake.

Palms

In Management Today Winston Fletcher's article titled, Let Your Body do the Talking, says this about palms:

"The palms of your hands are signals of honesty and showing them as you speak emphasizes the truthfulness of what you are saying."

What messages do these hand gestures convey?

Your Face

Look at all the messages conveyed by the facial expressions below. Indeed, your face speaks!:

Your Body

What message is conveyed by these body images?

Want more information? Wikipedia has lots of good information regarding body language. Check it out!

BODY LANGUAGE OF THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
Author: Stephen Goode
Insights - Issue: Sept 11, 2000

Donald Rosenthal of Gant & Donald Communications Inc. claims that the candidate with "the better non verbal skills" has won in every election since 1976, when Democrat Jimmy Carter replaced the stiff Republican Gerald Ford.