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Body Language and Gestures

                 Body language means position, gestures, and movement of the body to convey and interpret the attitude and
                 feelings of a person. Positive body language can help you get what you want if you know how to use it, whereas
                 negative body language can make you miss out on opportunities or offend people you want to impress. One
                 theory on the origin of human language is called “Gestural Theory”, which conveys that speech originated from
                 gestures. Some of the common body languages and gestures are:
                    • Arms or legs across the chest
                    • Rubbing or moving hands around
                    • Standing with your hands clasped behind your back
                    • Playing with your hair or nose
                    • Putting your head in your hands




                              Brainy Fact


                      The first modern book on body language appeared more than 350 years ago.



                 Eye Contact

                 Keeping a proper eye contact shows you are mentally present and actively involved in communication. The way you
                 look at someone will reflect some of the strongest emotions and feelings during a social conversation. Rolling your
                 eyes express displeasure or unhappiness with a situation.
                    • Eye contact helps you facilitate the connection with your audience in a meeting, conference, presentation, etc. It
                   also improves your concentration, gives confidence and authority, retains the important points of conversation,
                   and expresses your emotions like sadness, happiness, surprise, fear, etc.
                 Body Posture


                 Body posture is the position of the human body and its alignment and orientation with respect to non-verbal
                 communication. During a conversation, the way you sit or stand and communicate your body postures to the others
                 depends a lot on your attitude and emotional state. Before you start a conversation, standing straight and holding
                 your head high will have a great impact on the crowd.
                 The correct body postures for effective non-verbal communication are:
                    • Keep your shoulders straight and body relaxed

                    • Sit straight while resting your hands and feet in a relaxed position
                    • While standing, keep your hands by your sides
                 Appearance

                 Appearance  includes our  choice  of  colour,  body  cleanliness, properly  dressed,  hairstyles,  etc.  When  you  are
                 speaking in public, you may be representing your organisation or just yourself. You should ensure that you are
                 properly and neatly dressed. It also increases your self-confidence and you will definitely feel good about yourself.

                 Personal Space and Proximity

                 Personal Space refers  to the appropriate  distance during  a conversation  or space surrounding  each person.
                 Factors  like regional  culture,  gender,  age,  ethnicity,  or  topic  of  conversation  affects  a  personal  distance.

                                                                                       Communication Skills-II  15
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