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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 the “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
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.
• Improve your concentration
• Give confidence and authority
• Retain the important points of conversation
• Express 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.
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