Body Language: The Easy Route to Self Improvement

Developing your own potential must start with introspectionand making use of the tools and skills that you already have first. Body Language is something that we already know
instinctively whether we are consciously aware of it or not
and it is very, very powerful.

It is so powerful it can tell us what other people think and
feel about us. It is an incredible fact that only between
7-10% of what we say is actually used to convey a message
and that 60-80% of our meaning is put across in Body
Language. Body language can help us literally read other
people's minds and also ensure that we can convey the
message we want to put across to others.

One place in which Body Language is very important is in the
Job interview situation and this is one area in which using
body language to your advantage could get you that better
job. Based on your body language, an interviewer may
straight away know whether you are confident or not, if you
are a shy or friendly type, a team player or a loner, or
even if you are telling the truth or not.

A skilled interviewer will ask questions and not only listen
to the spoken answer but also the way it is said. By using
Body language you can choose how you want to come across and
also decode the body language of your interviewer in relation
to your own body language to see their reaction to your
responses.

Are you crossing your arms? Don't. This might be perceived
as a defensive move. Just place your hands loosely on your
lap or just put them on the armrest of your chair. By doing
this, you will also be able to make hand movements to
support what you are saying. The interviewer would think
that you are comfortable with the interview process if you
make hand gestures.

Be alert to unintentional gestures that you may make
sometimes due to tension such as biting your nails or
shuffling your feet.

This is only one area in which Body Language knowledge is
useful, it is used in just about every area of human
interaction. In the work situation or office, having the
skill of understanding body language will allow you access
situations quicker and better than those around you.

If you wish to convey a message with a particular meaning,
body language can help you underline it whether you want to
come across with more gravitas or even as more
approachable.

Understanding Body Language is a relatively untapped skill
that we all have, we know elements but are not necessary
'fluent' in it. We have a grounding in it, in a similar way
we may have speaking basic French or Spanish but it
literally can do nothing more that get us directions to the
train station. Our knowledge of Body Language must therefore
be developed and practiced in the same way but it is already
something we know but we just don't know why.

To learn to understand it fluently you need to spend more
time and effort studying.