Body Language Nonverbal Signs Comprise the Bulk

Body Language

Nonverbal signs comprise the bulk of human communication: 93% according to the film Secrets of Body Language. This film shows how nonverbal communication speaks volumes more than words ever can. The way a person walks, shakes hands, uses eyes, or involuntarily twitches all provide valuable context to the verbal content of what someone is saying.

It is impossible to watch Secrets of Body Language and not become concerned about self-presentation. When a person goes for a job interview, for example, it is important to be aware of body language to convey desirable traits like confidence. The interviewer is often looking more for the nonverbal than for the verbal answers to their questions. This film shows how important it is to master both the art of reading, and using body language to communicate better. Each person should understand that the way they carry themselves, walk, and use facial expressions convey more than words. Although the film focuses mainly on celebrities and politicians, the information is invaluable for the average person because of the centrality of communication.

The film discusses the baseline for interpreting body language, which is known as norming. Norming refers to the "normal" types of body language in any given situation, or for any given person. Each person will have different body language "tells." Diversions from the norm can reveal tells that not everything is as it seems on the surface. Body language, kinetics, self-touch gestures, voice, microexpressions on the face, and how one stands or walks are some examples of body language. Body language can signify one's power in a given relationship, or one's emotional state. For instance, the tapes of Nixon show how nervous and defensive the President actually was in spite of his forceful voice that seemed full of conviction.

Semiology or semiotics refers to the underlying meaning of what is being said. Body language conveys the deeper meaning of words, or can fill in the gaps of words. Memes refer to the symbols or archetypes that can be culturally specific. The film delves into the cultural contexts of certain gestures and qualia, too. For example, the segment showing a Camp David talk with Arafat and Barach revealed an important meme that might have otherwise gone unnoticed to the American public. In the United States, there is not as much emphasis placed on who enters the door first. The power struggle that ensues between Arafat and Barach was one that had subjective meanings for the participants. The semiology of entering a door first is related to power, which is evident also in patriarchal norms when men open doors for women and let them pass. Called "chivalrous" in common parlance, such behavior is actually emblematic of patriarchal power. The person who enters the door first is the submissive person; which is why neither Barach nor Arafat wanted to enter first. All eyes and cameras were on them, and each leader wanted to promote a vision of themselves as being powerful and stronger than the other.