Body language: recognition and interpretation

Body Language Analysis found the quiz to be very enlightening. While I managed to answer many of the first few questions correctly, my accuracy level faded for the last few. It was easy to discern that wearing a plain shirt would be less distracting than a patterned one during the course of communication. It was interesting to find out how people lie. I had always assumed that many people tell white lies in the course of communication but was not aware the level with which lying could influence body language. It would be interesting to conduct a study to see just how accurately an ordinary person could predict lying just by observing body language cues.

I was surprised to find that smell was the most directly emotional of senses. I had no idea that smell could serve to relax or excite a person. I was also somewhat surprised to find that side by side communication is more conducive to friendly banter than face-to-face communication. It seems that in modern day society more and more people communicate by speaking face-to-face rather than by speaking side by side. The quiz truly enlightened my perspective however and caused me to think about the manner in which I communicate with others.

Understanding body language can be an essential component of a business environment and relationship. When you are working with other people it is important to acknowledge not only what they say with words but also what they say with their body. It would be interesting to observe people's body language cues for a day to attempt to discern which individuals were engaged in successful communication vs. those that were either distracted, disinterested or even lying.

A business person that is able to interpret body language can excel in communication. They would have the ability to discern when their audience is generally interested in what they have to say or whether they are feeling some other emotion related to the information being shared.

One aspect of the business environment where interpretation of body language is critical is during a presentation. A speaker has many opportunities to share a message with his/her audience by using body language. Likewise a speaker can interpret the audiences reception of his/her message by paying attention to certain body language cues the audience gives off. A presentation may be in the form of a formal speech to an audience of peers or may be in the form of a management communication to employees. Regardless of the forum that a presentation occurs in, it is critical that the presenter consider the audience's body language as well as their own during the communication process. This quiz has pointed out just how powerful body language can be when disseminating information and sending a message to people.

On the same token, during an interview an HR Manager might assess a candidate's body language to determine whether or not they are genuinely interested in a position, whether or not they are comfortable during the interview process and even whether or not they may be lying about their answers. This would require skillful mastering of body language analysis but would prove beneficial in selecting the best candidate for a position.

An employee can either boost his/her career or harm it depending on the type of body language they use. If they send the message verbally that they are interested in what their co-workers or managers have to say, but always listen or speak with crossed arms and a slumped over posture, they may actually be sending the message that they are not interested at all and may be viewed as defensive or un-motivated by co-workers or managers.

The body language quiz afforded me many benefits. I can use the information learned to assure that I am consistently aware of the body language I use in the workplace and the subsequent messages I might be sending off to managers and peers alike. Likewise, having learned something about body language, I am more open to understanding the full range of communication tactics an individual possesses, and more likely to pick up on subtle messages or cues a person might be sending out during the communication process. If for example I decide to pitch an idea, even if people say they are on board I expect to be able to pay close attention to their body language to see if their body sends the same message of agreement.