Body Language Effects of Body Language Importance

Body Language

Effects of Body Language

Importance of Body language

The Importance of Body Language for Effective Communication

In this paper, we will focus at the importance of body language for the purpose of effective communication. We will discuss many points which will signify the importance of body language for the purpose of more efficient communication but first let's have a look at what it really means.

Body language

"It is the form of communication which is classified as non-verbal." (Body language, 2012). It consists of different sorts of gestures, body postures and facial expressions especially eye movements. These signs are being continuously interpreted by the subconscious of the human mind of any receiver. According to many researches, body language represents the majority of our conversation. "It is also a very important tool which can provide hints to the current state of mind or the attitude of any person." (Changing minds, 2012). This includes judging the factors of boredom, aggression, relaxation, attentiveness, pleasure, intoxication or any other cues.

There are many different techniques through which the current state of emotions of any individual can be "read" just by observing rather than having a conversation with that person, here reading body language is the main objective. Such practices are applied commonly in order to judge the individual for any criteria such as in interviews. Here the interviewer can view exactly if the person is eligible for the post for which it has applied for. It is also a very effective tool to judge if a person is telling the truth or lying about any given subject matter.

Now, since we have given a brief definition of body language and mentioned its importance, let's view some of its important points in more detail and see why it is considered to be a huge source of information.

Sub-conscious factor

"Commonly the body language occurs by itself yet still it is considered to be a huge judging factor regarding the quality of any individual's communication, therefore it is considered to be very important for any person to become more conscious of its own body language" (Karmayog, 2012). It is a very effective tool which can be used for many different purposes, also the understanding can help in interpreting the mindset of others. Here, it is very important to note that there are different interpretations in many different cultures regarding the body language so it is very important how the learner of this art interprets what it observes. The main judging factors here are the current situation, cultural background, any relationship (if there is one) with the person being observed and finally the gender of the person.

It is important to know that there doesn't exist any one gesture which has the same translation everywhere around the globe therefore it is very important to note this into account before going into any conclusion. The body language is closely interlinked with spoken language alongside the entire behavior pattern of the person, besides this the different many physical signs can easily complement one another that can then translate into a clear meaning which in effect can strengthen the points that are expressed by the person.

Here, it is also seen that there exist various sets of body languages which translates into different explicit meanings and which are commonly used for communication in cases where expression by words can be dangerous or deemed inappropriate. Here examples include racist messages, messages regarding slavery, sexuality, ethnicity, slangs and so on.

Expression factor

"Body language is used extensively to express feelings" (Communication theory, 2012). Let's suppose that if we like or hate any person then in many cases it is very difficult to express ourselves directly to the chosen person through language. Here the expression can be made either directly or unintentionally through the body language, lets suppose if we don't like any person then its presence can make us walk away or turn away from that person, at the same time in cases where we like someone we can either choose to look at the individual with a smile or just look with a pleasant body expression.

In many cases of expression it is also being observed that an opposite set of reply is observed from the person in whom it is angry with words but at the same time its body language is clearly emphasizing that it is not angry at all. Here the receiver comes under great confusion and the situation itself is usually described as sending double messages which sharply contradict each other. These types of messages may work at a deception level but at a more formal level it is considered to be very inappropriate and gives out an extremely bad reputation of the person who is sending the message.

"It is also observed that lying through body language is very difficult as compared to verbal communication" (Communication skills, 2012). Here many individuals just don't give importance to their overall movements which often lead the observer to judge the sender in advance. Also, as previously mentioned during the course of interviews the interviewer often tend to judge the interviewee more through its body language rather than its spoken words, hence it is a crucial factor which makes or breaks opportunities for any person in their lives.

Knowledge of communication

Let's review the part regarding knowledge of communication in more detail. It often happens that good impression towards others is least decided by the words spoken. In order to leave a proper good impression any individual must have a firm control over its own body language. The receiver who reads the body language should always be made easy to understand what the sender is trying to say. Some common methodologies involving the correction or improvement of self body language includes usage of correct body posture which includes how the person sits, walks, stands or even hold its head. Others include the touching factor such as a firm handshake, a mild tap in shoulder, a pat on back, a warm hug or even a pat on head.