Let Me ‘Hear’ Your Body ‘Talk’
When Olivia Newton-John sang her infamous 1980’s tune “Physical” we can be sure that the form of communication she was interested in had more to do with a certain…action. However, this is a great example of what non-verbal communication is intended to do: attract (or repel) people and draw energy toward you.
Say you’ve got an event to attend. Upon accepting the invitation the little voice inside you begins to tick off the amazing concerns about how to position yourself at that event:
- What’s the reason for the event?
- Who’s going to be there?
- When is this happening?
- With whom am I going?
- What will she or he be wearing
- What am I wearing?
- Do I need to bring a gift?
So before the event you’re all ready thinking about certain non-verbal issues such as physical appearance and wearing the appropriate attire. You’re thinking about appropriate behavior by dressing to the appropriate level of the occasion and about etiquette if you think you shouldn’t show up empty handed.
You’re now at the event. People are everywhere and there are a lot of people there you don’t know. You begin to wonder:
- Where should I be in this room?
- Do I look approachable?
- What do I do with my hands? In the pockets? One hand in, the other out?
- How should I stand?
- Why is that person staring at me?
Now you’re thinking about an enormous part of your non-verbal communication: your body language. Some communications experts report that body language conveys at least half of our total communication output.
Body language is effected based upon emotional and mental states and is identifiable by categories of postures and signals. Body language can be used to emphasize your verbal communication. Through the use of body language we can communicate many things to others that we may not even be fully aware of. So it’s important to pay attention to the ways in which our bodies talk so we send the right messages to others.
Here is a list of categories of body language: 
- Aggression
- Attractiveness
- Boredom
- Deception
- Defensiveness
- Emotional
- Judgmental
- Openness
- Peacefulness
- Power Play
- Readiness
- Shut off/Closed
- Submissiveness
Knowing all of this, it’s easy to recognize how important the body’s non-verbal communication is. My professional advice is to be most attentive to your own facial expressions and not be daunted by the conveyance of messages that your entire body reveals. When you’re in communication with others, they are looking at your face (well, hopefully). The face’s 30 muscles that are used to express emotions should give you enough to worry about.
Did you just say something with your face?
If you can't define your style, you may have trouble delivering your message.
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