Communicating: Non verbal language

Body language is a part of nonverbal language. It includes things like stance, gestures, facial expressions, and even small things that are barely perceptible like a brief shrug of the shoulder or nod of the head. We frequently communicate both bodily and verbally and an estimated 70% of what we communicate may be nonverbal. Nonverbal language is an even bigger category, which includes things like tone of voice.

There are many ways to learn to interpret body language but it must be understood that these are frequently specific to a culture. For instance in the US people wave good bye with the palm facing the person they’re waving to, and the fingers may open and close. In other cultures, waving goodbye may occur with the hand palm up to the sky, and the fingers opening and closing. To people in the US, this might look like a gesture asking someone to approach rather than a wave goodbye.

Still, since most of us live in one area where body language may be similar among people, it’s important to know that you can communicate a lot by how you gesture, what you do with your arms when you’re sitting or standing and talking to someone else, and even what your posture may say. A person in much of the US who sits with hands crossed over the chest, and with legs crossed, may be sending an unintended message that they’re really not open to talking. Some people are excellent at reading these kinds of messages, and we do have to be careful what we may be conveying, especially when we’re being judged, particularly in things like dating or job interviews.

Source: http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-body-language.htm

Have you considered what type of message you are sending through your gestures and face expressions?
When are these important? Can you think of different situations when you should pay attention to what you are communicating?

What about job interviews?
Let´s have a look at these suggestions.
9 simple body language tips for your next job interview