subject: Body Language: The Easy Route to Self Improvement [print this page] Body Language: The Easy Route to Self Improvement
Developing your own potential must start with introspection and making use of the tools and skills that you already have first. Body Language is something that we already know instinctively whether we are consciously aware of it or not and it is very, very powerful.It is so powerful it can tell us what other people think and feel about us. It is an incredible fact that only between 7-10% of what we say is actually used to convey a message and that 60-80% of our meaning is put across in Body Language. Body language can help us literally read other people's minds and also ensure that we can convey the message we want to put across to others.One place in which Body Language is very important is in the Job interview situation and this is one area in which using body language to your advantage could get you that better job. Based on your body language, an interviewer may straight away know whether you are confident or not, if you are a shy or friendly type, a team player or a loner, or even if you are telling the truth or not.A skilled interviewer will ask questions and not only listen to the spoken answer but also the way it is said. By using Body language you can choose how you want to come across and also decode the body language of your interviewer in relation to your own body language to see their reaction to your responses.Are you crossing your arms? Don't. This might be perceived as a defensive move. Just place your hands loosely on your lap or just put them on the armrest of your chair. By doing this, you will also be able to make hand movements to support what you are saying. The interviewer would think that you are comfortable with the interview process if you make hand gestures.Be alert to unintentional gestures that you may make sometimes due to tension such as biting your nails or shuffling your feet.This is only one area in which Body Language knowledge is useful, it is used in just about every area of human interaction. In the work situation or office, having the skill of understanding body language will allow you access situations quicker and better than those around you.If you wish to convey a message with a particular meaning, body language can help you underline it whether you want to come across with more gravitas or even as more approachable.Understanding Body Language is a relatively untapped skill that we all have, we know elements but are not necessary 'fluent' in it. We have a grounding in it, in a similar way we may have speaking basic French or Spanish but it literally can do nothing more that get us directions to the train station. Our knowledge of Body Language must therefore be developed and practiced in the same way but it is already something we know but we just don't know why.To learn to understand it fluently you need to spend more time and effort studying.
