Interpreting Body Language Have you ever left a conversation feeling like the person you were talking with just wasn’t all that interested with what you had to say? They sat back in their chair, stared just above your left shoulder at a blank wall and gave you one word, uninteresting answers. No matter how you tried, you just couldn’t say anything interesting enough to them. Later you were happy to part from their company and resented them a little bit because of the encounter.
What does it Mean? In these situations did you think they were being haughty, or unfriendly? Did you defend yourself by thinking that they were just being stupid? Or did you think that any of that body language could convey being tired? That same body language could tell a story of extreme tiredness just as easily as it could convey the meaning of disinterest. All they had to do was slouch a bit in their chair, stare at a blank spot on the wall and not respond very much to tell you they were tired. Sometimes actions are misinterpreted, causing offense and unease. You’ve heard it a hundred times before; your actions speak louder than words. And it’s true. A vast majority of what you’re saying isn’t coming from your mouth. It’s coming from the way you hold yourself and move.
Communicating Positive Body Language The things you do with your posture, eyes, and gestures can tell volumes to your audience. Standing tall with your shoulders back will show confidence. Keeping solid eye contact in a smiling manner with purposeful and deliberate gestures will convey that same message. Crossing your arms, keeping your facial expressions at a minimal and avoiding eye contact can show defensiveness. You’ll know a conversation isn’t going how you intended when you see these signs. You will have to quickly adjust your own side of the conversation to show love and seek understanding. You can do that by leaning forward in your seat, giving them a kinder smile and relaxing your frame. Changing the tone of your voice and asking respectful questions will also help you change the mood in a conversation. In contrast, if you see the person you are talking to turns their head down with glazed eyes, and pick at something on their shirt while slumping in a chair, then you can rightfully suspect that they’re not paying attention. They are normally signs of disengagement.
As stated earlier, this could also show fatigue. Pay attention to these signs and try to redirect the conversation to meet their needs. Someone that is lying won’t maintain eye contact with you, but instead, they often move rapidly. Breathing and perspiration increases. Voices adjusting in pitch with stammering or excessive throat clearing are common signs and they may even turn away from you. People not trained in communication through body language will tell you what they’re thinking without you ever asking. You just have to know what to look for. As stated before though, the symptoms may not always be right, so always remember that there’s a possibility that you’re wrong. These tips will help you know which direction to take in future conversations. Caption call is in the business of helping people communicate through alternate methods. They have created a captioned telephone that helps the hearing impaired to communicate via telephone. The captioned telephone listens to what is said and then delivers a text transcript on a screen for the hearing impaired to read and respond to.