Understanding Body Language in a Week

Citation

Ribbens, G. and Thompson, R. (2000), "Understanding Body Language in a Week", Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 100 No. 9, pp. 459-460. https://doi.org/10.1108/imds.2000.100.9.459.1

Have you ever wondered why it is that some managers get all the breaks and finish up getting all the bonuses? Getting left behind in the success stakes is uncomfortable. Perhaps it’s me, you ask yourself, What is it that they’ve got that I haven’t?

You convince yourself that they get on because they’re ruthless, or because they know how to suck up to the boss. And yet, in the back of your mind you know there’s something else, something far more intangible that seems to give them the edge … style, presence, confidence, charisma … obscure attributes of body language that seem to distinguish the “successful” from the “also‐rans”.

But body language is more than physical presence. It’s the language of non‐verbal communication. Studies show that less than 10 per cent of what we communicate face to face is in the words we use. Posture and gesture account for 50 per cent and tone of voice 40 per cent.

In fact, communication without body language would be like writing without punctuation. Meaning and emphasis would be lost. Yet we take body language for granted in everyday life. Some say it’s common sense because we intuitively use it to communicate. But unlike the spoken language we’re brought up with, we rarely understand how it works or what it can do for us.

For the manager, establishing rapport with a client, an audience, an employer, a competitor, a member of staff, or a new team member, means being on the same wavelength. If you are not, communication quickly breaks down and you lose the initiative. Understanding body language can help you tune in to other people’s wavelengths enabling you to look beyond what people say into what they really mean.

Posture and gesture tell you a lot about people, so too do less obvious mannerisms such as eye contact, speed and tone of voice, even grunts and sighs. People literally “dance to the tune of their thoughts”, reflecting what they feel in their actions.

Most of us understand these “interpersonal cues” only at a semi‐conscious level. For example, when we meet someone for the first time we tend to sum them up and draw conclusions about their sincerity, honesty, ambitiousness and other facets of personality without even realising that we are doing so. Think of the times you have mistrusted someone’s intentions or questioned their motives without really knowing them. What was it that made you feel that way? Perhaps it was their body language that gave them away.

Understanding Body Language in a Week is part of a series of books published by Hodder and Stoughton Educational, in association with the Institute of Management, designed to enable managers to improve their skills and to become more effective as communicators.

The book contains seven chapters, one for each day of the week, covering a range of issues including presentation skills, power and influence, selling, selection, appraisal, counselling and uncovering deception. The authors aim to help managers to:

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  become more sensitive;

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  carry greater influence;

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  develop effective powers of persuasion;

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  improve interpersonal skills;

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  make more effective presentations;

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  sell more;

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  be more assertive and learn how to control others;

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  reduce negativity and conflict;

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  spot hidden agendas in conversation;

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  become more successful and enhance your career prospects.

“This book”, say the authors, “is directed at a specific group of people managers and team leaders. It’s geared to what they need to do their jobs more effectively – presentation skills, selling skills, appraisal and interviewing skills, interpersonal communication skills. By understanding the language of non‐verbal communication you learn how to manage without words, a skill that not only enhances your own performance, but how others respond to you in the work environment.”

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