An Analysis of Body Language in Everyday Life
Kinesics is an important skill to learn and master because, be it consciously or subconsciously, each and every one of us uses body language in our everyday lives. As a matter of fact, chances are that you’re communicating more information non-verbally than you are verbally on a day-to-day basis! Over this past week, I’ve paid close attention to the body language of myself and others in various situations to get a better understanding of non-verbal communication in human social interactions. Below are some of my findings and observations that I made over the course of this process.
Non-verbal Communication Among Friends and Peers
When interacting with my friends and peers over this past week, I’ve noticed several things. Firstly, there is more bodily contact involved in these situations than there are in most other social situations. For example, non-verbal communication with friends can take the form of greetings and farewells through handshakes, fist-bumps, or hugs, whereas banter among friends can be accompanied by forms of nonverbal communication such as pushing, shoving, or lightly hitting, as well as elaborate, exaggerated facial or hand gestures. Friends and peers also tend to communicate in a more close proximity to one another than they would in a communicative situation with someone who is a stranger or in a position of authority above them. Another thing I took note of was that eye contact is far less prevalent in these sort of situations (it is likely substituted by proximity), and that the posture of people in a situation of friendly communication is far more informal than average; their shoulders may be rested, loose, or slumped, their backs aren’t as straight as normal, and they tend to sit and stand in relatively relaxed positions.
All the non-verbal signals, cues, and behavioral tendencies I observed in these situations created a more relaxed, upbeat, friendly atmosphere of conversation where people seemed far less tense than normal.
Body Language and Behavioral Tendencies of Professors, Public Speakers, and Figures of Authority
Another group that I paid close attention to were those who were the center of attention in a social situation. These types of individuals include professors lecturing my classes, public speakers addressing clubs here at UB (more specifically, the speakers at this week’s UB DECA and UB Blockchain and Cryptocurrency club meetings), and those who are in a position of power (i.e., world leaders and public figures on the media).
What I’ve noticed in these cases is that the body language and behavioral tendencies of non-verbal communication in these individuals is far different than what I’ve observed in social situations among friends and peers. These types of individuals tend to utilize minimal levels of bodily contact, aside from handshakes when greeting someone or saying farewell. As for proximity, the group that they are addressing tends to be clustered together and sitting/standing slightly towards the back of the room, whereas the speaker often stands isolated in the front or center of the room for everyone to see. These individuals address the crowd head-on and tend to focus on having a presentable, professional, well-groomed and well-dressed appearance. Their posture often communicates power and command; they tend to stand tall with their backs straight, shoulders set back, and chest out, as opposed to the more relaxed posture described in a friendly/peer environment.
Overall, individuals in these sorts of positions and situations tend to utilize body language and nonverbal communication to create an atmosphere of command, power, and authority that will draw in their audience and cause them to focus in and listen to what the speaker has to say. A person who is speaking publicly and displaying confidence through posture and gestures is likely to be far more effective in delivering a message, teaching a lesson, or persuading a group than an individual who looks unconfident in what they have to say, slumping their shoulders and averting their eyes from the group while fidgeting around with their hands.
Conclusion
I think that actively noting nonverbal behaviors in different social situations certainly helped develop the soft skill that I am focusing on, kinesics. As a result of this week’s observations, I feel that I am more capable of reading people based on their posture or gestures that they may make. Moving forward, I would like to analyze people in different situations and scenarios, as well as take a closer look at the non-verbal behavioral tendencies of global leaders and see more of what it is that gives them their presence of command and dominance.
