Interest in understanding body language has grown recently with popular creators on social media attempting to analyse what celebrities and politicians are ‘really saying’ through their body language and how it either supports or contradicts their overall message.
Though academics in the field may discount much of the ‘science’ of body language analysis being discussed on YouTube and other social media platforms, becoming more self-aware of our own body language in the workplace is something that can help us to become better communicators and develop professionally. This will be an informal CPD article that educates on the impact body language has when we communicate and how it can be harnessed to progress in your career.
What is body language?
Body language is how we communicate non-verbally through physical behaviours. Examples of these non-verbal actions include facial expressions, body posture, gestures, eye movement, touch and the use of space. Each of these behaviours can be expressed consciously or unconsciously and are often used during verbal communication.
Why is body language important when communicating?
As we’ve noted, body language is often unconscious. In fact, for the most part, we’re completely unaware of what we’re communicating with our body language. This can present a huge problem, particularly in the workplace. We understand the need to conduct and communicate in the most appropriate way with what we say at work, and the same goes for our body language.
Learning to understand what we’re communicating with our body language helps us to ensure we aren’t committing any faux pas and ensure we’re using our body language to add greater impact to what we’re communicating verbally. Improving our body language can help us communicate more effectively, make stronger connections and perform at a higher standard in the workplace.