The 7% Mehrabian rule states that 93% of our communication is nonverbal and the remaining 7% is verbal. Although this rule is not too accurate(it is the fruit of 2 studies only), it highlights an important aspect of communication which many of us ignore: nonverbal communication. How can we realize our nonverbal cues? Let's find out! Before we start, I should point out that reading body language comes through context and depends on your culture. Also, you cannot read body language through a single signal; you must have enough cues to reach a conclusion. I like to start off with an example. One time, a lecturer entered a classroom and asked students to exchange their places. The lecturer did so using 3 different body cues: palms up, palms down, and pointing. To which body signal do you think students reacted positively? Well, the results turn out as follows: 84% of all students attending the lecture agreed to change seats when a "palm up" gesture was performed, compared to 52% for palms down and a mere 28% for pointing. So next time Tante So3ad says "Ou3a t2asher 3al 3alam, 3ybb!", listen to her words of wisdom! But why? Below is a table that summarizes what each gesture reveals. So try to use an open posture with palms up to appear more welcoming and open. Greetings: The first thing we do in a social setting is a greeting. A greeting starts with a smile and an eyebrow flash. Smile: There is quiet a difference between a sincere and a fake smile. And, of course, a sincere smile scores better. According to Leil Lowndes, author of "How To Talk To Anyone", one should not immediately flash a smile when he/she meets someone. However, the person should pause a second, look at the person facing him/her, and then flash a big warm smile that appears through the eyes as well. Waiting a second shows the person that you have smiled because you have acknowledged him/her, in contrary to smiling to any creature in your range of sight. A sincere smile involves eye muscles unlike a fake smile that just involves the corners of your lips. Eyebrow flash: So if you want to show someone that you are happy to meet him/her, flash a sincere smile and do the eyebrow flash. Smile with eyebrow flash(eye wrinkles should appear though but yeah) Handshakes: You realize a good handshake when it's done. It is neither too strong to break every bone in your palm nor too weak. (Thanks bro for letting me experience your hand breaking handshakes. Without you I wouldn't have been able to clearly describe the feeling) Anyways, Goldilocks says that it should be "Just right". But how can a handshake be "Just right"? First of all, a good handshake is not purely a handshake. It should be accompanied with eye contact and a smile. As for the handshake itself, it should be firm. A firm handshake shows confidence. A very strong handshake shows aggression while a weak one shows nervousness and confidence issues. Also, giving a handshake with your palm facing the ground shows that you are dominant. However, giving a handshake with your palm facing up gives the impression that you are submissive. This is made clearer in the following sketch.(YES, IT'S SO3AD'S HAND) Some public figures take advantage of body language to reveal their dominance. When they want to take a photo, they try to do the "Left-Side Advantage". The person standing on the left side of the photo will automatically be in the dominant position. You can google "Left-Side Advantage" to find political figures using it, but I don't want this page to seem politically affiliated, so So3ad chose to demonstrate it with a dummy. Mirroring: Mirroring, or copying the gesture of the person facing you, makes people more comfortable. When someone mirrors the other, it is a way of telling him/her, "I am trying to act like you in order to feel what you are feeling". Yes it is empathetic! It makes people feel at ease. Some common body signals: To conclude, the list of signals is too long and it cannot be summarized in one article. You can always research this really wide and interesting topic for more information! But again be careful not to misinterpret some signals!
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