Body language. It can tell people a lot about you, like whether you’re shy, confident, interested or aggressive before you even open your mouth. You can imagine how much body language comes into play in the field of business now can’t you? We were curious about what clues we were giving away to fellow employees, clients and bosses, so we did a little digging to let you know what your body language says about you. From the most obvious things like standing with your arms crossed, to the smallest facial movements, we’ve got the top 6 most interesting facts about body language and business.
1. Posture.
There’s a good reason your mother always told you to, “Stand up straight” when you were a kid. Little did you know, it would ultimately influence the way you are perceived by general society. For example, you may assume that the man hunched over, shuffling down the street is lazy or self-conscious whereas the man standing tall with his head up is confident and self-assured.
Confidence is portrayed with a straight spine, wide stance, and the chest up. Tilting your head signifies interest, sympathy, and active listening. Arms crossed or condensed, can show a sign of disassociation, lack of caring, or potential confrontation.There is an amazing infographic from the
There is an amazing infographic from the Greatist on posture that explains not only what your posture says about you, but also how poor posture can affect to your health. The way you stand and move can affect everything from your circulation to your energy levels, not to mention putting unnecessary pressure on joints.
So no matter where you are or what you are doing, think about your posture and how you’re presenting yourself. It could go a long way in both your career and personal life.
2. Handshakes
In business, you’re constantly meeting new people. And what is it you do when you meet someone for the first time? Shake hands. Handshakes can tell you a lot about a person in a very short amount of time.
For example, someone with the “limp fish” handshake will often be seen as not confident and maybe even a pushover – not something you ever want to be known for in the business world. On the other hand (pun intended) aggressive handshakes can be seen as an attempt to show physical dominance and can instantly turn the other person off.
While there are many different forms of handshakes, the ideal grasp is something firm but not aggressive, done with correct posture and maintains eye contact throughout the shake. This shows you are confident, have a good grasp (couldn’t help it) on basic social skills and also have emotional intelligence. Bernard Marr has a great step-by-step introduction to the perfect handshake that we think everyone should check out.
3. Smiling.
Smiles are amazing things. Did you know that smiling is actually contagious? Seriously, it’s not just a saying! There are neurons deep inside our brains called “mirror neurons” that are trained to respond to a smile with a smile. And did you know that you can build trust in someone with a single smile? Flashing someone a genuine smile (and yes, people can tell when you’re faking it) will increase how much people trust you. Smiles also help your body relax, increase your positivity and productivity and can even help you live longer.
On top of all this, studies show that a genuine smile can actually decrease stress. Just think of how important this is in the standard work environment. Stress is one of those traits that is very easily read by co-workers and tends to spread like wildfire throughout the office once someone picks up on it.
Smiling is a powerful nonverbal cue and is essential for developing likeability and friendliness. In business, it’s also a great way to start out a conversation, but remember if things turn serious, things can get pretty inappropriate…and awkward.
4.Lying.
Motions, actions, and posture allow us to collectively gather information about a particular someone’s state of mind. Dishonesty often comes with a cluster of nonverbal signals that can accurately tell you if a person is being deceptive.
The 5 main movements to look out for when you suspect someone of lying are: leaning away, crossing their arms, blushing, face touching, and hand touching. These may also go hand-in-hand with repetitiveness, covering of the mouth, too many details and difficulty speaking.
Since people are generally nervous when they are lying, small movements like shuffling their feet or playing with their hands are good indicators of a liar. They may also not want to maintain eye contact because of a feeling of shame or use angry gestures to really try to drive their story home.
5. Resistance.
It’s an inevitable fact that those in business are going to have to have awkward, painful or uncomfortable conversations from time to time. It’s important to be able to identify this awkwardness as it can lead to many unproductive conversations, collaborations, and meetings.
Typically when someone is feeling awkward or uncomfortable, they will have their arms folded across their chest or have crossed legs. This stance almost guarantees that you that this isn’t a positive conversation and the person is not open to hearing what you have to say. You can neutralize this by offering them a coffee or a snack, hand them a business card, and ask a question you know will interest them and engage them in conversation.
Finding common ground is a perfect way to break the ice and cut down any resistance. Once you do this, you’ll notice their body language changing to a more relaxed and comfortable position, leaving them open to harder conversations open to listening.
6. Eye Contact.
Eye contact is the most difficult to master of all body languages. Too much and you can instantly be seen as rude, intimidating or even downright creepy. Too little and you look like you are uneasy, lacking self-confidence and or even lying.
Direct eye contact with another person produces a very powerful subconscious feeling that you are connected to that person. It increases likability and trustworthiness as well as shows your genuine interest in what the other person is saying. In fact, studies have shown that speakers who actively seek out eye contact during a presentation are seen as more believable, confident and overall competent.
It’s a general rule that you should maintain eye contact with someone throughout about 30-60% of your conversation. Maintaining eye contact is much more important when you are listening that when you are speaking because it shows you care about what the other person has to say. Consider this next time you’re in a one-on-one meeting or even while you are presenting to a large group of people.
A lot of people don’t realize that the person on the other side of the conversation is reading their body language.
Absolutely Robin and it’s sometimes even subconsciously so paying attention to our own body language is essential!
These are some great tips. I always like to have eye contact when I am talking with others in business and personal relationships. I really like the tip for resistance and how to get the other person to “open” up more.
I agree! I often get uncomfortable when other people don’t return my eye contact.
These are awesome, helpful tips. I didn’t really ever think about how your posture affects everything including circulation!
It’s really interesting isn’t it Leslie? When you think about it though, it does make sense 🙂
A smile goes a long way. Eye contact is a must to.
Absolutely Tara, two of my favourites!
My Interpersonal Communication class JUST went over these tips! Defintely going to use them.
That’s awesome Alix! Hopefully we did the topic some justice 😉
it makes me cringe (on the inside) when i shake hands with someone and they give me the limp fish. i was trained at a young age how to give a good handshake and when they give me the limp fish it makes it hard to me to give a good handshake back
Oh absolutely Michelle! That’s such a turn off for me as well.
I dislike limp handshakes and even more when hey are sweaty ikes. I find that many times fidgeting is a sign of shyness or discomfort often times so I dont necessarily judge that the other person is lying esp. when making a presentation fr the first time. BUT on average you are pretty spot on!!
eye contact is awesme but not if over done, it can get uncomfortable as well. Like staring someone down.
A smile aww a smile thats a winner andgoes a long way to melt that ice!
Can I suggest that Mirroring the other’s actions is a great way to build rapport esp. if you wait a beat before you mirror the actions, you will find they trust you without knowing exactly why! Of course dont stalk them with mirroring lol!
Thanks for these awesome tips on body language and business Shaylee!
Sylvia Jules Kal~
Yes! Julie that’s a great one that we didn’t include – mirroring! It can go a long way with making the other person feel comfortable. And you’re also right about fidgeting, it doesn’t always mean someone is being insincere but it can be a signal.
I like to smile it shows you are friendly but I am uncomfortable with eye contact for some reason.
Some people have a hard time with eye contact Ana and that’s okay. I’m sure you show your confidence in different ways – like smiling 🙂
These are great! I haven’t heard of all of these before and they are a great reminder! Pinning!
Thanks Tiffany! Glad you liked the post 🙂
These are great tips. I would say it it important to take into consideration the region you are doing business with. In a cultural class I am currently taking I learned that in some cultures smiling is considered unmanly.
Absolutely Chanelle! There are many cultural exceptions to these “rules” but generally in North America theses are widely accepted. 🙂
It’s true, how you present yourself and how you move will do a lot when you’re interacting with people. Bad body language could be a deal breaker.
Definitely Mai! It shows a lot more about you than people tend to think.
I like to smile at people. You get further with honey than vinegar.
Absolutely Beth! I’m the same way, I often give smiles to strangers on the street 🙂
I never heard about this before but i will save this for the good reminder
Great Nicole! Glad you learned something 🙂
These are great tips. It’s true, you can tell a lot through body language.
Very true Esme!
Great things to remember when meeting people. I remember I had a class where we were video taped and watched our body language. Amazing what we do without even knowing we’re doing it.
Wow that sounds so interesting Erlene! It really is amazing what we can tell about other people without any verbal communication.
This is a good post. I really agree the eye contact. When I’m talking to someone, my eyes is always straight to her eyes.
I’m the same way Lexie! It sometimes bothers me when others don’t return that eye contact as well.
Eye contact is hard for me to maintain all the time, but I work on it! I do have a nice firm handshake though!
Perfect Liz, the handshake says a lot about you! A lot of people struggle with eye contact but if you keep working at it, it gets easier 🙂
You are on point with all of these suggestions and observations. Thanks for sharing them.
Thanks Claudette! Glad you enjoyed the post 🙂
I like these suggestions. Thanks for sharing them.
You’re welcome Maddie, thanks for reading!
Body language says a lot. And, it plays a vital role in business. Wonderfully written.
Thank you Tua! We’re glad you enjoyed it 🙂
An experienced person can tell a lot from your body language so we should all be careful when doing anything at all that is important. Great tips
Absolutely Mardene! It’s important to pay attention to our body language.
This is a very good list. I’ve learned about the handshake as a child and never forgot. I do take notice when I meet a limp fish 🙂
Posture is so important and not everyone knows this. I remember watching a girl having her interview done and she was crunched over (from shyness I supposed). That didn’t go over to well since she was applying for a position that requires upbeatness and energetic attitude.
I trust my instincts on body language far more than I do words any day. I’m usually right too.