COMPONENTS OF EFFECTIVE BODY LANGUAGE

COMPONENTS OF EFFECTIVE BODY LANGUAGE
 The following are the components of effective body language: Facial Expressions: The facial muscles produce varying facial expressions that convey information about emotion, mood and ideas. Facial expressions are used mostly for communicating emotions. The expressions reveal the attitude of the communicator. Whether the face is sulking, smiling, frownning, yawing, it conveys some message to others. These expressions keep changing during the course of an interaction. Even though the person with the facial expressions may not be aware of it, these expressions are continually monitored by the recipient.
 Gestures:
 Gestures are one of the most frequently- observed, but least understood, cues. Most people move their hands around regularly while talking. Some of these hand movements or gestures have the same meaning across the world (for example, a clenched fist). However, many others are read differently in different cultures or countries. The meaning of the same hand movement may change depending on the situation in which it is used. People pick up these gestures by observing others. Many times, these gestures are picked up subconsciously. The following are some of the commonly-used gestures:

• Waving your hands to greet someone 
• Waving your hand to get someone’s attention
•  Pointing towards something 
• Raising your thumb to indicate something 
• Nodding your head 
• Shaking your head sideways
•  Making different signals with your fingers or hands 

Posture:

 Your posture is important, whether you are standing, sitting, lying down, running, or walking. Your posture also conveys a message to others. For instance, when you are sitting, is our back straight or bent; when you stand, are you standing erect or slouching; and so on. Such postures have the capability to indicate your 

level of comfort with the communication or situation. Keep the following points in mind for maintaining appropriate postures at all times:

• Body posture can be open or closed
•  Leaning forward indicates the listener is interested and paying attention 
• Leaning backwards demonstrates aloofness or rejection
•  A head held straight up signals a neutral attitude 
• A head down is negative and judgmental
•  A head tilted to side indicates interest 

Paralanguage: 

Paralanguage refers to the substance of your message being contradicted by the manner or attitude with which you are communicating it. Irrespective of the content of the message, the receiver can accurately read the emotions/message communicated by the tone, pitch, quality of voice, and rate of speaking. If there is a mismatch between this attitude and the message, the racier will be more likely to believe the message communicated by your attitude rather than the spoken message. When speaking, you need to be sensitive to the impact that the tone, pitch, and quality of your voice have on the interpretation of your message by the receiver. The following are important components of Paralanguage: 

Tone: Is your tone expressive and reflective? 

Inflection: Stressing on the right word and syllables to bring out the correct and enhanced message. Pitch: Is your voice too deep or pitched too high? 

Rate of speech: Do you speak too fast -- number of words per minute? 

Volume: Are you audible, too soft or too loud?

 Enunciation: Do your words have a distinct ending - especially similar sounding words?

 Fillers: Words, like “umm”, “ah” and “aaa”, are used to buy time and gather thoughts.