5 Body Language Signs You Can Use Today to Better Communicate

Body language provides insights into how to read others

Whether you are talking to your potential boss on a job interview, giving a presentation, or on a first date, it’s important to know how to read body language. This will help you better communicate and find out how receptive others are to you.

Body language helps you determine if the other person is lying or not. It also reveals if the person you are talking to is interested in what you are saying or not. Learning to decode body language is powerful and one of the most important non-verbal communication skills.

What is body language?

Body language is the science of nonverbal signals. These signals include gestures, facial expressions, and body movements. Unlike words, body language is done subconsciously and is a big part of our communication — whether or not we like it. For example, there are 20 muscles in our face, and we can produce over 10,000 facial expressions.

Why is body language so important?

Body language will help you secretly know what someone is thinking. It helps you make yourself more desirable on a first date. Reading body language improves your personal and work relationships. It also helps you excel in your career.

There’s positive and negative body language and you should understand both to become a better communicator. Body language provides you with clues on how open or closed someone is to your messages and to the environment you are communicating in.

5 of the most common body language signs

There are five common body language signs you can use today. They are raised eyebrows, mirroring, head tilt, crossed arms, and fidgeting with objects. Let’s dive into these, so you can better read people and have more confident body language.

1. Raised eyebrows

When someone raises their eyebrows, they raise them slightly for less than a second. It’s also called an eyebrow flash. When someone does this, it shows they are interested in what you are saying.

People use this to show interest professionally when they agree to something, thank someone, or seek confirmation. It’s a non-verbal way of saying yes during a conversation.

Romantically, it means interest because you are happy to see them. It calls attention to your face. Professional speakers and teachers use it as a way to say look at me and listen to what I have to say. Research shows that raised eyebrows is a universally recognized form of greeting, but the Japanese tend to avoid it.

This gesture is used by monkeys and apes. The gesture shows liking and is usually followed by a nice smile. To increase engagement, raise your eyebrows right before you say something. To show curiosity, raising your eyebrows is a great way to use your body language.

2. Mirroring

Mirroring is when you display similar body language as the person you are talking to. It is a way to build rapport with the other person and show you are interested in connecting with this person. People only mirror people they like.

Genuine mirroring of our body language creates a feeling of similarity and likeness. You probably automatically do it with your best friend without realizing it. Mirroring is powerful because it helps you persuade someone.

If you are in the career fields of marketing, sales, or consulting, it will especially help you accomplish your goals. It will also help you build rapport with your boss at work. Mirroring is built into our minds because it helps us cooperate with others, so we build a vibrant community.

If someone changes position in their seat, do the same. If you are disinterested in someone, you can use it as a boundary. If you don’t mirror others, it will help you end a conversation. If you do, you will help them open up to you.

3. Head tilt

When you tilt your head, you move your head to one side, and it exposes your neck. This shows that you are open to the other person. Your neck is your most vulnerable area.

Your neck skin is thinner and requires protection (think vampires) so, when you expose your neck, you open up to the other person. When someone tilts their head, they are comfortable enough with you to have their neck exposed. In romantic situations, this can indicate interest during dating.

Research of modern advertising show women are depicted three times more than men using the head tilt. A head tilt is a powerful way to communicate you are open to someone’s message or they are open to your message. This body language sign is warm and softens you so make sure you don’t use it too much.

4. Crossed arms

When someone has both arms folded together across their chest, it’s their subconscious attempt to put a barrier between you and them. People who cross their arms feel threatened by a situation or feel conflicted by the conversation. It’s their way of subconsciously protecting their vital organs, such as the lungs and heart.

People who cross their arms do this to project anger, anxiety, or stress. They are more critical of the other person’s opinion. If you have someone cross their arms during your conversation, you can give them something to hold on to such as a pen, a cup of coffee, or something to eat.

5. Fidgeting with objects

Fidgeting with objects means playing with nearby items such as keys, rings, or a necklace. People who are fidgeting communicate that they are bored. They may be bored with sitting down, they may be bored with talking, or they may be bored with your conversation.

People who fidget are subconsciously desiring sensory reassurance such as when babies hold their favorite toy. If you want to get out of a conversation, play with your keys, coins in your pocket, or play with your necklace or rings. It may be rude, but it’s a great way to end the conversation if you really have to go do something else.

Bringing it all together

Understanding body language is important to good communication. It’s important to put body language signs in the context of the situation and your conversation. You probably pick up on body language signs more than you realize. It’s good to understand what the common ones are, what they mean, and how you pay attention to them so you can become a better communicator.

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