Japanese Department
Chris, Justin and Candy

Body language conveys also correct messages 

      Living together with each other, we are in contact with people around us all the time. To communicate, we make use of written or spoken words. However, our bodies sometimes give away some information which may be more important than words. This kind of non-verbal language is so-called body language. What exactly is body language? The first thing we have to know is that communicating with people only by words is usually inadequate. Some research shows that up to 93 percent of communication is non-verbal. This indicates that non-verbal language such as body language conveys most of the content of messages. Our bodies would sometimes subconsciously reveal what are really in our minds. Accordingly, we can also learn to speak out what we really want to say through body language in this sort of intentional, but somehow, a subtle way. Therefore, learning to “read” body language becomes important. When we receive both verbal and non-verbal messages from the speaker, we can make sure whether the spoken words correspond to his or her body language. Then we complement each other to make a crystal understanding of what the speaker says and make the right response that can keep communication going smoothly.

      The followings are some common and important forms of body language:

       Eye contact. Eye contact is one of the most important aspects of associating with people. Maintaining good eye contact suggests your respect to the speaker and your interest in the topic. Also, it gives the speaker a feeling of comfort, and genuine warmth in your company, and makes the conversation enjoyable to the one you speak to. However, excessive eye contact can make you seem a little too intense, overbearing, or even threatening. But too less eye contact would give off the signal of gradual lack of interest in the topic. Therefore, look directly but gently in the eyes of the receiver with a sense of confidence instead of shifting eyes during the conversation.

       Body posture. Body posture is also an indicator of whether or not the listener is attentive to your topic. It can be divided into 2 forms which are open/forward position and closed/back position. Body angled toward the speaker and arms kept behind the back both can be viewed as a positive attitude which shows interest, curiosity, and a receptive attitude. On the contrary, people who leans body away from the speaker, fold his or her arms, or cross the legs can be perceived as a rejecting message. The speaker then should think about either trying changing the topic or doing something about it when seeing those reactions.

      Proximity.  Personal space plays a vital role in communication too. It’s just a matter of cultural differences. People from different culture require different distance for comfort. It varies from culture to culture. For example, Latin Americans and Asians need less personal space because in their countries, large population shares small living space. Therefore they are used to congested condition. But the comfortable personal space for them may make Europeans squirm because they are used to relatively much larger living space. To notice the comfort zone for other people is crucial. If you move forward and the listener step back a little, you probably should adjust to a proper distance to make the other feel comfortable. Just remember to respect the personal space that the one you talk to needs and keep a proper distance during the conversation.   

       Hand gestures.  Hand gestures are the most confusing part since they are too many to discuss respectively. They are an essential part of communication because they enable us to communicate without speech. But one single gesture might not always stand for the same meaning all over the world. Take the “OK” sign for example; the gesture of making a circle with the thumb and the forefinger to signify “OK” in America is not quite “OK” in Brazil. Contrarily, it’s considered vulgar. The same meaning holds true to Germany and Russian. Another example is the “V” sign for victory. It’s only inoffensive when the palm is facing other people; otherwise, it’s regarded as extremely rude. Briefly put, there are too many of them too list in detail. To avoid this kind of embarrassing situation, do your homework before traveling or contacting a foreign friend coming from another country. That should make embarrassment to a minimum.

       Learning how to read and correctly translate body language into its real meaning is really important. It tells us how to act properly during communication. When traveling, being able to understand local people’ body language can prevent us from feeling perplexed, provoking hilarity or even offending local people unwittingly. Being observant and sensitive is the best way when it comes to dealing with body language. We watch and then we learn to understand body language correctly. At last, we can make appropriate response to make communication go well and enjoyable for others every time.

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