iKinesics

It’s no secret that the hands and the face, the most expressive parts of the body, have a language all their own that accompanies speech and other human interaction. For example, light touching of the face often indicates nervousness, and lightly covering the mouth while speaking is linked with deception.

Good stage actors have a ready repertoire of hand-to-face gestures for conveying a character’s state of mind. The hand-to-mouth gesture with a closed fist indicates a character’s dishonesty, and is often punctuated by a fake cough, as if the cough, and not the lie, were the reason for putting a hand to the mouth.

The look of shock and fear is often amplified by lightly touching the sides of the face with the fingertips, while at the same time widening the eyes. Sorrow or sadness can be effectively conveyed with fingers lightly spread and palms touching the face.

Most everyone is familiar with the “facepalm,” or putting the face in the open palm as a sign of having done something stupid. Rapidly waving one’s hands in front of the face, with palms facing the other person indicates belief that the other person is full of nonsense.

But perhaps people need more help in avoiding these revealing gestures than in doing them. Even people who aren’t interested in deceiving people may want to avoid looking nervous or incompetent when meeting someone or giving a speech.

There’s nothing wrong with writing directions into any notes you use when giving a speech. They might say “raise arms to indicate size of fish,” or “emphasize your surprise by touching sides of face, widening eyes.” It’s even better if you commit your entire speech and planned body language to memory by practising.

If you are speaking to people while sitting down, perhaps while giving testimony in a court matter, it is wise to avoid touching your face if you can do it without fidgeting too much. Politicians are often pictured or videotaped touching their faces while speaking, and we all know what most people’s opinion of politicians is!

Once you know your own gesturing habits and how they might be interpreted, you can more easily project the confidence you want when meeting others or speaking to a group

Joyce

edited by: Logen

The hands and face are the most expressive parts of the body. When body language involves using the hands and the face at the same time, the effect is much more forceful than intonation or speech alone. If someone tells you something while scratching the side of the face and avoiding eye contact, you’ll probably wonder if he’s telling the truth. But if a person returns eye contact, and his arms are relaxed, you’ll probably trust what he is saying.

[ The best way to remember what hand-to-face gestures indicate is to remember: "See no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil.". ]

Gestures involving the hands and the face are widely believed to be accurate indicators of truthfulness. Scratching non-existent itches along the jawline, or excessive playing with one’s own hair raise suspicion. What some people call the “see no evil” gesture, or gently rubbing under one eye with a finger, is associated with lying. A person touching their face, eyes flitting from object to object avoiding eye contact is also often interpreted as lying.

The “speak no evil” gesture of putting a finger across the mouth, or covering the mouth before or after speaking can be a subconscious way of stopping a lie from coming out of the mouth. Actors trying to portray deception will sometimes use a similar gesture. Touching the nose is also believed to be a clue to deception.

Everyone has heard the phrase “hot under the collar,” and it has its origins in hiding lies. Flushing of the neck, or warming of the neck without flushing, causing a person to run a finger around the inside of his or her collar (in an attempt to dissipate the heat) is believed to be a very accurate sign of dishonesty.

While many of these gestures accompany boredom as well, one way to tell the two apart is whether or not the person is actually supporting his or her head with a hand, or if the hand is merely touching, and not supporting the head. Lighter facial touching is more likely to be a sign of nervousness, especially when accompanied by other clues, such as shuffling of the feet.

Joyce

edited by Logen

photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/amanky/1456106068/sizes/m/

Researchers debate whether hand and arm gestures add to the meaning of verbal speech. In other words, do the hand and arm motions people make get the meaning of their speech across better than a lack of hand and arm motions? There are arguments both ways: that gestures are integral to understanding a speaker’s real meaning, and that they are not, as evidenced by the popularity radio broadcasts, podcasts, and various other audio media.

[ Whether you realise it or not, many people communicate with their hands ]

Perhaps the question should be, how do hand and arm gestures reinforce or contradict what is being said through speech? There is little question that a person’s hand and arm gestures can reveal deception, frustration, or truthfulness.

Certain arm gestures convey seriousness, as evidenced by the mother crossing her arms firmly upon catching her child doing something he shouldn’t do. Broad arm gestures indicate enthusiasm, though if they’re overdone, they can indicate a lack of confidence.

If you are meeting someone for the first time, or if you are giving a talk to a room full of people, the actions of your hands and arms will tell their own story. Whether it matches or contradicts what you want to communicate is something you can learn to control to some extent.

Generally speaking, the more relaxed arms and hands are, the freer they are to move, the more confidence you project. Arms stiffly held by the sides with fists clenched indicate anger or fear. Stiff or crossed arms with small, agitated motions of the hands signal dishonesty, as do hands clasped behind the back when one is looking at the ground.

On the other hand, overly broad hand and arm gestures can make a person look as if he is trying too hard, again raising the question of the speaker’s honesty. When someone’s arms are roughly at their sides, elbows slightly bent, and hands relaxed, they appear confident and truthful. If you practice this stance in speaking or situations in which you are introduced to others, you will learn to consistently convey a sense of trustworthiness and competence.

Joyce

edited by Logen

photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/patssnaps/2119380970/sizes/m/

Arm and hand gestures are every bit as revealing as speech and facial expressions. Generally, the more relaxed hands and arms are, and the less exaggerated the motions of the hands and arms, the more open, truthful, and comfortable the person is.

When a person holds their arms still, whether crossed, or by their side, they are indicating discomfort. This could be due to being in the presence of someone of higher status - like a student with a school principal - or it could be due to nervousness, hostility, or dislike.

Arms held still with minimum, or exaggeratedly small gestures indicate that a person may be lying. A liar may even hold one arm with the other in order to keep both arms still. This person looks like they are trying to minimize the space they take up.

People wave their arms like windmills when they are excited and confident, but when they lack confidence, people make smaller arm and hand gestures. A person quickly raising both arms in the air is trying to tell you that they are frustrated. You see this gesture in business and social situations.

The most recognizable hand-arm signal is arms firmly crossed in front of the body. Crossed arms can signal many things, but they almost always signal a degree of discomfort, whether in a social or business situation.

Meanings attributed to crossed arms include: defensiveness; anxiety; distrust; vulnerability; and even suppression of rage. The rigidness of the crossed arms indicates the degree to which a person is closed off. Arms folded with hands made into fists indicate real hostility, particularly when accompanied by crossed legs.

A hand-arm gesture that indicates confidence and self-assurance is that of hands loosely clasped behind the back, head held high. This is a posture used by teachers evaluating students’ work and policemen patrolling on foot. The fact that the front of the body is left unshielded signals a sense of authority and self-esteem.

Arm and hand gestures are a language unto themselves. You can watch very old silent movies and see how important the movements of the hands and arms are. Even without hearing speech, you can often get an accurate idea of exactly what is being communicated when arms and hands do the talking.

Joyce

photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/artmakesmesmile/169193698/sizes/m/

Body language makes up at least half of our face-to-face communication. While voices and choice of words can certainly convey emotion, body language can either reinforce or contradict what is said. The hands alone have a language all their own, and if you are aware of what different palm positions and gestures mean, you can alter your gestures to help make the point you want.

When a person speaks to you with open palms facing upward or towards you, it could indicate that he is being honest, feeling submissive or appealing to your understanding. You could use this gesture in a natural way to portray honesty. In fact, most people find it hard to tell a lie with their palms open. However, with practice it becomes easier to look sincere when telling a ’story’. Do note that the little micro gestures that you unconsciously make may raise red flags to uncommonly observant people.

Think of a politician giving a campaign speech. If his or her palms are relaxed and open upward, it is a gesture indicating that they want you to think of them as your humble public servant. But their record and their actions may show that they are anything but conciliatory and servile.

Some researchers believe that accomplished liars learn to control facial expressions and hand gestures very well, but the signals from the legs and feet may give away their deceit. In other words, their palms could be signaling sincerity, while their shuffling feet say something quite different.

You can use the position of your palms to emphasize your meaning without contradicting your intentions. For example, one way a woman signals interest in a man is by moving her open, relaxed palm to her collarbone or to the shoulder on the same side as the palm. You can indicate a depth of feeling toward someone or something by lightly placing your open palm over your heart.

Your palms have a language all their own. “Reading palms” in this sense won’t predict your future, but it can certainly clue you in to the truthfulness of someone else’s communication. Remember, telling lies with your palms is much more difficult than telling lies with words.

Joyce

(edited by Logen)

photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dominicspics/3311231217/sizes/s/

Since the last post, we’ve established that everyone has a personal space surrounding his/her body. This study of territorial space is called proxemics.

Based on the amount of distance between each individual we can tell the relationship between them. These distances can be grouped into:

1. Intimate Zone
2. Personal Zone
3. Social Zone
4. Public Zone

Intimate Zone (extends about 2 to 6 fists away from the body)

This zone is reserved for the people who are emotionally close to an individual. They include parents, children and close friends.

Personal Zone (1 to 2 forearms away)

This is the distance you’re comfortable with people during parties and gatherings.

Social Zone (2 arm lengths away)

This distance is maintained with people you don’t know or don’t know well.

Public Zone (over 3.6 m away)

When talking to an audience or large group of people, you feel less anxiety at this distance.

Intrusion of The Zones

The most critical of all the zones is the Intimate Zone. An individual will guard this zone most intensely. When it is intruded upon, many physiological responses occur. Adrenalin races through the bloodstream and prepares the individual for a fight or flight response.

Three reasons exist for intrusion of the Intimate Zone.

The intruder is…

1. an emotionally close person (e.g. close friend, child)
2. making a sexual advance
3. hostile

Exceptions

Intrusion sometimes occur when in crowded places. One has no choice but to tolerate undeliberate intrusion.

Logen