Learn to Read People's Body Language by these 7 Great Tricks

Knowing how to read people's body language can be a powerful thing.

Body language brings in an unbelievable chunk of facts on what other people are thinking if you know what to look for. And at some point who hasn’t wanted to read people’s minds?

You already gather on more body language clues that you’re consciously aware of. The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) study has shown that only 7% of the conversation is based on the definite words we say. As for the remaining, 38% comes from tone of voice and the rest 55% comes from body language. Knowing how to become familiar with and to read that 55% can lift you up with other people.

When you’re working hard and doing all you can to accomplish your goals, anything that can give you an advantage is fascinating and will simplify your path to success.

TalentSmart has studied more than a million people and discovered that the upper level of top performers is brimming with people who are high in emotional intelligence (90% of top performers, to be exact). These people recognise the power that unspoken gestures have in conversation, and they monitor body language accordingly.

Next time you’re communicating or meeting(or even on a date or playing with your kids) look for these clues:

Image: TalentSmart

Crossed arms and legs indicate a refusal to your ideas. Crossed arms and legs are the physical hurdles that suggest the other person is not obvious to what you’re saying. Even if they’re smiling and engaged in a good discussion, their body language tells the story. Gerard I. Nierenberg and Henry H. Calero documented more than 2,000 meetings for a book they wrote on reading body language, and not even a single one finished an agreement when one of the parties had their legs crossed while meeting. Psychologically, crossed legs or arms indicate that a person is mentally, emotionally, and physically disengaged from what’s in front of them. It’s not deliberated, which is why it’s so revealing.

Real smiles scrunch the eyes. Talking of smiling, the mouth can lie but the eyes can’t. Natural smiles touch the eyes, scrunching the skin to build crow’s feet around them. People generally smile to hide what they’re really thinking and feeling, so the next time you want to understand if someone’s smile is real, look for scrunch at the corners of their eyes. If you don't find scrunch then that smile is masking something.

Imitating your body language is a good thing. Have you ever been in conversation with someone and noticed that every time you cross or uncross your legs, they do the same? Or possible they bend their head the same way as yours when you’re talking? That’s actually a good sign. Imitating body language is something we do unknowingly when we feel a bond with the other person. It’s a sign that the meeting is going good and that the other party is interested in your message. This observation can be exceptionally useful when you’re negotiating because it shows you what the other person is really thinking about the deal.

Attitude reveals the story. Have you ever seen a person walk into a room, and at once, you have known that they were the one in charge? That development is mostly about body language, and usually combines an erect posture, gestures made with the palms facing down, and open and broad body language in general. The brain is hardwired to balance power with the amount of space people take up. Standing up straight with your shoulders back is a power position; it shows up to maximize the amount of space you fill. Slumping over, on the other hand, is the result of weakening your form; it seems to take up less space and projects less power. Keeping up good posture commands respect and build up engagement, whether you’re a leader or not.

Eyes that lie. Most of us possibly grew up hearing, “Look me in the eye when you talk to me!” Our parents were managing under the theory that it’s tough to hold someone’s gaze when you’re lying to them, and they were right to an extent. But that’s such common observation that people will often knowingly hold eye contact in a bid to cover up the fact that they’re lying. The problem is that most of them atone and hold eye contact to the point that it feels difficult. Typically, Americans hold eye contact for seven to ten seconds, longer when we’re listening than when we’re talking. If you’re talking with someone whose look is making you fidget—specifically if they’re very still and unblinking—something is up and they might be lying you.

Raised eyebrows indicate discomfort. There are three main emotions that make your eyebrows go up: awe, worry, and angst. Try lifting up your eyebrows when you’re having a nonchalant conversation with a friend. It’s hard to do, isn’t it? If somebody who is talking to you lifts up their eyebrows and the topic isn’t one that would rationally cause surprise, worry, or fear, there is something else going on.

Clenched jaw indicates stress. A clenched jaw, a stiffed neck, or a rugged eyebrow are all sign stress. Regardless of what the person is saying, these are signs of reasonable displeasure. The communication might be delving into something they’re tensed about, or their mind might be somewhere else and they’re concentrating on the thing that’s stressing them out. The key is to watch for that imbalance between what the person says and what their tense body language is telling you.

Bringing it all together

The indispensable part is that even if you can’t read a person’s precise thoughts, you can learn a lot from their body language, and that’s particularly true when words and body language don’t match.