Attentive Body Language
Attentive body language is the act of showing through body language that you are listening and hearing what another is saying. Yawning or nodding off would be an example of inattentive body language. Being able to properly exhibit attentive body language can make a huge impact if you are applying for a job, or are in any field of employment that requires verbal contact with people. Another situation where having great skills in attentive body language is important is in personal relationships and intimate situations. Strong attentive body language shows that you have a sincere interest in what another is saying. It is flattering and will most likely result in mutual attention. One way to appear to be actively listening to another through body language is by leaning into the person who is talking, however, respect personal boundaries when doing so. You will be able to tell if a person is listening to you attentively if their gaze is on you and does not reflect away sporadically during the conversation. People will also blink less than normal. Often times when a person is attentively listening to another their frown line will be indented showing that they are concentrating on what you are saying. You will notice a nodding of the head in agreement or disagreement of things you are saying along with verbal utterance such as "hmmm, uh huh, mmm, etc". The person listening may also mimic your body language.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Aggressive Body Language
Aggressive Body Language:
Aggressive body language is way more than simply being punched in the face or punching someone. There are many types of aggressive signals. If picked up early, they can save you from being a receiver of a physical attack or give you time to turn the aggression down. Aggressive body language is a signal of a possible physical threat or a verbal threat at the least. As we were taught early on, physical confrontations can never lead to any good. So learning to pick up threat signals early is extremely beneficial. If you work in a setting where there are volatile people (prison settings for example), knowing signals of aggressiveness could even save your life. Facial signals that can alert you to a possible threat are frowns, pursed lips, reddening of the face, a sneer look, clinched jaw, stare downs with a squint, and jerking of the head towards you much like one would jerk their body towards you in an aggressive advancement. Another common facial threat signal is a person getting right up in your face with their face. With all of these gestures, it is best you step back a couple feet to put a bit of distance between you and the aggressive person to give you a chance to possibly defuse the situation.
The attack stance of body language is typically the positioning of feet for stability, and clinching of fists and muscles. Some may even get a bit bouncy with their feet, much like a boxer. This is typical, however there are some that really show little outward physical cues that indicate they are about to punch you. People who present with a flat affect may show very little to no indication that they are about to physically attack another. This is when body language alone can put one in a risky situation and it is important to listen to word cues as well. Another form of aggressive body language is crossing personal space, mental or emotional boundaries. Fake friendships are an example of crossing all three of these boundaries. When pretending to be a friend to another with intent of harm, aggressive body language takes on a chameleon effect in the beginning. They will use smiles, and friendly gestures to gain closeness. Everyone has a comfort zone called his or her personal space. When that is crossed physically (e.g. getting up in someone's face, bumping chests, physically touching another without permission etc.) that invasion of space is an aggressive body language move. People generally do this to get into close proximity of their prey so they can have power over another by making them uncomfortable and to make it easier for them to get in the first physical strike. Physically aggressive body language gestures are another indicator that you may be at risk of becoming a victim. Hand gestures are often used to incite another into a physical confrontation, from the use of "flipping someone off" with the flagging of the middle finger, to hand gang signs, thrusting of arms to the ever popular head roll/thrust generally followed with verbal insults. Another obvious great indicator is mock attacks such as shadow boxing, slamming a fist on a table (wall, door, etc.), a head butting gesture, kicking, etc. without actually making physical contact with you.
Aggressive body language is way more than simply being punched in the face or punching someone. There are many types of aggressive signals. If picked up early, they can save you from being a receiver of a physical attack or give you time to turn the aggression down. Aggressive body language is a signal of a possible physical threat or a verbal threat at the least. As we were taught early on, physical confrontations can never lead to any good. So learning to pick up threat signals early is extremely beneficial. If you work in a setting where there are volatile people (prison settings for example), knowing signals of aggressiveness could even save your life. Facial signals that can alert you to a possible threat are frowns, pursed lips, reddening of the face, a sneer look, clinched jaw, stare downs with a squint, and jerking of the head towards you much like one would jerk their body towards you in an aggressive advancement. Another common facial threat signal is a person getting right up in your face with their face. With all of these gestures, it is best you step back a couple feet to put a bit of distance between you and the aggressive person to give you a chance to possibly defuse the situation.
The attack stance of body language is typically the positioning of feet for stability, and clinching of fists and muscles. Some may even get a bit bouncy with their feet, much like a boxer. This is typical, however there are some that really show little outward physical cues that indicate they are about to punch you. People who present with a flat affect may show very little to no indication that they are about to physically attack another. This is when body language alone can put one in a risky situation and it is important to listen to word cues as well. Another form of aggressive body language is crossing personal space, mental or emotional boundaries. Fake friendships are an example of crossing all three of these boundaries. When pretending to be a friend to another with intent of harm, aggressive body language takes on a chameleon effect in the beginning. They will use smiles, and friendly gestures to gain closeness. Everyone has a comfort zone called his or her personal space. When that is crossed physically (e.g. getting up in someone's face, bumping chests, physically touching another without permission etc.) that invasion of space is an aggressive body language move. People generally do this to get into close proximity of their prey so they can have power over another by making them uncomfortable and to make it easier for them to get in the first physical strike. Physically aggressive body language gestures are another indicator that you may be at risk of becoming a victim. Hand gestures are often used to incite another into a physical confrontation, from the use of "flipping someone off" with the flagging of the middle finger, to hand gang signs, thrusting of arms to the ever popular head roll/thrust generally followed with verbal insults. Another obvious great indicator is mock attacks such as shadow boxing, slamming a fist on a table (wall, door, etc.), a head butting gesture, kicking, etc. without actually making physical contact with you.
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