Body language
From WikEd
Descriptions, definitions, synonyms, organizer terms, types of
From Wikipedia:
- "Body language is a broad term for several forms of communication using body movements or gestures, instead of, or as a complement to, sounds, verbal language, or other forms of communication. In turn, it is one category of paralanguage, which describes all forms of human communication that are not language."
Body language relates to how the body divulges personal information about our inner thoughts, either conscious or subconscious. It involves the following aspects:
- 1. Posture
The way you hold yourself, your posture, makes a big contribution to your body language and conveys your level of self-confidence. By orienting your body towards someone, you show attentiveness. By falling away from them or leaning back, you show a lack of interest and some level of reserve. When we are feeling low in confidence and want to hide away, we hunch our shoulders and keep our heads down. When we are feeling aggressive or are trying to defend our space, we puff ourselves up. A relaxed body posture will help you to appear and feel more relaxed and confident.
Your posture gives signals about your interest in something, your openness, and attentiveness. It also gives clues as to your status within a group.
- 2. Personal Space/Distance Between People
Space between people is important. Some people are more comfortable than others with space and it must be gauged. In a school setting, teachers' proximity to students signals how closely the students are being observed. The closer teachers are to their students, the easier it will be to notice mischievous behavior.
- 3. Eye Contact
Our eyes give clues to our emotions. A direct stare implies intensity. It may also mean romantic interest, aggression, or fear. Making very little eye contact can either convey shyness or submissiveness. The middle ground of a gaze says that you are interested, secure, and at ease.
- 4. Touch
Your hands are also very expressive. Open gestures tend to make you appear open and honest. By pointing your finger, or moving your hands closer together, you can draw emphasis to what you are saying. Used in moderation, hand gestures can make you seem enthusiastic and committed to your topic. Making too many gestures can make you appear nervous and uncontrolled. Wringing your hands or touching your sleeves, face, etc. can make you appear tense, nervous, and sometimes dishonest.
Posture
Posture is defined in Wikipedia as: a position of a human body. Can also be called a person's attitude.
While not moving, a human can be in one of the following main positions.
- standing- requires sufficient headroom, e.g. it is not possible in a regular car; one can stand freely or lean against a support (a wall, a pole, etc.);
- sitting- requires a more or less horizontal structure, e.g. a chair or the ground; special ways of sitting are with the legs horizontal, and in an inclined seat; while on a chair the shins are usually vertical, on the ground the shins may be crossed in an "Indian-style" sitting (with a name that has questionable political correctness), or the shins may go horizontally underneath the thigh in a seiza.
- lying- requires sufficient space in one direction; often done on a bed or couch
The study of posture is a study of how people carry themselves. It can divulge level of enthusiasm, confidence, and other personal qualities. For example, a rigid and straight backed posture can denote a feeling of being "uptight." In contrast, one with a relaxed posture can denote a laid-back personality.
Personal Space
Posture can also figure into the concept of personal space. A person who is interested in a subject tends to lean forward and face the person who is speaking. Conversely, an apathetic attitude can be shown by sitting or leaning back, and not facing the subject speaking. (Nevid and Rathus, 2003)
Personal space of a person greatly varies between cultures. Often times, Americans need the most space so if they feel you are invading that they will try to back away.
Eye Contact
Eye contact is another important aspect of body language. Eye Contact is defined in Wikipedia as "an intense nonverbal, visual connection made as one person gazes into the eyes of another. It is a highly emotional link established as two people simultaneously observe each other's eyes." (Wikipedia, Eye Contact) Looking straight into someone's eyes forms a bond, which tends to create a positive relationship between the two people. It gives a feeling of assertiveness, or that one is being open with another. Conversely, avoidance of eye contact gives a feeling that one is being deceptive, or that a person is depressed. Gazing into someone's eyes can be associated with a high level of liking or friendliness. Hard stares can be a sign of aggression or anger. (Nevid and Rathus, 2003)
Touch / Physical Contact
Physical contact is another element of body language. Touch can be a sign of intimacy, as it lessens the distance between two people.
Application in and effects on classrooms and similar settings
Body language is something I am constantly conferencing with my students about. Part of my classroom management at the middle school level is to speak with students in the hallway away from their peers. Usually during that conversation something is said about how body language goes a long way. Sometimes students don't even have to say anything, it is their body language that will determine for me if they deserve a detention or not. Depending on how they respond, looking at me, looking away, turning away, shrugging their shoulders, rolling their eyes, showing disinterest, etc., I make a quick decision as to what will occur next. I think this is something all teachers and students should be conscious of. J. Cappa
- There are many useful applications for body language in the classroom. To be able to effectively teach children, it is necessary to treat every student as an individual. Body language is an effective tool of assessment. Teachers can visually assess each student as they sit in class, answer questions, and interact with others. A student who is slumped in their chair or over the desk may either be tired or exhibiting signs of depression. If a student is not making eye contact or looking around the room, it can be assumed that they are not interested in the lesson. This may be a sign to the teacher to either change his method of lesson delivery, or to bring that student individually back into the lesson.
- Additionally, body language can help the teacher to see warning signs in their students. Unfortunately, students today deal with such issues as physical and sexual abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, and mental illness. Knowing the indicators of body language can help the teacher do a preliminary assessment of each student coming through their door. While this is by no means a definitive method of diagnosis, it can be a means to refer the student to the help that they need.
- Body language can also be used to get students attention. At the beginning of class and after every transition during the lesson, it is necessary for the teacher to grab the attention of his or her class. According to Neill & Caswell (1993), the teacher may only need to give a verbal cue. Once the teacher has grabbed the attention, it is important to keep eye contact as to not appear subordinate. Also, it is important to move along and "act decisively" to keep the students attention (Neill & Casewell 1993). Finally, one should avoid signs of nervousness. Self-grabbing and fidgeting are signs of anxiety. The teacher should portray the same body language as if he or she were engaged in an everyday conversation (Neill & Casewell 1993).
The University of Texas suggests the following:
Develop eye contact with your audience. If you look at people when you are teaching, you send a message that the content is important and make a connection with the audience that keeps their attention. Make sure that you look around the room and do not just focus on one person or one section of the room. Some instructors break the room up into sections and make a point of regularly looking from section to section in order to connect with the entire class.
Use gestures to emphasize points and keep your audience's attention. If you want to emphasize something you are demonstrating, remember to gesture toward the screen students are seeing instead of moving the mouse on the instructor station screen. You may feel like Vanna White, but it will make the session more dynamic.
Stand up. It keeps your audience's attention. If you must sit, alternate between sitting and standing to make transitions between points or sections of the session.
Walk around to keep your audience's attention. Try taking a few steps forward when you want to emphasize a part of your content.
Avoid turning your back to your audience. This typically sends students a message that you are not paying attention to them and this can prompt them to cause disruptions and stop paying attention.
Relax! Be conscious of how you are carrying yourself. Try not to let your shoulders tense up or allow your body to become rigid. This is physically exhausting and will affect how students perceive you.
Smile and laugh! It engages your audience and makes you more approachable if students have questions.
Fredric Jones' Positive Discipline Model uses body language as part of his classroom management or discipline model. (Wolfgang, 2001) His model uses eye contact and proximity as tools for classroom control. Wolfgang states, "the eyes are the most expressive nonverbal communication tool". Their use is an exercise of power and a direct challenge. Using this method, teachers literally stare their students down. Proximity is used by invading a student's personal space (about three feet around them). The placing of hands on a student's desk can also be effective, as you lean into their body space. By entering this space, a teacher makes a student feel uncomfortable, even potentially threatened, forcing them to back down. Jones uses three types of space distances: proximity-far, proximity-near and proximity-intimate (inside that personal space zone). Eye contact may be used from "proximity-far" accompanied by "closing space" with a slow High Noon walk. All of this body language is meant, according to Wolfgang, to give this message: "I am in charge, and I mean business." Teachers are also to be aware of where they "park their body" and should be able to make visual contact at all times, continually checking and scanning the classroom. When a teacher confronts a student, s/he is to turn and face them with feet planted squarely, hands relaxed and clasped behind the body, with a slack-jaw facial expression. Finally, camping out in front and camping out from behind are used. During all of this body language, very little verbalization takes place.
Evidence of Effectiveness
There are so many different types of coaches in today's world of self-improvement who claim to increase your chances at some endeavor: becoming beauty queen, winning an election, or even getting a job. All of them will aid you in sending the right message through your body language, since "body language comprises 55% of the force of any response, whereas the verbal content only provides 7%, and "paralanguage," or the intonation, pauses and sighs given when answering, represents 38% of the emphasis." (Raudsepp, Eugene. 2006) If body language makes that much of an impact on a future employer, it most certainly makes a huge difference with any first impression situation, such as a teacher's first few days in a classroom full of wide-eyed new students.
Harry Wong, the author of a famous book for first year teachers, The First Days of School, bases his entire book around the fact that first impressions matter and the matter in a major way for students. His entire book, chapter after chapter, describes in detail, how the first impressions a teacher makes sets the tone for the entire year. Body language is absolutely a critical component in creating the greatest judgements of a teacher by the students. Teachers must exhibit positive expectations for all students; this is not done simply by telling them you expect great things for them; it's by how you act. (Wong, 10) On the first day of school, Wong emphasizes the absolute need to greet each student formally and greet each and every student; in this way, all students feel individually recognized. (47) Mr. Wong even devotes an entire chapter to physical appearance in dress and other nonverbal messages such as tardiness or walking in "with a soda can...and a scowl." (54) "Every time you act, you validate who you are." (Wong, 54) As far as students are concerned, they are highly sensitive to appearance, intonation, attitude, and facial expression, all nonverbal cues. Wong's book is filled with personal testiomonies from teachers who have used his strategies to make solid first impressions with students; there is strong success in all their attempts.
Alternative explanations due to Diversity considerations
- Body language may differ from culture to culture. An example of cultural differences occur in the area of personal space. In some African cultures, people speak to each other with a large space between them. Conversely, Middle Eastern cultures tend to communicate at closer proximity to each other. Both of these distances are adverse to western culture. While we usually converse with a slight amount of space between each other, to respect personal space, we also do not like to carry on meaningful conversations from far distances.
- In addition to personal space issues, other elements of body language do differ between cultures. In Bulgaria, people shake their heads up and down to say know. In America, this would be a sign of the affirmative. In other cultures, looking someone in the eyes may be a sign of defiance or disrespect, and should be avoided. When traveling to other countries or meeting people of other cultures, it is vital to be aware of these differences to prevent misunderstandings.
Signed "life experiences", testimonies and stories
In the classrooms that I have been in, it seems that teachers often expect children to look at their face to show that they are listening. If the child does not it can be misunderstood as a sign of disrespect. I remember being in school and the teacher would always expect me to maintain eye contact with her to show respect. Yet, I was taught to not always look at an adult but to look down. This was a sign of respect. I feel that as teachers, our body language can set the tone for not only the classroom environment but also the type of relationships we have with our students. Camille Unzicker
During my life eye contact or at least looking in a person's direction, has always been taught to be respectful. It was encouraged when speaking to my elders, when holding a conversation with a friend and when participating in an interview. Was I surprised when after 7 years of teaching I began having students who wouldn't look me in the eye (barely looking my direction) when I was talking to them one on one. My assistant principal shared with me that many African American children are thought to be disrespectful to look an adult in the eye when the adult is talking to them. - V.C.
- Throughout my life, I have found that a eye contact plays a major role in getting what you want. In most situations, when I have given a person total eye contact and presented my case, they were generally positive about that case, and agreed with my proposals. Also, it tends to work with students who may be misbehaving. Verbally reprimanding a student in a quiet voice while maintaining eye contact with them can go a long way without having to yell. S. Luxbacher
As a musician and educator, we have always stressed the importance of posture. You posture and body language says so much about you. I have seen people health deteriorate because of poor posture. I have seen the lack of confidence in people with poor posture. As stated above, eye contact is important. It helps to connect to what is going on. Most times, I believe, your body would say what your mouth can not------C.Graham
In the Jr. High level I teach a class called quest which deals with many different topics. One of the topics we discuss is body language and what it means. One area we do discuss is how body language means things in different cultures. Other than cultural differences I believe a teacher can get a good read on individual students by looking at them. When we discuss body language in class and I tell them how a certain individual is feeling based on looking at body language it is amazing how the posture, eye contact, and facial expression changes. Body language can tell you what the individual verbally won't. B Helms
Body language can mean different things to different people. Misconceptions can come when someone is from a different culture. At my school I had a student just come from Korea and she was taught to never look at adults in the eyes as a sign of respect. When she came to America, her 2nd grade teacher was trying to ask her a question and kept getting frustrated that she would not make eye-contact. The student began becoming fearful and her body language was interpreted as being defiant and rude. Once the teacher was able to "read" the student's body language and understand the various cultural differences, she was able to work with the student better. JP
- I wonder if there have been any studies regarding the values of teaching kids, perhaps especially kids who have some emotional challenges, sign language. I know this is done with autistic children, and am even aware of some parents who teach their young children (not yet speaking) basic signs to aid in communication. There is something about communicating non-verbally that seems to be easier to do than having to wait for an opening to speak in some cases. I wonder if anyone has done any research on this topic? -- Emily
Cox
While people share general traits of body language, each person has individual characteristics that others must interpret. Students and teachers - in self-contained classrooms - often get to know each other's body language fairly quickly. As the parties become more familiar with each other, certain messages can be communicated with a look or slight gesture instead of a question/answer period. Classroom teachers can often tell if students aren't feeling well or are becoming agitated within a few moments and their quick attention to these nonverbal cues adds significantly to a positive classroom climate. - Carolyn St
As a teacher, it is extremely important to aknowledge the cultural standards of my students. Some cultures require that when speaking to an aduly, children are to avoid eye contact and keep their eyes towards the ground as a sign of respect to an adult. In the US, if a student did this to a teacher, the teacher may be insulted or think that they student is extrmely shy or passive. This misinterpretation has the potential to have a negative influence on the student-teacher relationship and create a stressful enviornment for the student. To avoid this, I recommend meeting the parents at the beginning of the school year and asking them about their culture. - N. R.
Body language...it is not something I typically think about; however, as a teacher, I think it is extremely important to be aware of your posture, facial expressions, and movements/motions and how these types of 'body language' affect a students' feelings, actions, and perceptions of you as a teacher and role model. Even the slightest look can convey a plethora of emotions and reactions. If you are a teacher than you know that "look" that you can give a student to let him/her know what they are doing is inappropriate...or maybe your gesture of a simple smile to convey approval of a thought or action...We all have those "looks," and I think children pick up on them very quickly. Kids are very perceptive and are constantly watching you and what you do, which is all the more reason to have an awareness of your body and how you convey yourself to others. I think one of the biggest problems with body language is that it can be construed differently by different people depending upon their interpretations and past experiences with body language. For this reason, I believe that pairing an action or a gesture of body language with oral language may be a great way to convey true feelings and thoughts, rather than simply using body language. -D. Jacob (June 2006)
Body language can really make or break a lesson. As a young teacher, I found that school didn't always prepare me for the classroom and there were definite "learning on the job" moments. If my delivery is shaky and my body language lacks confidence; my students recognize it. If I am confident that I know what I'm talking about and I have clear expectations, then my body language reflects it--resulting in greater attention from my students. Body language can really influence classroom behavior and management. -S. Scott
I completely agree with Suzanne on the effect body language can have on a lesson. In my instance, however the "body language issue" comes from a student's body language. I am a choir teacher and the students stand the majority of the period. One student every day stands with her hip popped, one foot turned out, body turned away from me and if her arms are free they are crossed. While not an expert on body language, you can only imagine that this comes across as being very hostile and as if she is not willing to participiate. In my subconcious (or not so subconscious?) I found myself being very reactionary toward this young woman. Eventually, we had a conversation about her attitude and she had no idea what I was talking about. When I described and SHOWED her how she stands daily, she understood why I was upset and we worked to make our relationship better. Interesting what perceptions we have of ourselves and others! -M. Hanes (2006)
Body language is crucia. In one of my undergraduate classes we learned that body language can account for up to 70% of our communucation with other people. Body language seems to be so important in the classroom with both the teachers and the students. If the teacher doesnt show the right body language for the subject that she is teaching the students will know they aren't interested. The same for the students the teacher won't be able to tell if she nneds to adjust you teaching method based on the body language of the students. This is something that all teachers should have an understanding of. J. Simmons
In the past school year I have realized the impact that body language and proximity can have on conversations with students. One student in my class liked to sit unreasonably close to other students, which made other students frequently shout her name across the classroom. After many explanations, and reminders, I asked this student to consider respecting the personal space of others and she nodded her head, but continued the same behavior until, I would attempt to permanently place her seat right by my seat. Now, she still did not understand my need for personal space and responded kindly to my requests for her to exercise the personal space rule. I still can't figure out why she did not ever seem to learn the need for personal space. I really think that everything about this student's body language was rooted in her need to be in control. There were some students that she would bully into corners of the rug by scooting repeatedly in their direction, and if she could she would silently threaten them with mean facial expressions in order to intimidate the student from expressing his or her discomfort. She was an enigma that I hope will someday be solved. ~C. Hatchett
I teach Spanish at the junior high level and I've always enjoyed talking about body language/proximity differences between American and Hispanic cultures. One activity I like to so is have two students face each other and get within inches of each other as if they are standing on a crowded bus in Mexico. Its amazing how the student instinctively take a step back. We then discuss our preferred distance of space and cultural differences in that size of space. The students get especially uncomfortable when we discuss ways of greeting and saying good-bye...the hugs, pats on the back, and the kisses on the cheek that is common in Hispanic countries as well as many European countries. - J. Adams
Body langauge is one of the most important aspects a teacher can bring to the classroom. A teacher can say many things to their students without saying anything. By the way we look, touch or stare at my students can get many things expressed to my students. Nic D.
References and other links of interest
Wolfgang, Charles H. (2001). Solving Discipline and Classroom Management Problems. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
