Consider the following:
Are the people happy in the image? Angry? Why do you think this?
Does the female seem to be comfortable around this man or uncomfortable? Why? Are either of these people in a hurry to be anywhere else?
Can you tell who is the boss or the more dominant person?
Is there anything else that you can glean from this picture?
If anyone is interested in learning a little more, here’s some practical exercises that you can implement to increase your instinctive ability to read some basics of body language.
Look for changes – watch a person who is sitting really still and notice if they suddenly start to shake their leg or reposition their body when someone approaches. Specifically, try these two exercises.
Assess Someone’s Mood
For this exercise, simply find a person to watch for a few minutes and see if you can determine what mood you think they are in. Look at them as closely as you can without it being considered as stalking. Ask yourself what you can see in their face, of course. But also look at their body. What are their hands doing? How are they positioning or moving their feet? Which way are they facing and how are they moving their body? Try to guess what mood they are in and then tell yourself why you think they are in this type of mood, meaning, take note what about them seems to indicate a specific mood.
Watch Someone for Changes
For this exercise, choose some person to observe quietly, someone who is alone. Watch how they sit, how they move, and consider their mood. Then watch them when someone approaches or if they receive a phone call. Note how their body language changes. Pay attention to how they reposition themselves or how they react to what they are seeing or hearing. Notice everything, not just their faces or voice but their hands, arms, torso, legs and feet.
You may want to take note of your observations, so that you can reflect upon them as we discuss various non-verbals throughout this course.
I look forward to reading your responses, and what you have learnt about the people around you, and even about yourself. 🙂
Writing, Health, and CBD 