What Is Body Language?

What is body Language?

Being humans, we communicate through various ways, and language is not the only way to communicate. We can also express our thoughts and emotions, exchange information, and state our ideas and feelings through our use of tone, facial expression, and gestures. This way is called a non-verbal language or often known as “body language. Similar to verbal language, body language has an important role in our culture. People use this non-verbal language to communicate, but can also be seen as a sign of weakness.

Many people think that to win a negotiation, you have to master the language skills of bargaining, which is true. But not many understands that non-verbal communication is indeed very important, this is why many ended up not getting a good deal or losing a good deal; just because they can’t control their own body language. Your body says more than your voice; especially in business, and sometimes the gestures we do without realizing are the emotions we want to keep hidden. Anxiety is one of the most common emotions a business negotiator can sense. That fear of not closing a good deal can get the best of you if you can’t control yourself.

There are types of body language in negotiations:

- Distance between two or more people talking

- Physical contact and physical appearance

- Eye contact

- Poise

- Facial expressions

- Gestures

How does it affect negotiation?

1. To mimic or not to mimic?

After twenty minutes, your interview seems to be going very well. Then you noticed that you and the recruiter are sitting in the same position, leaning back with your leg crossed. Being self-conscious, you wonder if you should change your position.

When two or more people have been in each other’s presence for just a few minutes, their behavior will begin to change. Their breathing pattern, heart rates, and they often tend to mimic each other’s posture and hand gestures. Rather than feeling weird or embarrassed, you should congratulate yourself. Mimicry is a...