Lesson 8. Body Language

Lesson 8. Body Language

Learning ObjectivesAfter this lesson, students will be able to:

Lesson Objectives 2

1. Define the what body language is.2. Discuss meaning of different hand gestures. 3. Talk about body gestures that people do.4. Discuss the different body languages around the world.5. Explore how non-verbal communication is culture-specific6. Define and select different kinds of adverbial phrases.7. Define and use common collocations and idioms related to body language.


Warm Up 3

WARM UP1. Is it easy for you to read other people’s body language?2. How does your native culture use body language? Give examples.3. Which of these gestures / cues do you use a lot?4. Does body language shapes who you are? Why or Why not?

“Body language is more powerful

than words”.- Ricky Gervais


Introduction 4

In A Nutshell

Source: What Is Non Verbal Communication, And Why Does It Matter? | Betterhelp

Body language is a form of non-verbal communication used between animals and humans andconsists of postures, gestures, facial expressions, and eye movements. Body language can tellus about the attitude or state of mind of a person.

Explain: Action speaks louder than words.

For example, it may indicate anger, depression, pleasure, confidenceor nervousness. Learning about body language is helpful inrelationships, business, in family settings and parenting. Although it isnon-verbal, it can reveal a lot about your feelings and meaning toothers and also how others reveal their feelings toward you.


https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/body-language/what-is-non-verbal-communication-and-why-does-it-matter/


Vocabulary Exercise 5

A. Sighing when talking to someoneB. Talking with a shaky trembling voiceC. Slumping in a chairD. Looking with tight lips and narrowed eyesE. Sitting upright on the edge of the chairF. Sitting with arms and legs slightly apartG. Looking with a big smileH. Fiddling with objects while talkingI. Talking or listening with clenched handsJ. Leaning against a wall when talkingK. Looking with eyes down when talking to someoneL. Leaning back on your chair with hands on your headM. Leaning forward when sitting opposite someoneN. Looking away when someone is talking to youO. Taking a deep breath when talking to someone

What do you think they mean?

Gerunds are often used at the beginning of a sentence.

Discussion Points 6

Hongi – MaoriNew Zealand

Bowing – Japan Moroccan Greeting – Morocco

Bulgarians or Greeks Greetings

Nose Tap – UK

Goodbye Wave –Latin

America/Europe

Peace Sign –Britain

Back hand peace sign – Britain

Smiling upon strangers –

Russia

High pitched laugh – Japan

Source: Body Language Around the World (selfgrowth.com)

Body Language Around the World


https://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/body-language-around-the-world

Listening Activity 7

Listening Activity 8.1 Hand Gestures Around World

Listen and answer the following statements about the audio.


They say that actions speak louder than words but as far as hand gestures go, a simple action can also be more confusing than words. 86% of communication lies in body language and hands are considered an important part of non verbal communication.

The Thumb and the (1)................ It may mean “two” in the low Countries, but flash this in China and people assume you’re saying “eight”.But avoid (2)................. it around in Italy, as it means not good.The Thumbs UpWhat means alright and good in the UK, United States and South Africa, creates a different meaning inAfghanistan, Iran and Iraq. If your travels ever bring you to those parts of the world, remember that athumbs up is considered a (3) ................ insult.The OK signIn most culture it means OK, but in some others, it has a very different meaning. In (4) ................ andTurkey, for example, it means (5) ................ The Brazilians see it as a vulgar insult. While in Germany itcan either mean OK or an (6) ................ depending which part of the country you’re in.The fingers brought togetherMost commonly seen in Italy as a (7) ................ that asks “what’s this?”, but in other countries it has various meanings such as: little in India and Congo, beautiful in Turkey, and wait a moment in Egypt.Come here or Go awayAnother example of how a gesture can have a meaning in one culture, and a direct opposite meaningand another. In the (8) ................ , Denmark and the Netherlands, doing this means you’re askingsomeone to go away, but in Ghana, Philippines and Vietnam, you’re asking someone to come to you.

Reading Exercise 11

When we communicate with other people it is not only our words that contain the meaning. An important part of that meaning comes from what is called 'non-verbal communication'. By this we mean facial expression; gestures with hands, arms, legs; the way we sit or stand; the way we touch other people; the distance we keep between ourselves and the people we are talking to; our dress and our appearance. All these say something to other people.

Facial expressions and gestures are used by everyone often spontaneously, even unconsciously. Smiling, for example, is found in most cultures as a sign of happiness or pleasure. Gestures such as pointing, waving, shaking or nodding the head are also widely used, although the gestures themselves do not always mean the same in every culture. I once asked a Portuguese student why bank officials in Lisbon seemed so dour – sorry Lisbon bank clerks, but it's true – and he told me that if they smiled too much they would not seem serious about their work.

Because many non-verbal messages are 'culture specific', they can cause a lot of misunderstanding between people from different backgrounds. Northern Europeans and Americans, for example, like to keep a certain 'personal space' between themselves and others and feel uncomfortable if people come too close to them. In these same cultures it is considered impolite to stare, but Greeks, it is said, feel ignored if people do not stare at them in public. Europeans usually change their facial expression to show happiness, anger, boredom, orsadness. For this reason they call oriental people 'inscrutable' because they change facial expression much less.

In styles of dress we also make important statements about ourselves. Dress codes vary greatly from one culture to another and it is easy to make mistakes about people's status if you don't know the cultural norm. In Mediterranean cultures, bank officials and similar employees wear short-sleeved, open-neck shirts and no jackets. This casual dress would not be acceptable in northern Europe, where suits and ties are a sign of seriousness. Ambitious women in western cultures wear classic clothes in sober colours to indicate their dedication to career.

One of the main differences between verbal and non-verbal communication is that we are often not conscious of the expressions and gestures we use and so we are in danger of giving more information than we really want to, or even of giving a conflicting message with our body language to the one expressed in our words.


Non-Verbal Communication

Reading Comprehension 12

Answer the questions about the passage.


Relate the following to your country’s culture.

1. Explain why non-verbal messages are “culture specific”.2. Why do Americans like to keep personal space?3. True or False: Everyone smiles a lot. 4. Why do they say that oriental people are “inscrutable”?5. How does a dress code in one country tell the person’s status?6. Why do we have to be conscious of the expressions and gestures we use? 7. Your Opinion: Does non verbal communication affect your interaction to people?

Smiling Eye Contact Dress CodePersonal

SpaceDisplay

of Emotion

Adverbs of Frequency:typically, normally, generally, mainly, substantially, mostly, principally, broadly

Others: As a (general) rule, more often than not

Grammar Chunk 13

Adverbial Phrase


An adverbial phrase also referred to as an adverb phrase, is a multi-word phrase that takes the role of a verb in a sentence. An adverb describes a verb, adjective, or even another adverb. A multi-word adverbial phrase can further modify an adjective, adverb, and a verb.

Adverb phrases are known to answer the questions that describe how, when, where, or how something was done, as shown in the following adverb phrase examples.

Let’s look at the following sentences:1. I kept the luggage.2. I kept the luggage here.3. I kept the luggage right here.4. I kept the luggage right here in front of the kitchen.

In the first sentence, there is no adverb nor adverb phrase. In the second sentence, there is an adverb “here” that describes where the luggage was stored. In the third sentence, there is an adverb phrase “right here,” which stresses where the luggage was kept and used a phrase rather than a single adverb.

The last sentence features a lengthy, more descriptive adverb phrase. Keep in mind that “right here in front of the kitchen” is a prepositional phrase that employs the preposition “in front” and the object “kitchen.” In such a scenario, the prepositional phrase acts as an adverb in the sentence. It is an adverbial and prepositional phrase because it modifies the verb to give more information about the location.

Grammar Chunk 14

Adverb Phrases Show When, Where, How, and Why


Just like adverbs, adverb phrases modify other words by describing when, where, why, or how something was done. They can also explain the condition of an object or action or the extent to which an action or object was affected.

Consider the following adverbial phrase examples that describe when, where, how, and why.

Adverbial Phrases that Describe When As fast as possible Any time Today afternoon After the break Before midnight

Adverbial Phrases that Describe Where At home Around the sun By the mailbox Under the table Right here

Adverbial Phrases that Describe How Quite interesting Doing well Enjoyable Very well Quite easily

Adverbial Phrases that Describe Why To record a statement For committing crime For pity’s sake To revise thoroughly To have a happy marriage


Direction: Identify the adverbial phrases in the article below.

Grammar Exercise 15

How to appear confident in an interview?

To show confidence, start by practicing your eye contact. Keeping natural and steady eye contact throughout your interview is an excellent way to project confidence. Aim to maintain natural eye contact instead of making eye contact that feels intense or prolonged. Try occasionally looking at your resume or other material you brought with you to the interview before turning your attention back to the hiring manager.

After you work on your eye contact, you might also find it helpful to practice good posture. Body language is an important aspect of communicating confidence during your interview. Start by sitting with your arms unfolded in your lap to convey an open, friendly attitude. Make your back straight with your shoulders back and your chest and chin raised.

One great way to show confidence in an interview is to greet the interviewer with a firm handshake. A firm handshake shows experience and confidence, and it gives the interviewer a good first impression.

When you get nervous, the blood flows away from your brain and into your muscles for fight or flight mode. This lack of blood in the brain can impact cognitive functions. However, when you take slow, deep breaths, you bring oxygen back to your brain to help you think.

Fidgeting is a sign of nervousness. If you tend to tap your fingers or twirl your hair, practice keeping your hands on the table. You should also make a point not to keep a pen or paper in your hands if you typically fidget with anything you are holding. If you often shake your leg when you are nervous, you can keep your hands in your lap and apply a little pressure to remind yourself to stop shaking. Try asking a friend or family member to tell you how you fidget so you can be aware of your habits and work on them.

Source: How To Appear Confident in an Interview | Indeed.com

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/appear-confident-in-an-interview


One great way to showcase interview confidence is to prepare your answers to common interview questions. When you walk into an interview with the knowledge that you are prepared, it can take off the pressure and help you feel more confident. Consider sitting down with a friend or family member to think about your answers. They do not need to be memorized but aim to prepare enough so that you can produce responses you are proud of.

Speak calmly and slowly. To stop yourself from rambling, try to answer each question by addressing one a point at a time.

Choosing the right outfit for your interview can help improve your confidence. Research the company’s dress code to see how you should dress for the interview. If the dress code is formal, men should wear a suit, and women should consider a pantsuit or skirt suit. Look for clothing in classic and neutral colors, such as black, navy or brown. If the company is casual, proper interview attire can include slacks, dark jeans, button-up shirts and polo shirts. When in doubt, it is wise to dress more formally.

Grammar Exercise 16

A final way to calm your nerves and boost your confidence is to think positively. One step you can take to think positively is to focus on areas where you lack confidence and practice making them better. Areas of low confidence can include: Shaking hands with the interviewer Starting the interview Beginning to speak Answering questions

Once you pinpoint where you feel most nervous, you can make a plan on how to address these areas. To work on the previous examples you can: Practice shaking hands with friends. Sit down for mock interviews with family. Record your mock interviews to review them. Practice answering different types of interview

questions.

Source: How To Appear Confident in an Interview | Indeed.com

Direction: Identify the adverbial phrases in the article below.

How to appear confident in an interview?

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/appear-confident-in-an-interview

Common Collocations and Idioms 17

Matching Activity

Collocations:


a. What you do is more significant than what you sayb. When you wave somebody off, you wave to them as they leavec. To agreed. To bend one's knee or body, or lower one's head as a sign of

submission or respect.e. Try to be cheerfulf. To agreeg. to be the first to try to start a romantic relationship with someoneh. to wish for luck for someone or something, sometimes by actually

crossing one's fingers.i. help someone a lot, with possible bad consequences for oneselfj. When you wave a vehicle down, you wave your hands to make it

stop.k. take care of, watch in order to protectl. Relax, have fun

1. To make the first move2. To keep one’s finger crossed3. Action speaks louder than words4. To keep one’s chin up5. To let one’s hair down6. To see eye to eye7. To stick your neck our8. To keep an eye on

Idioms:

9. Wave off10. Wave down11. Bow down

Speaking Drill 18

Express Yourself1. Do you think body language is important?2. How does body language help communication?3. Are you aware of your own body language?4. Do you notice other people’s body language?5. What are some typical hand gestures in your culture?6. Can you understand something about a person’s

personality by looking at their body language?7. Do you have any body language you would like to change?8. Some people say “you can know a person by their

handshake”. Do you agree?9. What type of eye contact do you think is good?10.Does your eye contact change according to the situation?11.Is body language different between men and women?


The End

9

Documents

Lesson 8. Body Language