READING BODY LANGUAGE
• Each one of us has the ability → natural way of communication
• Clever Hans:
The horse of Wilhelm von Osten (20th century)
Apparently able to count, read and recognise tones
1904 - Studied by committee → found to be able to read human
body language (Pfungst)
HEAD AND FACE
• Easy to control, difficult to read
• Focus on:
SMILE
EYES
o Blinking
o Pupils
o Eye movements
ORBICULARIS OCULI
ZYGOMATIC MAJOR
• There are differences between real
and fake smile:
Duchene´s marker
Ekman´s and Friesen´s
research
• Direct link beween our emotions
and our physiology
SMILE
EYES• BLINKING
Connected to the amount of mental stress we are experiencing
The frequency of our blinking shows the speed with which we are
processing information
• PUPILS
Pupils constrict in the light and dilate in the dark
Dilated pupils are connected with positive feelings and vice-versa
• EYE MOVEMENTS
V = Visual (images) R = remembered
A = Audible (sounds) C = constructed
K = Kinaesthetic (feelings, touch, smell, taste) ID = internal dialogue
VC
AC
K
VR
AR
AID
HANDS AND ARMS• Often the hands will give valuable clues as how to the person perceives
his relationship to the subject he is talking about
• POINTING
at oneself → may occur in such a way
that betrays the fact that the speaker sees
himself in a role he does not consciously
means to communicate
• WEIGHING GESTURE
- The speaker may talk about how he isn't sure whether to carry out option A
or option B, and in expressing his indecision may mime "weighing up" the
options as if his hands were a pair of scales.
HANDS AND ARMS• OTHER GESTURES
Crossing arms
• Misunderstood gesture
• If our conversational partner
crosses his arms, he's giving
the signals to the others that he
finds us interesting and doesn't
want anybody to disturb him
Arms on hips
• A gesture of rejection or
sometimes even stealthy
aggression
• By doing so we're making
ourselves optically larger
•If we notice that our partner is drumming with his fingers or
tapping them on the table, it means that he is most likely bored and
wishes to leave to conversation.
Tapping the fingers
FEET AND LEGS• DRUMMING AND CROSSING
Drumming can also occur with feet
We should also watch for sudden crossing, re-crossing or
uncrossing of feet when significant subjects are brought up
• CREATING BARRIERS
A person may sound disinterested in us, but if her feet are little
turned out towards us the chances are that she is actually very open to
us
Equally, a business associate may be smiling and chatting
comfortable with us but may have her legs crossed away from us and
her right arm holding her cigarette right across her body
FEET AND LEGS• STRETCHING
sign of disinterest in what
we have to say → may be
coupled with folding of the
arms
• these signify much
stronger rejection
The reason why some of these examples seem more obvious is that, by paying less
attention to such things, people tend to give their feelings away in much bolder ways
THE POLYGRAPH
• Incorrectly called "the lie detector"
• Doesn't detect lies, but the changes in
the suspect's body
• Innocent people are convicted of crimes
• Changes on which the polygraph
focuses could be produced by nervous
or frustrated suspect for any number of
perfectly innocent reasons
THE POLYGRAPH• Researchers have tested to see
whether the polygraph is as
effective as its defenders claim
• In the test 4 out of 4
polygraphers identified
innocent people of convicting
a crime
"The most important thing in communication is hearing
what isn't said."
- Peter F. Drucker
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!
Created by: Martina Sládeková, III.E
2012/2013
SOURCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY
• BROWN, Derren - Tricks of the mind,
TRANSWORLD PUBLISHERS, London 2007
ISBN 978-19-050-2635-7• HAVENER, Thorsten - Viem, čo si myslíš,
TIMY PARTNERS spol. s.r.o. , Bratislava 2010
ISBN 970-80-89311-15-6
SOURCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY• http://www.zippyshell.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Learn-How-To-Read-Body-Language.jpg
• http://www.wallsave.com/wallpapers/1024x768/engineering-graph-sheets/290334/engineering-graph-sheets-crumpled-notebook-paper-
290334.jpg
• http://www.gutenberg.org/files/33936/33936-h/images/frontispiece.jpg
• http://richardwiseman.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/50417f7a-04e7-4d8a-ba82-cc2023c7b15e.jpeg
• http://www.missionicappuccini.it/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ethiopia-boy.jpg
• http://www.naijastories.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/1024-eyes.jpg
• http://img.fotocommunity.com/images/Portrait-Frauen/Studio-kein-Akt/nude-face-a29309133.jpg
• http://goo.gl/EJYtN
• http://www.csinews.eric-szmanda.net/albums/userpics/10001/2010_02.jpg
• http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/imagehitevo/imagehitevo1105/imagehitevo110500883/9605432-angry-businessman-with-arms-
akimbo.jpg
• http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmury6Y5jc1qbjcuj.gif
• http://deadmanswill.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/crossed-legs-01.jpg
• http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/logos/logos0909/logos090900232/5497037-happy-young-business-man-sitting-in-the-office-with-
legs-over-table.jpg
• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Polygraph_Test_-_Limestone_Technologies_Inc.jpg
• http://detective-dnepropetrovsk.com/assets/images/services/11_detektor_lji.jpg