a guide to non-verbal communication by Mr. Glarino. Presented during the 2011 Mandatory Continuing Legal Education

1. Kinesics
Understanding Body Language
Click to edit Master subtitle style
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2. Knowing Kinesics
May lead to:
Making sense of the body language of other
•
people as well as knowing how others may read
your own body language
•Managing one’s own body language for
impression management
Conveying your message intentionally through your
–
body language
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3. ‘Kinesics’ was coined by the anthropologist Ray
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Birdwhistell
– 35% verbal component of communication
– 65% non-verbal component
•Women tend to be more perceptive of body
language than men (female intuition)
–Harvard research showed, while watching short films
with the sound turned off, women read the message
accurately 87% while men scored 42%
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4. Kinesics Roots
Charles Darwin (1809-1882): father of the study
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of body language
He noted the similarity between humans and
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animals in emotional expression
•Example: frightened chimpanzees freeze in place with wide
opened eyes, flared nostrils (expanded nasal cavities) and mouth
slightly opened which is similar to humans
•Active Study of Kinesics started only in 1960’s
•Popularized in the late 70’s
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5. research methods
•Self reports
– Doers
– Observers
•Correlations
•Field studies
•Experiments
IMPORTANT: Kinesics is NOT an exact science!!
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6. Example: Impression management
In sales, someone who’s working hard to win
you over to his proposal will:
•Smile a lot
•Use a firm handshake
•Use eye contact well for you to notice
•Tilt his head and lean forward to indicate his
listening when you talk
Widen his eyes as you speak
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7. Basis of Kinesics
•Intrinsic factors
Smiling expressions of children born deaf and blind
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occur independently of learning or copying
•Extrinsic factors
– Cultural hand signals
•Intrinsic-Extrinsic overlap
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8. Nature vs. nurture
Some body language is inherited and consistent
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among all humans. Other body language is not.
•The use and recognition of certain fundamental
facial expressions are now generally accepted to
be consistent and genetically determined
among all humans regardless of culture.
•However the use and recognition of less
fundamental physical gestures (hand
movements for example, or the winking of an
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9. Cultural hand signals
North America: OK
Russia, Brazil, Turkey:
An orifice signal; sexual insult; gay man
Tunisia, France, Belgium: Zero; worthless
Japan: Money; coins
Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Malta: Up yours!
USA: Two
Germany: Victory
France: Peace
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10. Most western countries: Two
Greece Go to Hell!
Bali: Bad
Japan: Woman
South America: Thin
France: You can't fool me!
Mediterranean: Small penis
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11. Widespread use : OK, good, hitchhike
Many Europoean countries: one
Australia: sit on this! (a_s hole)
Western countries: Number 5
Could also mean in many countries: Stop!
Greece and Turkey: Go to hell!
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12. Kinesics: Sections
Emblems: cues that clearly represent a verbal
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message e.g. thumbs up = ok
Illustrators: e.g. when we talk while using hands
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to underscore meaning
Affect displays: facial gestures that convey
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nonverbal message
Regulators: cues that indicate how well verbal
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communication is going (nods, shakes)
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13. Sneering
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14. ‘Sneering’ involves baring the teeth and flaring
nostrils usually signals anger and irritation.
Among apes, baring the teeth signals an
impending attack while flaring nostrils allows
more oxygenated blood to flow. Humans still
carry the expression as part of evolutionary
heritage.
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15. Universal facial expressions
•Anger
•Disgust
•Fear
•Surprise
•Sadness
•Joy
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16. Ekman's work included isolated tribes-people
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who could not have been influenced by Western
media and images, and essentially proved that
Darwin was right - i.e., that the use and
recognition of facial expressions to convey
certain basic human emotions is part of human
evolved nature, genetically inherited, and not
dependent on social learning or conditioning.
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17. Neutral
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18. Anger
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19. Disgust
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20. Fear
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21. Surprise
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22. Sadness
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23. Real enjoyment/genuine smile
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24. Feigned enjoyment/polite smile
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25. Contempt
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26. Shame
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27. Rules for Better Reading
•1) Read Gestures in Cluster
Each gesture is like a single word and one word may
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have several different meanings.
– Gestures come in ‘sentences’ called “clusters”.
–A body language cluster, just like a verbal sentence,
needs around three words in it before one can
approximate what each ‘word’ means.
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28. Example
Critical evaluation cluster:
hand-to-face gesture (main signal)
+ cross arms
+ tightly cross legs
+ head and chin down
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29. Rules for Better Reading
•2) Look for congruence
When available, try to find validation in the verbal
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message
Studies show that when verbal and non-verbal
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message are incongruent, women tend to follow the
non-verbal cue
A person saying something different from how he is
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behaving non-verbally is usually less believable
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30. Examples of incongruence
Your BF or GF is saying all the ‘right words’ but
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avoids your gaze
Your subordinate says its alright for him to do
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overtime as you requested but you can see the
sneer in his face
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31. Rules for Better Reading
•3) Read gestures in context
–Example: a person, chin down, crossing both legs and
arms in a cold night outside may not be acting
defensive but plainly feeling cold
–But if the person was acting the same way in a setting
which was not warm and did not act that way until you
started blaming him for the failure of a business
engagement, may be acting defensively.
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32. Hands
•Hands out with palms upward
– “I’m a peace maker”
– Asking for help
•Palms-in movement
–Similar to palms upward but with drawing motion; also
may be waving hands around as long as its facing the
speaker/actor
–May indicate invitation or ‘sweet’ attempts at
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persuasion

33. •Palms down and Palms out
Dominating move; authority; holding others at bay
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while you speak; may mean you already made up your
mind and not open to input; you are firm with your
message; sometimes viewed as hostility;
–Notice two lovers holding hands while walking, may
sometimes indicate who is on the ‘upper hand’.
–Palms down, may usually change or combined with to
palms out which basically means the same except the
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latter is

34. •Fist
–Newborns squalling usually curl their hands into a tight
fist. This is observed even with deaf or blind babies
indicating that it is not a learned gesture but an inborn
response to anger or frustration
–The difficulty nowadays is that it is used in many ways
even in jest
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35. A hand with open fingers generally displays
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open-mindedness
Tightly close fingers indicate person is uptight
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and rigid
•The best way to interpret open or close fingers
is when seen together with palms down or
palms up position.
•Ex. Palms down with fingers apart may mean: “I
feel strongly about my position but I may also be
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36. Nervousness signs: wringing hands, pulling or
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bending fingers, digging nails on the fist,
drumming fingertips on table tops usually show
anxiety
Self touches may also indicate that all is not well
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since it is a way of self comfort
– Rubbing the face (nose or chin)
– Rubbing forearms
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– Crossing arms in a tight hug

37. Boredom signs: finger tapping, facial rubbing,
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supporting head with hand, knuckle cracking,
any motion to rouse the person (slapping own
self)
Notice that some of these signs are also signs of
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boredom thus one must be observant for other
cues
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38. Classic
gesture of
Boredom
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39. Evaluation is shown by a
closed hand resting on the
chin or cheek, often with the
index finger pointing upwards.
When the person begins to
lose interest but still wants to
appear interested the position
will alter so that the heel
of the palm supports the head
as boredom sets in.
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40. When the index
finger points vertically up
the cheek and the thumb
supports the chin, the
listener is having negative or
critical thoughts about the
speaker or his
subject.
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41. Chin Stroke is the signal
that the listener is going
through the decision-
making process
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42. Research found those who habitually rub the
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back of the neck have a tendency to be negative
or critical, whereas those who habitually rub
their foreheads to non-verbalize an error tend to
be more open and easy-going.
NOTE: hand-to-face gestures can easily be
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misinterpreted
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43. • Politicians
–The more powerful the politician the more controlled
the hand movements
– Many politicians rehearse their hand gestures
•Bush showing his hand in the podium, “I have nothing to hide”
•Marcos pounding his fist, “I intend to pursue the point”
–Squeezing against the thumb against the fingertips
avoids intimidating the audience (Tony Blair style)
•In astudy, subjects shown this gesture tend to interpret the
doer as someone who is ‘thoughtful’, ‘goal oriented’ and
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44. Thumb squeezed against fingertips
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45. Handshakes
Dominance: turning hand so that palm faces
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slightly down
Submission: turning hand so that palm faces
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slightly up
Equality: both hands in vertical position. This
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creates a feeling of equality and mutual respect.
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46. Other hand gestures
Rubbing palms together – showing positive
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expectancy
–When done fast usually benefit is for the other person,
when slow usually the benefit is for the doer. Example:
sales agent says “I found a house for you”
Thumb and finger rub: usually done to signify
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money
•Hands clenched – usually shows frustration.
Research has validated this with negotiators.
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47. Hands on the back- emotions attached to this
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gesture is superiority, confidence and power
•Thumb displays – in general, usually indicate
several things including dominance and
assertiveness. It also shows confident and
sometimes authoritative and aggressive
attitudes. To be understood, it needs to be read
in a cluster.
–People who wear high-status or prestige clothing
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usually display their thumbs.

48. Hands clenched indicates
frustration even when smiling.
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49. Steeple usually signal
confident attitude. It is
usually used in a superior-
subordinate interaction.
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50. Face Platter: Used mainly by
women and gay men to
attract a man’s attention
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51. Crossed-arms
•We respond normally to external threats by
hiding behind a barrier. As children we hide
behind something when we are in threatening
situations. At the end of pre-school age (4-6) we
usually learn to ‘create a barrier by folding our
arms tightly across our chest when we are
threatened. During teens, we make our crossed
arms less obvious by relaxing it a little and
combining it perhaps with crossed-legs. As
adults we become more sophisticated in making
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52. •In a study, students who were instructed to
tightly crossed their arms while listening to a
lecture had 38% less retention than those not
closing their arms, legs and were in a more
relaxed position.
Studies also show that observer reaction to a
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person crossing arms tended to be negative
compared to someone who did not cross arms
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53. Clenched fist arms-crossed show hostile
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attitude
Double arm grip crossed arms- showing feelings
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of insecurity and not buying what is being told.
Crossed-arms with thumbs up – defensive but
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wants to think he is still ok or cool
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54. Posture and Legs
•Slouching
•A subtle characteristic wherein others usually
‘feel’ there is something wrong but can’t put
their finger on.
Aside from creating possible physical aches it
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also projects negative personality images:
– Illness
– Boredom
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55. •Slouching makes you appear smaller
Straightening the spine (sitting or standing
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straight) is one way to transform appearance.
– The person appears
•Taller
•More interested
•More confident
•May also indicate readiness for action
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56. •Body parts in the lower region are usually far
from one’s awareness so most of the time less
controlled.
•Legs and feet are important sources of
information because people do not pay so much
awareness in them like they do with their face
gestures and they usually do not consider faking
them
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57. •A person may look composed in the upper body but
would show feet tapping or short air jabs of the feet as
if indicating the frustration at not being able to escape
the situation or feeling anxious
Feet jiggling is similar to the idea of getting
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away from what is experience. It is usually a sign
of discomfort and nervousness.
–To make use of this action fully, try to look for
congruence/incongruence in the verbal language
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58. •Experiments showed (using managers as
respondents) that when subjects lied they
increased their foot movements. Most of the
respondents faked their facial gestures or
controlled hand movements when lying but are
usually unaware of the increased movements in
foot or/and legs
•Studies also showed that observers tend to
catch lies better when they see the entire body
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of the

59. 4 main legs position
At Attention
This is a formal position that shows a neutral
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attitude with no commitment to stay or go.
In male—female encounters, it is used more by
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women than men as it effectively keeps the legs
together like a 'No Comment' signal.
Used often by subordinates when talking with
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superiors
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60. Legs Apart
This is predominantly a male gesture and is like
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a standing Crotch Display.
The Crotch Displayer plants both feet firmly on
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the ground, making a clear statement that he
has no intention of leaving.
•It is used as a dominance signal by men because
it highlights the genitals, giving the Crotch
Displayer a macho-looking attitude.
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61. •Foot-Forward
•The body weight is shifted to one hip, which
leaves the front foot pointing forward.
A clue to a person's immediate intentions,
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because we point our lead foot in the direction
our mind would like to go.
•In a group situation, we point our lead foot at
the most interesting or attractive person but
when we want to leave, we point our feet at the
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62. Leg Cross (while standing)
•Usually casual or indicating being reserved.
In certain situations where a person is with
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strangers, the leg cross is done together with the
arm cross and there is some distance between
the person and others.
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63. •Standing hands on hip
Posturing for authority, sometimes associated
•
with aggressiveness. Standing two feet on the
ground makes one look bigger, and this is
exaggerated when hands are on hips.
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64. Mouth
•Compressing lips – classing sign of anger
Puckered lips – (lip shape when one is about to
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kiss) a sign of affection (e.g. love, sensuality or
sexual harassment!)
Purse lips – the shape is between compressed
•
and puckered lips. Usually indicates anger,
confusion or disagreement on some level.
•Pouting – sadness, anger or frustration. May
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also be

65. Licking the lips – a gesture often misunderstood
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especially by men. It can send a variety of
message depending on who is doing the licking
and the setting.
•Jaw drop – shocked, confused
Jaw locked - lower jaw appear like it is set in
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stone; anger, tension, sadness
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66. •Smiling – happy.
•A real smile is…
– Lips move or curl upward
– Nose may crinkle slightly
– Nostrils may flare
– Muscles around the eyes are fully engaged
•A fake smile is…
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67. Eyes
Raising eyebrows – a way of emphasizing what is said; can
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also indicate confusion. It is also perceived as submissive
signal in both humans and apes
those not used to lying, this is good indicator of telling the
•
truth; for perennial liars, raising brows could mean that it’s
a lie.
•When someone raises brows while questioning, notice
other signs (open mouth or flared nostrils) then it would
indicate that he has concerns of what you are saying.
• Single eye brow raise- often means “I don’t believe you”.
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• Lowering brows is showing dominance and aggression

68. Blinking – the average person blinks about 20
•
times a minute. More than the average usually
means excitement or anxiety.
Squinting – when you squint to someone who is
•
talking to you the impression is generally you
are doubting what he or she is saying. Even if
the real reason of your squint is you can’t see
clearly.
•Half-closed eye – boredom and fatigue
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69. •Dilating pupils – Excitement, mental activity
(e.g. problem solving and fully dilates in finding
a solution)
•Contracting pupils – angry, negative mood
•Eyebrow flash – eyebrows rise rapidly and drops
again with the intention of drawing attention to
the face. This is usually used as a ‘hello’ signal or
social greeting and is found to be present in
apes and monkeys
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70. Studies show that people tend to read eye areas
•
well than any other body parts and women are
better than men.
•Autistic people, in general have a deficiency in
reading body language even if they have high
IQs. Researchers suspect this as the reason for
their poor social relations
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71. Body Angling
The man on the right
indicating he wants
to leave
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72. To avoid being seen as
aggressive, we stand with our
bodies angled at 45 degrees
to each other during friendly
encounters to form an angle
of 90 degrees.
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73. Open triangular position
encouraging the entry of a
third person.
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74. Direct body pointing
in the Closed Position
to attempt to get a
captive audience.
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75. If another person wants to join two
others standing in a Closed
Position, he'll be invited when the
other two angle their bodies to
form the triangle. If not accepted,
the others will hold the Closed
Position and turn only their heads
towards him as a sign of
recognition and probably give
tight-lipped smiles.
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76. Body Pointing is used to close off a
couple and exclude the man on the
right
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77. Not only do the feet serve as
pointers indicating the
direction in which a person's
mind is going, they also point
at people who we find the
most interesting or attractive.
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78. Most common deceit signals
(Pease and Pease)
•IMPORTANT: in applying these common deceit
signals, strictly enforce the three rules on
reading body language: Clusters, Congruence or
Incongruence and Context
•The least dependable signs of lying are the ones
over which a person has the most control, such
as words, because a person can rehearse their
lies.
•The most reliable clues to lying are the gestures
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79. Mouth cover
(subconscious suppression of deceitful words)
The mouth cover may involve the whole hand, a
few fingers or the fist.
•If a person covers mouth while talking, maybe
lying
•If a person covers mouth while the other is
talking may indicate disbelief
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80. Nose touch
Several quick rubs below the nose or one quick
•
nose touch.
•Research show that when a person lies, certain
chemicals are released causing tissue inside the
nose to swell as well as increase in blood
pressure thus the human nose expands with
blood during lying and is known as the
“Pinocchio effect”, this cause the nose to tingle
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81. •Eye rub
When a child doesn’t want to look at
•
something, he covers eyes. Among grown ups it
becomes more complex and turns into the eye
rub which could mean the blocking out of
deceit, doubt or deceitful thing it sees or to
avoid having to look at the face of the person
being lied to.
•Men usually do the eye rub more than women.
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82. Ear grab
This the adult version of the ‘hands-over-both-
•
ears’ used by child.
•It’s the symbolic attempt to block the words
heard by putting hand around or over the ear or
tugging the earlobe, rubbing the back of the ear
or ‘finger drill’ (finger is screwed back and forth
in the ear
It can also mean the person has heard enough
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•

83. Neck scratch
index finger — scratches the side of the neck
•
below the earlobe
This gesture is a signal of doubt or uncertainty
•
and is characteristic of the person who says, 'I'm
not sure I agree.‘
It is noticeable when verbal language
•
contradicts it (e.g. I understand what you mean)
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84. Collar Pull - lies cause a
tingling sensation in the facial
and neck tissues making the
scratch the part. This also
explains the collar pull.
Increased blood pressure from
the deceit causes sweat to
form on the neck when the
deceiver feels that you
suspect he's not telling
Collar Pull could also mean
the truth.
anger and frustration.
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85. Deceit signals (Hagen)
•Wide eyes
•Flushed face
•Self touches (nose touch, rubbing back neck)
•Lack of eye contact
•Excessive won’t back down eye contact
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86. •Excessive blinking
•Angling body away from accuser
•Hiding the hands
•Biting the lips or covering mouth
•Exaggerated movement of arms and legs
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87. Seating arrangements
Corner position: For
friendly and casual
conversation
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88. The Co-operative Position: used
best when two people are thinking
alike or when working on a task
together.
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89. Competitive/Defensive
Position: Sitting across the
table from a person can
create a defensive,
competitive atmosphere
and can lead to each party
taking a firm stand on his
point of view because the
table becomes a solid
Sitting directly opposite barrier between both
each other creates bad parties.
vibes.
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90. Independent position:
This is taken by people
when they don't want
to interact with each
other.
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