The Body Language of People v's The Dance of Bees

Last week we discussed the language of bees as expressed through their complicated and precise dance. This week we are looking at the human equivalent and how it relates to business.

The Body Language of People v's The Dance of Bees
How can a creature with such small brain space have such an incredibly diverse and precise language? Surely we as humans with our large craniums and 40,000 years of communication development, must have our equivalent? Well maybe you'll be surprised to learn that experts estimate that 60 - 80 % of all human communication is non-verbal cues, like body language, voice inflection and facial expressions. Here are a few basics to whet your appetite;

• Language of closure Closure literally closes the body up. It may range from a slight bringing together of the limbs to curled up into a tight ball. Extreme cases may also include rhythmic rocking of the body to and fro.

• Looking down or away
  The head may be inclined away from the person, and particularly may be tucked down.

• Opening
  When you are trying to persuade a person, their standing or sitting in a closed position is usually a signal that they are not ready to be persuaded. Moving them to an open position can significantly increase your chances of persuading them.

• Force hand use
  A common method sales people use to break a crossed-arms closed position is to give the person something to hold or otherwise ask them to use their hands, for example asking them to hand over something, turn over a page, stand up and so on.

• Following
  The other common method of opening a person is to first adopt a closed position like them. Then some effort is put into building a bond with them, such that they start to like you and are attaching their identity to yours. Finally, you then open your position, unfolding arms and legs. If they are sufficiently bonded then they will follow you.
  This should be done naturally and steadily, for example unfolding your arms in order to use your hands to illustrate what you are saying. If they do not follow you, return to the closed position and work further at bonding before trying again.

• Legs across
  There are several styles of leg crossing, including the ankle cross, the knee cross, the figure-four (ankle on opposite knee) and the tense wrap-around.Legs may also wrap around convenient other objects, such as chair legs.
  When legs are crossed but arms are not, it can show deliberate attempts to appear relaxed. This is particularly true when legs are hidden under a table.

• Arms across
  In a closed positions one or both arms cross the central line of the body. They may be folded or tightly clasped or holding one another. There may also be holding one another.Lighter arm crossing may include resting an arm on a table or leg, or loosely crossed with wrists crossing.

Varying levels of tension may be seen in the arms and shoulders, from a relaxed droop to tight tension and holding on to the body or other arms.

If you want to learn more techniques for increasing your Selling Skills, check out our manual aptly named, Selling Skills 3B. Email here for more information on Selling Skills 3B.