Non-verbal communication and Body Language can be read or “sensed” in two distinct ways. First, by objectively measuring or comparing what the body is now doing differently than before. Second, by subjectively feeling or using your intuition in realtime. To become aware of and work with other people’s body language, as well as your own, requires a potent and conscious mix of both these hard and soft skills.
There are many well-trained body language experts Understanding Rapport and coaches who are extremely good at objectively sensing how certain body language gestures express what we are thinking. They can also describe how these non-verbal expressions can influence others to think and decide. Now, the new field of biometrics can measure and interpret these expressions much quicker and more effectively than they can. Does this mean we should all give up on reading body language and buy another software package; or is there more to learn in a dimension that computers have not yet mastered?
The best of our body language experts strive to point out that all non-verbal communication must be taken in context. This means both noting the circumstances as well as the patterns surrounding certain gestures. The best of these programs are beginning to incorporate this knowledge too. For instance, the mechanics and positioning of crossed arms can mean much more that just being defensive or skeptical. You may just be cold. You could also be a high-powered boss wishing to tone down your dominance allowing other, more timid voices to express themselves more fully. What are the other soft skills that can aid in figuring out which it is and cannot yet be programmed?
All soft skills that help access your intuition may be key. Intuition was once described by Patrick Collard as your ability to look “in-to-it”, where the “it” is the issue/emotion and or the people involved. This is an area where software still fears to tread. It has now been confirmed many times over that each cell in our bodies have both memory and communication capacity. In fact the body work discipline Body Harmony has coined the term “issue in the tissue”, to describe this dimension. Our ability to be intuitive relies heavily on feeling what is happening both within ourselves as well as in others.
Therefore, you can observe and measure the body language of people and their topics objectively by sensing/measuring and interpreting what is being expressed and you can also dig deeper and train to feel “in-tu-it” to get a conscious sense/feeling of what is happening within. How can distinguishing these two dimensions and learning the skills necessary to increased intuition benefit your work; especially if you are a leader, sales account manager, customer service representative or coach?
The more you train to yourself to feel, become conscious of and trust your own body and its language, the more insight you will have to correctly use your intuition to sense what is happening to those around you here and now. Learning and practicing the soft skills necessary for better sensing your intuition can contribute greatly to your health as well as your ability to create and cultivate loyal and long-lasting and profitable relationships.