As a human being, you communicate information about yourself even when you don’t use words. Your body has its own language. exist traits of your body that have a particularly marked expressiveness. The face is an example of this thanks to the look and the smile. Your hands also have great expressive power in interacting with others.
For example, it is recommended that when you are talking to a person or giving a presentation in public, you avoid gesturing excessively with your hands, since in that case, this visual information can become a form of noise in the interaction. Your hand gestures should always be aimed at reinforcing verbal information. In this Psychology-Online article, we tell you what the importance of hands in non-verbal language through visual examples.
When you cover your mouth with your hand, you are creating a barrier in the dialogue. This body language gesture conveys the image of a person who is trying to hide something about themselves. Therefore, control this gesture, especially in situations where you must pay greater attention to your personal brand. For example, in a job interview.
It suits not interpreting body language literally, since there may be many factors that are affecting that person at that moment from a communication point of view. The fact of having your hands in your pockets can mean a gesture of certain apathy.
For example, if you’re talking to a person who has their hands in their pockets, keep in mind that you still have to earn their interest. From the point of view of social protocol, having your hands in your pockets when you are introduced to a person is interpreted as a sign of poor education. The visual image of a person who has his hands in his pockets when he turns toward another person reflects little openness toward otherness.
In the field of business and professional meetings, there is a frequent gesture: join your hands behind your back. However, this gesture, which in some cases can be interpreted as a gesture of self-confidence, can also project the image of someone who creates a barrier.
The gesture of extend the palm of the hand Towards the other it expresses an attitude of sincerity and truth. Why is body language so expressive? Because it is a reflection of your emotions, feelings and your present attitude. No matter how much you try to control all the details of body language, there may be some aspect that you miss.
Make a fist and point your finger to someone is a gesture that causes discomfort to that person who feels singled out, since this gesture denotes a certain degree of hostility. Learning to point is one of the first gestures that children learn in childhood. However, in the context of adulthood, this childhood sign takes on another meaning for the simple reason that you now have a wide repertoire of words to make yourself understood.
Point It can only be positive in a case of extreme urgency when what you are pointing out is truly decisive for action. Another context in which pointing with your finger does not have a negative meaning is when someone asks you a certain direction on the street and you indicate with your hand the direction in which they should continue or some visible point that can serve as a reference on their way. .
When a person intertwines his fingers, is showing authority regarding the expressed topic. Sometimes, it may happen that in a conversation there is a natural rhythm to the non-verbal language of the interlocutor. This imitation effect is a reflection of empathy and connection.
A simple example that you can carry out to acquire more information about your non-verbal language, specifically, the language of your hands, is record yourself on video. For example, you can prepare a fifteen-minute talk on a topic you like. Then, review the video. This exercise is very common in workshops that offer training in public speaking.
Furthermore, from now on, at certain moments, you can also pay more conscious attention to the non-verbal information of the movies you see in the cinema or, also, on television. Remove the sound from an image and see how, from the image, you have the power to deduce details of that situation.
The importance of hands in non-verbal language is evident as long as you do not analyze this point in a reductionist way because you express information about yourself with your whole body.