PEOPLE all over the world use their bodies to communicate expressively. Without body language, our world would be dull and colourless. Body language communicates as effectively as words, maybe even more effectively.

　　Understand body language

　　Face is a rich and versatile instrument serving many different functions. It serves as a window to display one's own motivational state. For example, if you are feeling anxious, your facial expression may lead you to appear aloof, disapproving, or disinterested. You can break this misrepresentation by making a conscious effort to smile. Your smile will help you appear warm, friendly, and confident.

　　Eye contact is one of the most important aspects of dealing with others, especially people we've just met. Maintaining good eye contact shows respect and interest in what they have to say. Doing this will give them a feeling of comfort and genuine warmth in your company, any more eye contact than this and you can be too intense, any less and you give off a signal that you are lacking interest in them or their conversation.

　　Ears play a vital role in communication with others. You've got two ears and only one mouth, so try to use them in that order. If you listen twice as much as you talk, you come across as a good communicator who knows how to strike up a balanced conversation.

　　Mouth movements can give away all sorts of clues. We purse our lips and sometimes twist them to the side when we're thinking. Another occasion we might use this movement is to hold back an angry comment we don't wish to reveal. There are also different types of smiles and each gives off a corresponding feeling to its recipient which we'll cover next time.

　　Head position is a great one to play around with yourself and others. When you want to feel confident and self-assured keep your head level. You can also use this straight head position when you want to be authoritative and want what you're saying to be taken seriously. Conversely, when you want to be friendly and listen, tilt your head just a little to one side. You can shift the tilt from left to right at different points in the conversation. Nodding the head shows agreement.

　　Hand gestures are so numerous. Palms slightly up and outward is seen as open and friendly. Palm down gestures are generally seen as dominant, and possibly aggressive, especially when there is no movement or bending between the wrist and the forearm. By pointing your finger, or moving your hands closer together, you can draw emphasis to what you are saying. Making too many gestures can make you appear nervous and uncontrolled. Wringing your hands or touching your sleeves, face, etc. can make you appear tense, nervous, and sometimes dishonest.

　　Arms give away clues as to how open and receptive we are to people we meet and interact with. In general terms the more outgoing you are as a person, the more you tend to use your arms in big movements. The quieter you are, the less you move your arms away from your body.

　　Legs are the furthest point away from the brain, consequently they're the hardest bits of our bodies to consciously control. They tend to move around a lot more than normal when we are nervous, stressed or being deceptive. So it's best to keep them as still as possible in most situations, especially at interviews or work meetings.

　　Cultural differences

　　Culture influences communication， so the way people in different countries communicate is different too. For example, Arab men often greet by kissing on both cheeks. In Japan men greet by bowing. In the United States, people shake hands to greet each other. And the gesture of putting a hand on a person's neck is different for Chinese and Americans. For Chinese, it is to say "someone will be killed". For Americans, it means "I'm full". And in Thailand, if you want to signal a person to come over, you should move your fingers back and forth with your palm down. But in the US, you ask someone to come by holding your palm up and moving the fingers towards your body. Crossing one's legs in the US is a sign of being relaxed. But in South Korea, it's not allowed. In China, people handle everything with both hands to show their respect, but for Muslims, they think the left hand is unclean and do not eat or pass anything with it. In Turkey, putting one's hand in one's pockets is a sign of disrespect. In some Asian countries, you must not touch the head of another person. For an Arab, it is good manners to stand close to a friend when they are talking, but for English people, they don't like to stand too close to one another.