Often we are asked if there are gender differences in body language. In the past 20-30 years, the conventional perception was that in general, women are more communicative than men, both literally and with their body language. Today, the gap is blurry.

Women and men express the same body language positions, gestures and facial expressions, that’s why it’s called body language. It’s a matter of communication, if there were too many differences we couldn’t have called it ”language”.

It is very crucial to look at a cluster of gestures pointing at the same direction and not only at one gesture before coming to any conclusion, it’s as if we are listening to one word out of a whole sentence and assume we understand it.

Even today, in modern life, there are slight gender differences in the extent and duration of gestures, yet the distinction requires more training and experience than learning basic body language.

Examples of a slight gender differences in extent or duration of a particular gesture:

1. Everyone strokes their hair with their fingers – in women, the duration is slightly longer.

2. Men and women will both bite their lower lip in times of stress, lick their lips when sensing dry mouth or attraction, in women though it’s more observable because it is a bit more frequent and sustained.

3. Women are capable of tilting their head longer than men while listening to others, perhaps because they concentrate more on the verbal communication’s details which creates the whole picture. You can see an example of this situation when two men sit at a restaurant table, they usually will sit facing each other. Women, will often sit side by side.

4. Women and men blink frequently when they are interested in the conversation. With women it’s just more obvious and noticeable to the eye of the observer. It could be because of their makeup. Read more ...

Body language cards teach workers non-verbal cues that position them for hiring

Your body language during an interview may be revealing things to a potential boss that you didn't know. The interviewer's body language also can reveal what he/she is thinking. Learning how to use and read non-verbal cues can give job seekers a clear advantage over other contenders.

"Job seekers invest a lot in preparation for an interview: new clothes; perfect hair and nails; company research, and role playing the interview so they have all the right answers. But knowing how to use non-verbal cues and communication to build trust and confidence is just as important," said Gil Shermeister, behavioral zoologist that 12 years ago co-invented the Body Language Cards, a method used in the training of executives, sales forces and professional security personnel.

Shermeister's top six interview tips include:

1. When entering the interview, people tend to create an imaginary barrier to protect themselves by clutching a handbag or crossing their arms. To the interviewer this "says" insecurity. Keep an open body stance (no crossed arms or legs) and maintain eye contact.

2. Avoid making the upper hand handshake which indicates a need to dominate.

3. If interviewed by several people, always identify the decision-maker. This is the person others glance at when they are finished talking. Direct comments/replies to the decision-maker.

4. Under stress people instinctively tend to protect the main artery. In modern society it is manifested by touching the tie or playing with a necklace. Don't fidget with jewelry or garments in this way.

5. The interviewer may reveal a need for more information by putting an object in his/her mouth or motioning with a pen or the tip of the glasses. Take the cue and provide more details. Read more ...

Body language is a major part of our daily communication skills, 55% of our communication is delivered through our body gestures, 38% of our daily communication is the voice and pitch, and only 7% is what we say. Body language is very important and mastering it will improve your communication and life skills in all aspects of life.

So we've created the easiest way to master body language.

The Body Language Cards were created by a team of experts as a training tool to help you recognize the most common body language gestures, and how to use their meaning to your advantage in a simple and easy way. It is based on the flash card methodology and the visual cards with short description send a signal to our brain that it’s a game and not another bulk of information we have to learn. People like to play and thus the information is more effectively consolidated.

“Using visual perception to master body language utilizes our brain’s natural wiring to process visual information in a remarkably effective way while simplifying and condensing information so that you only learn and retain the important facts.”

Moran Cerf, Ph.D. - Computational Neuroscience

Today, most of the information on body language is organized in books, yet body language is a visual mode of communication, and the crucial aspect is to have the visual memory of the movement in mind when one encounters the relevant gesture.

We suggest few easy ways to learn and master body language. It can be done individually or in a group as a game. For training in a group, each participant receive a card and take turn to act out the gesture. The rest of the participants try to guess what the gesture mean, the participant with the card read the back of the card to the rest of the group. Added training: Ask participants what can be done to change the atmosphere if a certain gesture is exhibited during a sales meeting, a social meeting, at home, at work, at an interview, on a date, at a presentation, etc. Read more ...

Body language is a mysterious and unspoken way people unconsciously communicate what is really on their mind and when many are either unsure of, or reluctant to openly communicate their intentions, relying on their body language could tell you what words do not say. Remember, body language by itself only tells part of the story you must blend it with the psychological level and behavioural style, and then attempt to get a better context reading. It must be taken in the context of the situation and prior relationship you have with the person, as well as the person’s behavior and culture style.

Having said that, here are few typical, well-known descriptions of certain types of behaviors you should be aware of to provide clues to what is on your interlocutor mind:

Honesty

· Open hands
· Leaning forward
· Taking coat off
· Moving closer
· Uncrossed legs
· Arms gently crossing lower body

Eagerness

· Small upper or inward smile
· Erect body stance
· Hands open, arms extended, eyes wide and alert
· Lively and bouncy voice, well-modulated

Defensiveness

· Minimal eye contact
· Rigid body
· Arms or legs crossed tightly
· Pursed lips
· Head down with chin depressed toward chest
· Fists clenched
· Fingers clenching crossed arms
· Leaning back in chair

Anger

· Fists clenched
· Body rigid
· Squinting of eyes
· Lips closed and held in a tight thin line
· Continued eye contact with dilation of pupils
· Shallow breathing

Readiness

· Leaning forward in chair
· Hand placed mid-thigh
· Relaxed, but alive facially
· Standing with hands on hips, feet slightly spread

Evaluating

· Slightly tilted head
· Sitting on the front portion of chair with upper torso forward
· Hand-to-cheek gesture
· Stroking chin or pulling beard

Nervousness

· Clearing throat
· Hand-to-mouth movements
· Covering mouth when speaking
· Tugging at ear
· Darting eyes
· Twitching lips or face
· Mouth slightly open Read more ...

Today on the show we have 2 tales.  The first is entitled Making Movies.  Psychotherapy is a long feature film complete with good guys, bad guys, and good plot elements.  We’ll discuss how to make these  films Oscar worthy.  The 2nd is entitled The 2nd Inning.  As the baseball season heads to the playoffs we need a primer on what happens after the 1st inning.  We also need to see how that relates to change. 

What do you usually talk about while you're getting your hair cut?

Your salon conversation can be an important indicator of how you feel about yourself as a woman.

Today, we're talking about some conversations that might sound silly when we point them out, but that are happening in salons everywhere. And they can actually be very degrading to women!

Emily, one of our fabulous hair stylists, came to us after working in the salon industry for several years. She's experienced both a typical salon environment and a salon where every woman is Dressing her Truth. I was curious how the conversations she had before compared with conversations she has now with women who understand their true nature and Type of beauty. Read more ...

Chapter 20 Points to Ponder

The Jackrabbit Factor  The story that will inspire you to dream bigger than ever.   Why you can. 

Chapter 20 Points to Ponder

Chapter 19 Epilogue

The Jackrabbit Factor  The story that will inspire you to dream bigger than ever.   Why you can. 

Chapter 19 Epliogue

Chapter 18 The Beginning

The Jackrabbit Factor  The story that will inspire you to dream bigger than ever.   Why you can. 

Chapter 18 The Beginning

Chapter 17 The Task

The Jackrabbit Factor  The story that will inspire you to dream bigger than ever.   Why you can. 

Chapter 17 The Task