Workplace Fitness: What is your body language saying?

The way you communicate with people has very little to do with the words you say -- it's mostly about body language. How you carry yourself can contribute as much as 90% of your meaning, so it's obviously pretty important that you are not only aware of what your body language is saying but also that you know how to control it.

Shaking Hands
Most people think that the grip is the most important part of a good handshake, but that's really not the case. Even more important is making good palm-to-palm contact. Touching palms conveys feelings of honesty and openness, and makes you seem non-threatening. The famous "limp fish" style lacks palm contact and so seems more negative. Other negative styles include squeezing too hard (the "bone crusher") and shaking hands with your palm facing downward or with your other hand covering -- both make you seem like you're trying to assert dominance.

Synchrony (Mirroring)
When two people mirror each other's body language cues it generally means they're on the same page. So if you notice somebody copying your movements or posture, or you catch yourself doing the copying, it's likely that you're both in the same mind-set in regards to whatever it is you're discussing.

Posture
Your posture generally conveys one of two things: dominance or submissiveness. Standing or sitting up straight with an erect posture lends itself to seeming confident and dominant, while slouching and slumping can communicate submission, guilt, and even shame.

Eye Contact
Eye contact is probably one of the most versatile forms of body language, meaning you can communicate a lot of different things depending on how and when you use it. Generally in the U.S. eye contact translates as honesty and forthrightness.

Playing with Hair
A bit tricky to read for certain, playing with hair or tucking hair behind the ear (for women) often means openness, interest, and even flirting.

People often complain that they feel misunderstood at work, or that their coworkers just don't know the real them. If this is you try thinking about your body language to see if you could be inadvertently sending out the wrong signals. Do you smile much? What's your eye contact and posture like? Perhaps most important of all is that even though the majority of communication happens through body language that doesn't mean that what you or others actually say isn't important also. You need to pay attention to both aspects of communication, in yourself and in others, in order to really be effective and successful.