Happy Monday and October to all of you…Today’s post comes from Los Angeles, California! Michelle Goodrich shares some very interesting perspectives on the importance of body language. How aware are you of your body language? Have you ever given it any thoughts?
As a world traveler with a degree in Communications and 12 years as a professional English teacher, my life’s work has been to guide English learners through their own personal explorations of cross-cultural expression. There are, of course, the essential language skills: receptive skills (reading and listening) and productive skills (writing and speaking). If you’ve been studying for awhile, I’m sure you have thought about which are hardest and easiest for you. But what about your other communication skills?
At university, I learned that a large percentage of your message doesn’t actually involve the essential skills! Does this surprise you? Well, there is no doubt that without words, most of us would have a difficult time understanding or being understood. What I would like you to think about is non-verbal communication. What does your body “say” in a conversation or a presentation? To explore this question, I invite you to check out a New York Times article about this week’s debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. I hope it inspires you to focus a bit more attention on your own body language. I hope it does not inspire you to lose faith in politics!
