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Gestures speak volumes
‘‘Learning is acquired by reading books, but much more necessary learning,
the knowledge of the world, is only to be acquired by reading men, and studying
all the various editions of them.''
Lord Chesterfield
In our ever-changing highly
pressured lifestyles, perhaps the only constant is lack of time. With it being
at such a premium, lengthy interactions are passé. Body language with its
gestures and facial expressions comes to our rescue.
Gestures are like words in a
language, giving meaning to our actions. Often people are able to speak more
through them than words. Lack of correct expression dilutes the intensity of the
spoken words.
In eloquent speaking, it is the
manner that wins not words. The furrows of the forehead, positioning of the
eyebrows, exaggerated opening of the eyes, flaring of the nostrils speak
volumes.
We express a myriad of attitudes
by not just one gesture, but a series of related ones, called gesture clusters. They are groups of nonverbal communications associated
with different attitudes. The gestures that comprise a cluster can occur at the
same time, as locking arms and ankles and making a fist, or occur one after the
other.
Understanding the congruence of
gestures in harmony with one another is very important. A prior body movement
(incongruent), which in turn might be further repudiated by a subsequent gesture
might contradict a static gesture lasting several seconds. The so-called nervous
laugh is a good example of incongruity. Not only are there nervous arm and leg
movements, the entire body shifts as though trying to escape from an unpleasant
situation. This gesture cluster seldom results from a humorous statement. It
indicates that the laughter is unsure of himself or even somewhat frightened by
a situation.
By mentally matching congruent
gestures that form clusters we can understand the attitudes expressed and
discover some meaning.
