The real universal language

While growing up, we were always advised to improve our English. After all, it's spoken and understood widely across the world. But then again, there are many people in countries like China and Japan who are terrible in English but are doing much better than you and I will probably ever do even with an 8+ IELTS score.

In fact, there's actually a different kind of language that is far more universal than any spoken tongue ever was and has had a dominant role in human communication since caveman times.

I am talking about body language.

You probably have some vague idea about the topic; I'll explain in brief. It is known that verbal exchange only comprises of 7% of all human communication. The other 93% is non-verbal, which includes body language. It is basically the information that is subconsciously communicated through the positions, gestures and movements of the human body.

Body language has far more influence on our everyday lives than you even realise. For example, if I told you to imagine a sad person, you'd probably imagine someone sitting in a corner, slouched up with a certain facial expression rather than a poker face robotically saying "I am sad."

Whenever we're in a social environment, everyone is constantly giving out information through their body that we subconsciously pick up. I stress on "subconsciously" because no one's going "Okay his feet are 26 inches apart at a 63 degree angle to the east. This must mean X is equal to Y greater than Z" in their heads. We just take in the info without even realising.

At the same time, we are not always aware or in control of exactly what we are communicating through our physical behaviour. Interestingly enough, our bodies sometimes express or convey the opposite of what we are saying. So you can potentially catch liars by observing their body language.

Politicians, sales personnel, corporate officials, and public speakers often study body language in order to be better influencers. They utilise their bodies to communicate confidence, appear trustworthy and display other positive characteristics. In business negotiations, many businessmen use body language tweaks to bluff disinterest in order to get a better offer. The assessment of candidates in various interviews is greatly influenced by the candidate's body language. Such real world uses are endless.

As a matter of fact, every single social interaction you have has a lot to do with body language. It plays a significant role in determining how others see and perceive you. There's a lot to learn about the matter, but generally, remembering just a few key things will go a long way.

Maintain good posture, make sure your limbs are visible most of the time, have a wide open stance and keep your movements slow and controlled. When you're talking to other people, smile from time to time, maintain eye contact and have a firm handshake. Simply doing this much will help you create a positive impression about yourself.

And if you decide to research and get some knowledge on body language, you'll be able to understand what everybody is really saying.