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The aim of this exercise is to test your understanding of body language signals by interpreting various gestures in a particular business scenario.
Body language is a powerful communication medium that provides others with signals that reveal our emotions without us even realizing it. By observing body language, it is possible to pick up on things that often remain unsaid. How we interpret body language can differ from person to person and can be influenced by factors such as culture and neurodiversity.
You could consider doing this exercise in your team and learn together about how you understand and interpret body language.
Task
The situation: you have been called into your manager’s office for a meeting about a project that you are leading but that is currently behind schedule. Interpret the gestures (provided) that are made throughout this meeting. When you have finished, compare your answers with those given in the ‘Interpreting the Signals’ section below to check how well you can interpret body language signals.
Gesture
Interpretation
1. You're explaining the reasons for the time delay on the project when your manager leans back in their chair, with their arms crossed.
2. Your manager uncrosses their arms and leans on the desk towards you.
3. Your manager leans away from you, with their hands still on the desk in front of them.
4. While you're stating your case, you put your hands out in front of you, palms facing towards the ceiling.
5. Your manager appears to be listening intently, leaning forward on the desk with their fingertips pressed together to form a steeple.
6. You move back in your chair with your arms clasped firmly behind your head.
7. You've noticed that while you are speaking, you tend to move your hand around or over your mouth.
8. While your manager is listening to you, they rub their left ear.
9. You're still speaking when your manager (while still sitting down) puts their hands on their thighs as if they are about to stand up.
10. You haven’t stopped speaking for a full ten minutes and your manager is now sitting with their elbow on the desk, fist against their cheek.
11. You haven't stopped fiddling with your pen throughout the entire meeting.
Interpreting the signals
1. Crossed or folded arms
This tends to be a negative signal. Your manager could be disagreeing with what you are saying. You need to work more on your persuasive skills as your argument is not coming across as convincingly as it should be.
2. Leaning forward
A good sign! Leaning forward indicates interest in what you are saying and also shows that your manager is comfortable in your company.
3. Leaning away
Tricky to interpret. Leaning away from you generally indicates disagreement. However, to be certain of this, you would need to look for other key gestures such as crossed arms. It may just be that your manager is changing position to get more comfortable.
4. Palms facing upwards
When someone places their palms facing upwards it tends to indicate honesty, showing that they have nothing to hide. However, if you exaggerate this gesture and accompany it with another (e.g. a shrug), it could mean quite the opposite.
5. Creating a steeple
Creating a steeple effect with the fingers is a sign of superiority and confidence and is often used to gain or regain authority during a meeting.
6. Hands behind the head
This indicates superiority and control. It can often be interpreted as an arrogant gesture too.
7. Hands over the mouth
Be careful. Hands over the mouth of the speaker indicate nervousness about what you are saying, as if you are trying to hide the truth.
8. Rubbing the ear
This is not a good sign. Rubbing the ear, scratching the chin or picking imaginary fluff from clothes gives similar messages to hands over the mouth – nervousness, discomfort with the situation, or boredom.
9. Hands on thighs, as if to stand up
In your manager’s view, the meeting is over and they want to indicate this to you.
10. Elbow on the table, fist against the cheek
You have lost your manager’s interest. They are bored and disinterested in what you are saying. You need to do something different to recapture their attention.
11. Fidgeting
Constant fiddling or fidgeting suggests discomfort with the subject matter and possible dishonesty. In neurodivergent colleagues, fidgeting might not be a negative sign though, so it’s important to know what behavior might mean for the individual.
