When we read a billboard, its message is usually larger than life and quite clear. Is it possible to read people’s thoughts and feelings just by looking at them? Well, we can get pretty close if we learn to identify the silent signals they send.

We send signals all the time and may not even be aware of it. Gestures we use and faces we make send signals. The volume, speed and inflections of our voices communicate in ways we may not intend. Through the study of emblems, illustrators, affect displays and eye behavior, a student of body language can gain insight to what people express beyond the words that they use. When people do use words, students can learn to identify and interpret paralanguage. This program provides valuable information about interpreting body language by presenting fun, easy to understand and real life examples. If your students apply this information and do some intelligent people watching, they’ll see a whole new world of communication they may never have noticed.

Learn:

- Why we use affect displays even if our conversation partner cannot see us.
- How paralanguage can overrule the literal meaning of spoken words.
- How touch can reveal unspoken messages.
- The zones of personal space.
- Why people can be just as "territorial" as animals.
- How culture and gender play a role in the signals people send.
- Why being late for a meeting might not be a big deal, depending upon where you live.

25 minutes
Audience: General

Copyright 2008 Learning Seed