Body language is a type of non-verbal communication that comprises body posture facial expressions, signs and eye movements. Body language may reveal mental state of a person. It may show whether the person is sad, happy, relaxed, angry or tense.

Persons send out and decipher such signals almost involuntarily. Body language is common not only in humans but also in birds and animals. For example, when bees want to convey to other bees where to find a new place of “nectar”, they gesticulate in the form of a little dance in front of the beehive.

Quickly decoding the gestures, the other fees fly off in the direction indicated. In the whole process, there was no buzzing and no other communication except little signals. This is the body language at its best.

In our day-to-day life, we are all tuned to communicate through body language. This technique of wordless communication is passed on from one generation to another. In effect, communication depends more on body language than words.

Someone has scientifically established this. Many consider that around 80% to 90% of human communication consists of body language and that it always reveals the truth. Many consultants have established this in discussions with clients about truth, falsehood and fiction. Clients are divided into pairs to play a “story telling game”.

Each member of the pair tells the other pair one aspect of truth and another factor of fiction, without disclosing the details. The other group’s teammate listens carefully, assesses which one is true and which one is false. Based on this judgment, the partner introduces the other member of the pair to the group.

If their conclusions about the truth and falsehood are found to be incorrect, the partner is permitted to rectify them. The discussion that follows clearly brings out the fact that the conclusions about truth or non-fiction and falsehood or fiction were mainly based on instinct or involuntary actions of body language.

Body language is not a deception and does not depend upon the capacity of the “story-teller” to influence through his narrative or “acting”. It is a basic non-verbal communication. A proper understanding of the process of body language can be a very useful technique in numerous business ventures and professional jobs.

For example, body language plays a vital role in police force, recruitment agencies and sales promotion activities. The awareness of body language and the level of communication using this method can be enhanced by constant practice and training.

However, the signs that we have been using since birth can sometimes be detrimental to our interests. This is because of the diversity in cultures in different parts of the world. For instance, people use a smile, a touch or other gestures in building relationships or greeting in ceremonies or functions.

While westerners may welcome direct eye-to-eye contact to communicate and both men and women do not mind a handshake, people of other cultures may not appreciate these types of gestures.

Similarly, while South Americans, even in formal situations, like to come physically close to the person they are talking, Americans and the British people would like to maintain a safe distance. It is, therefore, essential to grasp the implied meaning in any body language method of communication.