1. Is the study of body language a "science".

It can be debated among professionals on whether Body Language can be referred to as a science or if it is actually a Pseudoscience. A science involves making observations, considering evidence, testing ideas, and holding on to those that work. As body language has a claim which is presented as scientific, but lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, or lacks a description in some areas, some may viewed it as Pseudoscience. Body Language is a tool of many legitimate uses, but also subject to many constraints. Body language itself is often only a portion of a more complex and broader science like Psychology, or Sociology.  In  itself it is often disregarded as holding substance due to the lack of evidence and assumptions made by non-professionals within this field.

It has been around for decades however more people now realise the importance of body language as more tests, experiments both social and scientific are produced in this field.

There is definitely an art to reading body language.

2. How has the study of body language moved forward in the modern era.

We now have more technology to look into the micro expressions and there is a system to understanding, comprehending and decoding the nonverbal signals that are delivered.

Based on others within the field that have pioneered the foundations, we have been able to progress to more of an understanding of Body Language. By building on universal basics, new concepts and theories are being explored. With the use of social media, both training professionals/experts and the community are conducting multiple social experiments and documenting their findings. Even Reality Tv now provide Relationship and Body Language Experts to help analyse behaviour step by step for viewers.

Body Language is being included in workplace training as an important skill which helps increase organisational effectiveness. Many organisational coaches, Sales professionals and workplaces have found that by understanding body language, they in turn can connect, deliver and interact better with their customers.

3. How do you get good at reading body language (combination of "tells"?).

Practice and also building on your knowledge. Learning about the 3 foundations to reading body language is important. It needs to be read in Context, it should be Congruent with what is being said, and it needs to be read in Clusters (3 or more to build a sentence).  You never use one signal to determine the behaviour and they are often misread being only words that our body speak. It should never be used to judge but only used to help gather more resources and information. Practicing the body language signal yourself can help you also “feel” the definition or intention of the action.

4. Is it possible to hide your own body language?

It is possible to practice, hide or even suppress the major arm, leg, head and hand gesture movements. Anything you are thinking about may form a visual expression is one form of another and the larger ones can be practiced to be shown or hide. The smaller micro expressions like twitching, mouth muscle movements, (Zygomatic Muscles) Eye area (Orbicularis Oculi) Pupil dilation, blushing and blood rushing in Fight or flight moments are very difficult to hide. In some circumstances the skin may be itching due to stress or lying; with an *End of Nose scratch” it can be difficult not to do as the itch will be needing to be accommodated. It is difficult to hide all body language signals and to the trained eye still easy to spot, to the normal person though you may just get away with it.

5. Who hires you (which corporations) and why - what do they gain from your services?

I am hired by multiple organisations from Car dealers to Air-conditioning Sales teams. The majority of corporations that hire me will have one of two reasons for hiring. The first would be to increase sales in their sales team. By building rapport quicker with clients, they are able to sell more effectively. They can also learn more about profiling correctly to discern more information quicker based on individual baselines and demonstrate their products correctly, depending on the customers learning style (Visual, Auditory or Kinesthetic). The second is for customer service teams that ideally want to build stronger relationships with their clients.  We would demonstrate how to use mirroring techniques to build rapport, also how the customer may be telling them more than just the verbal communication.

Both have a focus with building close relationships with customers and bringing the communication gap.

6. Tell us a great "body language" story from your work?

Body Language is always a fun and interactive or entertaining session. The best part of it is to show participants how to counteract the power players or over powering handshakes. By showing participants how to take back control from aggressive people is empowering. Another example was being able to demonstrate to 18 year old’s who worked at an aquatic centre how to tell people twice their age to not do bombies in the pool. They had mentioned that before they had the skills they were disregarded and not listened to. After the session on Eye Gazes and how to deliver an authorative one, they said they had a drop off on incidents at the pool. Which meant the training was effective and they were able to take back the authority even at a younger age making the centre safer.

7. Is there someone in the news today giving away a lot with their body language?
 
Everyone. Even though some try to hide it, Body language speaks amazing volumes. Politicians are always interesting to watch as they illustrate with hand gestures and looking for mismatches with their speech.  It is difficult without knowing the person and their knowledge of body language though as with training they too may be using it to communicate ineffectively or effectively depending on their objectives. Even when someone gives away body language signals, it is often purposefully.

8. Can successfully reading body language help with business, and relationships? How?
 
Yes, most definitely. Any study or information regarding oneself or improving on how to read others will only help excel us into better relationships or workplace roles. Communication is vital for human connection. The better we communicate the easier it is to get points across, have context built quicker and understand others more effectively. Learning about other cultures and customs, generational differences and the signals that are sent to us via body language will help us connect better.

I would have to say that 90% of it would only assist in bridging any gap and help misunderstanding become more reduced. The only area of concern is knowing when people are lying to you. In certain circumstances it’s better not to know, however I wouldn’t trade the other 90% for the 10%.  In fact, some may prefer to know when they are being lied to. Relationships are built on trust, so I would recommend being able to read people more effectively and also being able to deliver your own communication in a format the other person can understand.

9. When you're good at it, is it like a superpower?

It can become like a superpower only around those who do not read it as well. It is like any skill. If you have more of it than another then you will feel you have more power in this area than others. It can make it easier to predict future responses (Especially when watching the eyes) and also gain insight into non-responses. By gaining information that wasn’t verbally said, you have additional signals being read. This will mean you are basically getting two conversations for the price of one. Which means you understand more and are able to make better decisions. So yes, it can seem a superpower but only until you meet your match or another who has learned the art of ready body language.

10. Can you always tell if someone is lying?
 
To work out if someone is lying it is easier when you are consciously looking for signals or you suspect the individual of lying. In a normal situation being unaware, normally your gut feeling will try and alarm you to become more consciously aware. The more gut feeling you get the more your mind is trying to wake you up. If you are analysing the content, then yes it can be a lot easier to see the signals. However, if the person delivering the content has used the lie before, they may also remember the lie being told previously, which may show you signals of past memory and could be misread as truth. It depends on the situation however if you have the verbal, with the non-verbal signals you have twice the chance to pick the false statement up.

11. Do micro expressions play a part in body language?

Yes, Micro Expressions are actually the more interesting less fakable signals. The smaller details can really paint a picture however to the untrained eye they are much harder to pick up on. Hair standing up forearms, mouth twitches, pupils and heat related, or blood related micro expressions can help you really tell is someone that is sitting there as cool as a cucumber is actually feeling under pressure.

The larger signals such as arm cross, taking up space, head tilts and hand gestures can all be faked. The micro expressions are a more detailed picture of what is happening on the inside.

12. What major key body language tells can you share with us? (like looking up and to the left for lying).

Well my favourite thing to do is to ask 3 questions when I first speak to someone. I will ask them how their day is and watch their eyes. I also ask them if they have been busy and I keep watching their eyes. I will then ask them what they are doing next week or on the weekend and I watch their eyes. The first two questions are questions that relate to the past and the individual will have to remember. The last question is a future question or one they will construct as it hasn’t happened yet. By watching the direction of the eyes, I am quickly able to work out which side they accessed for their remembered responses and also their constructed responses. Not everyone who goes to the left is lying so I prefer to ask the 3 questions to find out how the person works and which side is remembered and which is constructed. After that I can then dive into some more deeper questions while watching the eyes and I can then learn more about the accuracy of the responses.

If someone lies and they think you know they have just lied they may touch the back of their next or scratch the back of their neck as this signals uncertainty. They may be uncertain if they have delivered the lie correctly.

Feet will also point to what the person is interested in within the room. If the person is interested in you, they will have their feet towards you and not just their head or body. Also, feet that are directly pointed to another will illustrate private conversation, whereas someone in a more relaxed or casual encounter will have one foot pointed towards who they are speaking with and the other open.