Table of Contents
The word kinesics comes from the root word kinesis, which means “movement,” and refers to the study of hand, arm, body, and face movements.
Kinesics is the interpretation of body motion communication such as facial expressions and gestures, non-verbal behaviour related to the movement of any part of the body or the body as a whole.
Body Movements
Why not start this section with a quick video
Facial Expressions
Our faces are the most expressive part of our bodies. Think of how photos are often intended to capture a particular expression “in a flash” to preserve for later viewing. Even though a photo is a snapshot in time, we can still interpret much meaning from a human face caught in a moment of expression, and basic facial expressions are recognizable by humans all over the world. Much research has supported the universality of a core group of facial expressions: happiness, sadness, fear, anger, and disgust. The first four are especially identifiable across cultures.Our faces are the most expressive part of our body and can communicate an array of different emotions.When delivering something light-hearted or humorous, a smile, bright eyes, and slightly raised eyebrows will nonverbally enhance our verbal message. When delivering something serious or sombre, a furrowed brow, a tighter mouth, and even a slight head nod can enhance that message.
Posture
The way that the body is held can communicate many different messages.
An open body that takes up a lot of space can indicate comfort and domination, whilst a closed-in body that makes itself small can signal inferiority.
Copying of the other person’s body shows agreement, trust and liking.
Eye Contact
The face and eyes are the main points of focus during communication, and along with our ears, our eyes take in most of the communicative information around us.
The saying “The eyes are the window to the soul” is actually accurate in terms of where people typically think others are “located,” which is right behind the eyes.
Eye contact serves several communicative functions ranging from regulating interaction to monitoring interaction to conveying information, to establishing interpersonal connections. In terms of regulating communication, we use eye contact to signal to others that we are ready to speak or we use it to cue others to speak. I’m sure we’ve all been in that awkward situation where a teacher asks a question, no one else offers a response, and he or she looks directly at us as if to say, “What do you think?” In that case, the teacher’s eye contact is used to cue us to respond. During an interaction, eye contact also changes as we shift from speaker to listener. Our eyes bring in the visual information we need to interpret people’s movements, gestures, and eye contact. A speaker can use his or her eye contact to determine if an audience is engaged, confused, or bored and then adapt his or her message accordingly. Our eyes also send information to others. Making eye contact with others also communicates that we are paying attention and are interested in what another person is saying. Eye contact can also be used to intimidate others.
Personal Note:- Body Language is one of the most interesting topics to explore, here a great book, “Body Language: How to read other’s thoughts by their gestures” from world’s renowned body language expert, Allan Pease you may consider reading.