Check out this list of innocent signals that may be offending people you meet.
Author: Rick Heggem
The Impressions You Give Are (Mostly) Under Your Control
Much of our nonverbal interaction is automatic, but much is also under our control if we want to devote mental energy to improving our gestures and facial expressions.
Dogs Do speak, But Only to Those Who Know How to Listen
The title quotation is attributed to Turkish Novelist and Nobel Prize winner, Orhan Pamuk. The good news about his insight is that most everyone knows how to listen to a dog. When you meet one, since it cannot speak, you instinctively read it for signs of mood and danger. Is it’s tail wagging? Is it growling? Is it eyeing you suspiciously, or does it look like it wants to lick you and play with you?
As amazing as “man’s best friend is,” it can’t compare to human body language for all its richness and nuance. And as important a skill as it is to read dog body language, consider how much more important it is to be able to master reading human body language.
As a final note, remember that you are involuntarily delivering body language too. Are you delivering the message you mean to? Do people see your wagging tail or your barred fangs?