A positive body language is a type of non-verbal communication that puts us in a position of comfort, likeability and dignity. Also known as open body language, it helps us be open and approachable to others—helping them feel at ease during interactions or exchanges.
A positive body language helps the person to be more assertive and assists in putting his or her opinion forward more easily than the others. Positive body language is liked by other people and hence, the person carrying a positive body language gets more attention and favor in any discussion.
If the person keeps their distance, that is normally an indication of negative body language. However, if the person leans in when talking to you and makes a lot of eye contact, these can be taken as examples of positive body language.
Body language enhances and amplifies the verbal message being portrayed through hand signals, gestures and postures. It helps us to convey emotions and intentions that may not be adequately expressed through words alone. For example, a simple smile can convey friendliness or nodding can convey understanding.
Positive body language in the workplace
Smiling. Leaning forward. Making eye contact. Nodding your head.
For example, the #bodypositivity movement actively rejects the thin and toned ideal to create a more positive appreciation of bodies of different shapes and sizes; it has been widely shared through Instagram.
You can show you are listening by nodding, smiling or by the use of words and phrases such as, “I see,” or “That's interesting,” or “I'll definitely note that point.” You can also write any interesting points that you may want to refer to later.
Here are some ideas for positive nonverbal communication: Touch your child's arm to let your child know you're interested and you care about what they're saying or doing. Turn to face your child and use lots of eye contact. This says, 'I'm giving you my full attention' and 'You're important to me'.
Among the behaviors that indicate negative body language are: poor stance, avoiding eye contact, creating barriers, being clumsy with objects, inappropriate spacing, sweating, frowning, and overusing gestures.
Body positivity has two elements: (1) the acceptance of all bodies without regard to their shape, size, or features; and (2) a focus on health and functionality instead of appearance (Cohen et al., 2019b; Sastre, 2014).
Body positivity, broadly, is about loving yourself and others regardless of physical appearance. It's about encouraging self-positivity, acceptance and health. Body positivity takes the focus away from looks, and identifies people by their strengths and non-physical characteristics.
Body positivity expands the concept of beauty, but it keeps the focus on appearance. This may be harmful because it implies that a person's value is at least somewhat based on their appearance.
Your hands are at the side of your body or behind your back, and you have an open, relaxed posture. The full frontal gesture is used by the most confident person in the room, who does not have to overemphasize their gestures. Women who can feel relaxed are likely the most confident.
When people have low confidence, they may tend to cross their arms, sit in a hunch, cross their legs, fiddle or keep their eyes down. In fact, various studies show that just practising “standing in a confident posture” can affect our mindset and make us feel more confident.
Gestures. Gestures can be some of the most direct and obvious body language signals. Waving, pointing, and using the fingers to indicate numerical amounts are all very common and easy to understand gestures.
facial expressions (raised brow indicating surprise, scowl indicating anger, frown indicating sadness) nonverbal cues (smiling, winking, nodding) hand gestures (thumbs up, a wave, pointing) posture (hunching, tilting head, sitting up straight)