Nonverbal Mistakes

Here’s an article on body language that you should avoid; body gestures that can create a negative impression in another person. It's best to look at these gestures as creating negative impressions under certain circumstances but, certainly, not in all situations:

1. Crossing your arms across your chest can indicate defensiveness.

2.      Leaning forward can indicate aggressiveness.

3.      Breaking your eye contact too early in the interaction.

4.      Putting your hands on your hips when standing can indicate aggressiveness.

5.      Taking a step or two back when asked a question or for a decision.

6.      Putting your hands behind your back or in your pockets can make you look overly stiff.

7.      Nodding more than usual can make you look less than serious.

Nonverbal Cues to Lying

Here’s an interesting article on lying and the nonverbal cues that often (but, not always) reveal that a person is, in fact, lying. The author correctly points out that the first thing one needs to know is how the person behaves normally—what we call establishing a baseline of behavior. Deviations from this baseline are the most revealing. Here are the 11 signs. 

1. Liars change their head position more than truth-tellers

2. Liars' breathing changes

3. Liars stand still

4. Liars repeat words and phrases

5. Liars provide more information than needed

6. Liars touch or cover their mouth

7. Liars cover vulnerable body parts

8. Liars shuffle their feet

9. Liars find it difficult to speak

10. Liars stare without blinking

11. Liars point a lot