BODY LANGUAGE IN ENGLISH COMMUNICATION

INDEX FOREWORD 1.1 The reason to choosing the theme: As globalization trends and it is very important when Vietnam joined the World Trade Organization (WTO), foreign languages, especially English have special importance in our country Using English fluently is particularly important because our country is striving to have a science, engineering, advanced technology, an industry development and modernization in order to integrate effectively and safety Although not an explicit assertion, English almost be regarded as the international language Therefore requires our country to have a moderate human resources professionals are trained in a way that all the systems, quality, moderately meet the delivery requirements of international communication Due to such requirements recent years the Ministry of Education and Training has taken English courses at all levels of education: elementary school, junior high, high schools to colleges, the Universities English is one of the subject that students will have to take exam when they want to enter some Universities or colleges, especially English exams on the internet has been responded by students and their parents That was partly proved the importance of English for the country's modernization and international integration Learning body language in English communication is an important part for English learners Body Language is a significant communications and relationships aspect of modern Body Language is therefore very relevant to management and leadership, and to all aspects of work and business where communications can be seen and physically observed among people Body language is also very relevant to relationships outside of work, for example in dating and mating, and in families and parenting Communication includes listening In terms of observable body language, non-verbal (non-spoken) signals are being exchanged whether these signals are accompanied by spoken words or not Body language goes both ways: • Your own body language reveals your feelings and meanings to others • Other people's body language reveals their feelings and meanings to you The sending and receiving of body language signals happens on conscious and unconscious levels Body language, and more technically the study of body language, is also known as kinesics (pronounced 'kineesicks'), which is derived from the Greek word kinesis, meaning motion Body language is an effective and important way of communicating It directly supports expressing the attitude and emotions of the speakers However, if you not know the body language – it can cause misunderstands For these reasons, I choose the theme “BODY LANGUAGE IN ENGLISH COMMUNICATION” as my experience 1.2 The purposes of the reseach: Body language is an effective and important way of communicating It directly supports expressing the attitude and feelings of the speaker Students may good at English in four skills: speaking, reading, listening and writing; they may very good at communication as well However, body language seem to be strange to them Learning English without knowledge about body language can cause misunderstand This lead to unconfident to speak English With the desire to help my students become more confident in communicating with natives speaker, I have initiated “body language” as a experience In addition, understanding the body language also helps students understand more about the culture of English people 1.3 Subject of the reseach: This experience initiative studies the body language in English communication, mainly about the common way of communication This topic explores the age of students of continuing education 1.4 Reseaching methods: - Summarizing experience through the teaching process - Reading book for more information - Reseaching methodology to construct the theory CONTENDS: 2.1 Theoretical basis: A good reason for broadening the scope of body language is to avoid missing important signals which might not be considered within a narrow definition of body language Nevertheless confusion easily arises if definitions and context are not properly established, for example: It is commonly and carelessly quoted that 'non-verbal communications' and/or 'body language' account for up to 93% of the meaning that people take from any human communication This statistic is actually a distortion based on Albert Mehrabian's research theory, which while itself is something of a cornerstone of body language research, certainly did not make such a sweeping claim Mehrabian's research findings in fact focused on communications with a strong emotional or 'feelings' element Moreover the 93% non-verbal proportion included vocal intonation (paralinguistics), which are regarded by many as falling outside of the body language definition Care must therefore be exercised when stating specific figures relating to percentages of meaning conveyed, or in making any firm claims in relation to body language and nonverbal communications It is safe to say that body language represents a very significant proportion of meaning that is conveyed and interpreted between people Many body language experts and sources seem to agree that that between 50-80% of all human communications are non-verbal So while body language statistics vary according to situation, it is generally accepted that non-verbal communications are very important in how we understand each other (or fail to), especially in face-to-face and one-to-one communications, and most definitely when the communications involve an emotional or attitudinal element In his renowned research on nonverbal communication, UCLA Professor Albert Mehrabian concluded that communication consists of three separate elements: words, tone of voice and body language He researched how people communicate feelings and attitudes, and found that only seven percent of that communication comes from words Meanwhile, 38 percent of messages are communicated by tone of voice, and 55 percent of messages are communicated by body language Body language is especially crucial when we meet someone for the first time We form our opinions of someone we meet for the first time in just a few seconds, and this initial instinctual assessment is based far more on what we see and feel about the other person than on the words they speak On many occasions we form a strong view about a new person before they speak a single word Consequently body language is very influential in forming impressions on first meeting someone The effect happens both ways - to and from: • When we meet someone for the first time, their body language, on conscious and unconscious levels, largely determines our initial impression of them • In turn when someone meets us for the first time, they form their initial impression of us largely from our body language and non-verbal signals And this two-way effect of body language continues throughout communications and relationships between people Body language is constantly being exchanged and interpreted between people, even though much of the time this is happening on an unconscious level Remember - while you are interpreting (consciously or unconsciously) the body language of other people, so other people are constantly interpreting yours The people with the most conscious awareness of, and capabilities to read, body language tend to have an advantage over those whose appreciation is limited largely to the unconscious You will shift your own awareness of body language from the unconscious into the conscious by learning about the subject, and then by practising your reading of non-verbal communications in your dealings with others It is no wonder that so many people are fascinated by body language We are all "people watchers" and amateur psychologists, partly because we have to be In every aspect of communication at work - the selection interview, the annual appraisal, the board meeting - we need to observe others carefully to try to understand better what they are feeling as well as (really) saying Being adults, we are all skillful deceivers; we have learnt, for myriad reasons, to present ourselves in a particular way; to manage the impression we leave; not always to say directly what we mean (perhaps to protect others' feelings); to sell products or ideas; and to explain away some undesirable behaviour Politicians and CEOs are often trained by actors to present themselves in a particular way They know that whilst they may have very clever speech writers, it is as much about how the speech is delivered as what is said This is all more the case in a television age where the camera can focus in on small beads of sweat, finger nail biting, or occasional scowls of important speakers Experts now record speeches and analyze frame-by-frame the minute changes in facial expressions and body movements, usually to explore evidence that the speaker is being insincere All actors know the importance of body language when portraying a character, as comedians who mimic or "take off" famous people Often a very simple mannerism, if exaggerated, can immediately signal who it is they are attempting to "impersonate" As a result, many people believe messages conveyed by different body signals, particularly emotional states and attitudes to oneself and others, are somehow more real, more fundamental We send and "leak" nonverbal signals, which may or may not be "picked up" in the communication process The sender of the message may be aware or unaware of the signals he or she sends Indeed, receivers may not always be aware of the messages they are actually picking up For instance, most people are not aware of their pupil dilations; nor are observers aware that they can on specific occasions respond positively to dilated pupils (when people are sexually aroused) 2.2 The reality of the problem before applying experience: English is more and more become a popular language and an effective mean of study, research and integration However, learning English is not enough Students in general as well as students in vocational - continuing educational centre in particular need to know more about the body language to be more confident in communication Further more, during the teaching process, I realized that the students did not know about the body language but and they are trained the four main skills mainly Not knowing body language will lead to misunderstandings when comunicating Beacause students not know about this topic, so in this experience I mention some theories and situations to help students understand what is body language in communication is 2.3 The solutions to solve the problems: 2.3.1 What is body language? Body language is a language in which physical behavior, as opposed to words, is used to express feelings Such behavior includes facial expressions, body posture, gestures, eye movement, touch and the use of space Body language exists in both animals and humans, but this article focuses on interpretations of human body language It is also known as kinesics Body language must not be confused with sign language, as sign languages are full languages like spoken languages and have their own complex grammar systems, as well as being able to exhibit the fundamental properties that exist in all languages Body language, on the other hand, does not have a grammar and must be interpreted broadly, instead of having an absolute meaning corresponding with a certain movement, so it is not a language like sign language, and is simply termed as a "language" due to popular culture Body language is communication without words It is anything someone does to which someone else assigns meaning Not all of the "signals" a person sends are intentional and often they are "not picked up" or misinterpreted Nonverbal behavior is complex, subtle, and multichannel It may be structured (following certain rules) but is more likely to be unstructured; it may be continuous, unlike language, which comes in disconnected units; it may be learnt but some functions seem innate; and it may be "right-" as opposed to "left-brained." Body language can be subtle or blatant; it can be consciously sent and unconsciously received; it can be carefully practiced and displayed but also physiologically uncontrollable; it can let you down by revealing your true beliefs and behaviours; but also (when learnt) help enormously to put across a message Facial expressions, gestures, head and gaze movements, body contact and orientation, sheer physical proximity as well as tone of voice, clothes and body adornments send clear messages - some even intended! Body Language is also referred to as communications', and less commonly communications' 'non-verbal 'non-vocal The term 'non-verbal communications' tends to be used in a wider sense, and all these terms are somewhat vague For the purposes of this experience, the terms 'body language' and 'non-verbal communications' are broadly interchangeable This guide also takes the view that body language/non-verbal communications is the study of how people communicate face-to-face aside from the spoken words themselves, and in this respect the treatment of the subject here is broader than typical body language guides limited merely to body positions and gestures Nonverbal communication is a rather misleading term "Nonverbal" excludes vocal or paralinguistic cues and signals like emotional tone of speech, which is clearly very important Communication suggests furthermore that giver and sender (encoder and decoder) are conscious speakers of the same body language! Intentional messages may or may not be intentionally received Body language also excludes vocal cues nonverbally Equally, unintentional messages may be unintentionally sent and received What is body language? We can define it as the way people demonstrate their emotions through body movements such as facial expressions, eye contact, and hand gestures It can even include personal space and the way one dresses The thumbs up example above illustrates that not all cultures have the same norms when it comes to body language 2.3.2 The importance of body language: Have you ever been in the situation when you really didn't believe what someone was saying? Did you have a sense that something didn't ring true or a gut feeling that all was not right? Perhaps they were saying "Yes" yet their heads were shaking "No"? The difference between the words people speak and our understanding of what they are saying comes from non-verbal communication, otherwise known as "body language." By developing your awareness of the signs and signals of body language, you can more easily understand other people, and more effectively communicate with them There are sometimes subtle – and sometimes not so subtle – movements, gestures, facial expressions and even shifts in our whole bodies that indicate something is going on The way we talk, walk, sit and stand all say something about us, and whatever is happening on the inside can be reflected on the outside By becoming more aware of this body language and understanding what it might mean, you can learn to read people more easily This puts you in a better position to communicate effectively with them What's more, by increasing your understanding of others, you can also become more aware of the messages that you convey to them There are times when we send mixed messages - we say one thing yet our body language reveals something different This non-verbal language will affect how we act and react to others, and how they react to us Body language is a part of communication that very few actually study yet it makes up most of what we use to communicate and is generally much more accurate a judge of meaning than are the words we use I’m going to share some reasons why body language is so important and then give you a very short quiz to take to see how well you understand its meaning They say actions speak louder than words and sometimes we can communicate things even without the aid of a single word We can shrug our shoulders and, without a word, we’ve just said, “I don’t know.” We can raise our eyebrows and we’ve just said, “Excuse me? Did I hear you right?” We can turn our hands over palms up in front of us to say, “I don’t know what else to say That’s all I’ve got.” And we can point to our nose to indicate that the other person’s “got it right!” Some of the things we say with our bodies can help us reinforce why we are saying it Simply saying “I don’t know” has got nothing on adding the following gestures We can turn our hands over face up in front of us as we raise our eyebrows and invert our smile while we stick our bottom lip slightly out and look to the side Now we’ve also made someone laugh and perhaps taken a bit of the pressure off ourselves or the other person who was a bit nervous about not knowing whatever it was we didn’t know Further, paying attention to someone’s body language can help us discern when someone is not telling us the whole truth and nothin’ but the truth (An important communication skill with your kids, right?) Here are a few signs that someone might be lying Often a person who is not telling the truth or all of the truth will not want to make eye contact for fear the eyes are the windows to their lying souls However, there are also other signs of lying A person who isn’t telling the whole truth may clear their throat, stammer or change their pitch as if to try and sway your attention away from their lie or in order to stall so they may have time to think up a valid answer or plausible explanation Additionally, foot tapping or bouncing, blushing, putting their hand to their face, turning away or raising their shoulders may all be indicators that they are uncomfortable with the conversation because they are not telling the truth These are just a few things that are important for every day communication Another important function of body language is to express our feelings about what we are discussing Body language can help us determine how someone feels about what they are saying For example, a person may tell her boss that she would be happy to take the account but her body language might indicate that she is actually not at all happy about it This can be an important tidbit that can help a manager, and others in a leadership position, determine who is the best person to handle this assignment If her heart isn’t in it, she may an adequate job when another employee might turn this small job into a lifelong client Body language may be the determining factor in a job interview If the applicant’s body language conveys that he is at ease with the subject matter and conveys confidence, he has a higher probability of getting the job, especially in this tough job market We talked earlier about the fact that some body language is interpreted as being uncomfortable and out of control These are some of the same traits that make a job applicant appear less than confident and comfortable as well In a friendship, one’s body language can indicate that someone is paying attention or doesn’t really care about what the other person is saying Leaning forward into the 10 conversation indicates that this person is interested in hearing what the other person is saying Leaning back would indicate that he was disinterested or felt himself superior Leaning forward and standing close while talking may indicate that someone is aggressively trying to persuade the other person or trying to dominate the conversation Listening to someone while not making eye contact indicates that you are not really paying attention, but are waiting for your chance to speak This gives your friend the feeling that you don’t really care about them and what they have to say and may cause them not to listen carefully to you when it is your turn to speak in the conversation Another important function of body language is to express our feelings about what we are discussing Body language can help us determine how someone feels about what they are saying For example, a person may tell her boss that she would be happy to take the account but her body language might indicate that she is actually not at all happy about it This can be an important tidbit that can help a manager, and others in a leadership position, determine who is the best person to handle this assignment If her heart isn’t in it, she may an adequate job when another employee might turn this small job into a lifelong client Body language may be the determining factor in a job interview If the applicant’s body language conveys that he is at ease with the subject matter and conveys confidence, he has a higher probability of getting the job, especially in this tough job market We talked earlier about the fact that some body language is interpreted as being uncomfortable and out of control These are some of the same traits that make a job applicant appear less than confident and comfortable as well In a friendship, one’s body language can indicate that someone is paying attention or doesn’t really care about what the other person is saying Leaning forward into the conversation indicates that this person is interested in hearing what the other person is saying Leaning back would indicate that he was disinterested or felt himself superior Leaning forward and standing close while talking may indicate that someone is aggressively trying to persuade the other person or trying to dominate the conversation Listening to someone while not making eye contact indicates that you are not really paying attention, but are waiting for your chance to speak This 11 gives your friend the feeling that you don’t really care about them and what they have to say and may cause them not to listen carefully to you when it is your turn to speak in the conversation 2.3.3 The ways we use body language in English communication: If everyone said what they truly meant, it would be much easier to communicate in English (and any language!) Unfortunately, that is not always the case Sometimes people fail to express themselves clearly with words Sometimes people intentionally say the opposite of what they mean Therefore, learning a few common body gestures that indicate a contradiction, sarcasm or confusion can be helpful to avoiding misunderstandings + Eye rolling Most people roll their eyes to show disapproval or annoyance, as in this clip from the American TV Show “30 Rock.” English speakers will also roll their eyes when they feel skeptical about something For example, if your friend rolls her eyes while saying “I wonder if my brother is going to be on time,” she is probably implying that she thinks he will be late as usual Many English speakers roll their eyes while using the sarcastic phrase yeah, right This actually means “I doubt it” or “probably not.” “He told me he is dating a movie star.” [Eye roll] “Yeah, right.” + Air quotes In the English-speaking world, people often make this gesture, where they move their index fingers and middle fingers of both hands up and down They this to stress a word or phrase, mainly because they not think it is the right word to use in that situation Air quotes usually connote sarcasm “My roommate said that she could not come because she is [air quotes] working.” 12 In this case, the speaker thinks the roommate is not actually working Maybe she has a habit of using this excuse when she does not want to leave the house + Arms crossed defensively If someone crosses his/her arms, it often means that he/she disagrees with what is being said For example, imagine you are arguing with a colleague because you think the team should a task differently He says, “I hear the basis of your arguments,” but his arms are crossed over his chest Despite his words, he probably does not agree with your idea at all + Head shaking In the English-speaking world, head indicates disagreement or disappointment shaking typically Often, you might ask someone a question and instead of answering with words, he/she will simply shake his/her head back and forth That means, “no.” Other times, English speakers will shake their head while speaking to emphasize their point “Do you think our boss was right to give us extra hours this weekend?” [Head shaking] “No, way! So unfair!” When you are using English online, you might encounter the internet slang smh That means “shaking my head,” and it indicates disapproval + Physical movement - Facial expression Facial expression is integral when expressing emotions through the body Combinations of eyes, eyebrow, lips, nose, and cheek movements help form different moods of an individual (e.g happy, sad, depressed, angry, etc.) A few studies show that facial expression and bodily expression (i.e body language) are congruent when interpreting emotions Behavioural experiments have also shown that recognition of facial expression is influenced by perceived bodily expression This means that the brain processes the other's facial and bodily expressions simultaneously Subjects in these studies showed accuracy in 13 judging emotions based on facial expression This is because the face and the body are normally seen together in their natural proportions and the emotional signals from the face and body are well integrated - Body postures Emotions can also be detected through body postures Research has shown that body postures are more accurately recognised when an emotion is compared with a different or neutral emotion For example, a person feeling angry would portray dominance over the other, and their posture would displays approach tendencies Comparing this to a person feeling fearful: they would feel weak, submissive and their posture would display avoidance tendencies, the opposite of an angry person Sitting or standing postures also indicate one’s emotions A person sitting till the back of their chair, leans forward with their head nodding along with the discussion implies that they are open, relaxed and generally ready to listen On the other hand, a person who has their legs and arms crossed with the foot kicking slightly implies that they are feeling impatient and emotionally detached from the discussion In a standing discussion, a person stands with arms akimbo with feet pointed towards the speaker could suggest that they are attentive and is interested in the conversation However, a small difference in this posture could mean a lot Standing with arms akimbo is considered rude in Bali Open and expansive nonverbal posturing can also have downstream effects on testosterone and cortisol levels, which have clear implications for the study of human behavior British bodily contact Apart from the (fairly minimal) handshake when meeting someone, the general rule with strangers in the UK is “avoid absolutely all bodily contact” This even outweighs other British taboos such as not wanting to talk to strangers The clearest example of this is on the train, where making any bodily contact with people as you squeeze on or off the train is totally taboo and can get an aggressive or even violent reaction Instead you should apologise (a lot) and ask “Can I get passed?” when 14 getting off, and probably just wait for the next train if you would have to press against someone to get on The taboo against touching can also extend to people you know, particularly in institutional situations like schools and businesses Physical punishment was made illegal in British schools a long time ago, but this is more and more turning into a complete taboo against teachers touching kids at all, and also sometimes against kids touching each other Although I’ve never heard of a British version of the absolute no touching rule between kids rule that infamously made even a pat on the shoulder against the rules in some American schools, even two kids happily play fighting will generally be punished in UK schools However, nowadays the teacher is unlikely to pull two fighting kids apart, as the parents of the kids are as likely to threaten to sue the teacher as they are to apologise for the behaviour of their kids The same is also increasingly true of more affectionate interactions between teachers and kids, and a hug for a crying kid, little kids sitting on teachers’ laps etc are increasingly frowned upon With the exception of shaking hands, a goodbye (forever) hug and the occasional pat on the back or shoulder, there also tends to be little or no bodily contact between colleagues A pat on the bottom will almost certainly be taken to be a sexual advance and probably the cause of a complaint of sexual harassment, and increasingly not only when it is a man doing it to a woman In fact, you might even have to be very careful that even a helping up a colleague who has fallen over couldn’t be taken as sexual harassment Perhaps the one situation in which bodily contact is normal, including the occasional pat on the rear end, is in sport, particularly rugby This may occasionally spread to workplaces where lots of people play sport together and/ or have a sporting background, so there is some variation in the general rules above depending on the work culture This can also be the case in workplaces with mainly or totally one sex of employee + Gestures Gestures are movements made with body parts (e.g hands, arms, fingers, head, legs) and they may be voluntary or involuntary Arm gestures can be interpreted in several ways In 15 a discussion, when one stands, sits or even walks with folded arms, this is normally not a welcoming gesture It could mean that they have a closed mind and are most likely unwilling to listen to the speaker’s viewpoint Another type of arm gesture also includes an arm crossed over the other, demonstrating insecurity and a lack of confidence Hand gestures often signify the state of well-being of the person making them Relaxed hands indicate confidence and self-assurance, while clenched hands may be interpreted as signs of stress or anger If a person is wringing their hands, this demonstrates nervousness and anxiety Finger gestures are also commonly used to exemplify one's speech as well as denote the state of well-being of the person making them In certain cultures, pointing using one's index finger is deemed acceptable However, pointing at a person may be viewed as aggressive in other cultures - for example, people who share Hindu beliefs consider finger pointing offensive Instead, they point with their thumbs Likewise, the thumbs up gesture could show "OK" or "good" in countries like the US, France and Germany But this same gesture is insulting in other countries like Iran, Bangladesh and Thailand, where it is the equivalent of showing the middle finger in the US Understanding body language also helps when you talk You can show your confidence not only with words, but also with the right body language - Nodding If you remember from above, shaking one’s head shows disagreement Nodding (moving your head up and down) is the opposite It expresses that you agree with someone Therefore, make sure to nod your head when you say, “that is an excellent idea” to show your friend that you genuinely agree with her - Smiling A smile makes you appear friendly and encourages others to open up to you When you ask for feedback about your project, add a smile to this question: “What you think of it?” You will come across as being confident about your work and willing to hear any feedback - Gesturing with hands 16 Move your hands widely and decisively, and you will show others your ownership of the space and the topic For example, you can extend your arms to the sides and turn the palms up, moving them slightly left and right in sync with the rhythm of your speech This movement is particularly helpful if you are presenting something to your team However, avoid doing it too extensively as it might distract from the content of your presentation - Standing/sitting up straight It is essential to stand or sit up straight It makes you look taller and seem more important So make sure you stand up straight when you introduce yourself with this sentence, for example: “My name is Lila and I am the new marketing assistant.” - Open shoulders An open stance in your shoulders and arms indicates that you are open to suggestions, ideas and even constructive feedback Do not crouch or bend - this makes you look insecure Make sure to stand with an open position when you search for input from someone with a question like, “What you think we can better?” - Handshakes Handshakes are regular greeting rituals and are commonly done on meeting, greeting, offering congratulations or after the completion of an agreement They usually indicate the level of confidence and emotion level in people Studies have also categorised several handshake styles, example, the finger squeeze, the bone crusher (shaking hands too strongly), the limp fish (shaking hands too weakly), etc Handshakes are popular in the US and are appropriate for use between men and women However, in Muslim cultures, men may not shake hands or touch women in any way and vice versa Likewise, in Hindu cultures, Hindu men may never shake hands with women Instead, they greet women by placing their hands as if praying A firm, friendly handshake has long been recommended in the business world as a way to make a good first impression, and the greeting is thought to date to ancient times as a way of showing a stranger you had no weapons 17 In countries where handshaking is the norm, the general pattern tends to be that people who live far apart from each other, usually meaning in rural areas, shake hands with their bodies quite far apart from each other This means that you have to stretch out your arm and lean your body forward a little to shake hands This pattern is also true in the UK, but in Britain even people in big cities tend to stand quite far apart when shaking hands and therefore so with their bodies sloping forward Unless you are feeling particularly passionate about seeing someone, a UK handshake tends to be quite short, with around three small shakes up and then down There are also times when it can be shorter, maybe even just one shake up and down, for example when meeting a large group of people or when shaking hands again at the end of a meeting Generally, too short is better than too long In fact, people shaking hands for too long and/ or too far up and down is a very common sign of a character’s lack of social skills in British comedies The strength of the handshake is very important, with both too weak and too strong being viewed very negatively The British can find American handshakes too strong, sometimes taking this to be a sign of aggression and/ or too much ambition, meaning something like “I’m going to kill you in this negotiation” or “Thanks for the job, boss, but I’m planning to take yours within the year” People from countries where handshaking is not normal tend to shake hands too weakly, a style which has the nickname “the wet fish” as it feels a bit like holding raw seafood This kind of handshake can be understood to be a sign of weakness, unreliability, untrustworthiness and/ or a lack of ambition The British tend to avoid any other bodily contact during handshakes, with the left hand not being used at all For example, a hug and handshake at the same time is very rare in Britain In the UK, grabbing the other person’s forearm with your other hand while shaking hands means something like “It’s a real honour to meet you” or “I am forever in your debt”, and tends to only be used in situations like someone being your hero Holding the other person’s shoulder when you shake hands means something like “Are you holding up okay?”, for example after their partner has died, and so is also very rare For most British people this is the worst thing about (some) 18 American handshakes, as Brits find the extra bodily contact uncomfortable and feel that it is insincere to show so much passion when it doesn’t really match the situation and/ or your real feelings Holding the other person’s hand with both of your hands isn’t common is either the UK or the USA Another issue is when to shake hands The British tend to shake hands only when meeting someone for the first time or meeting again after a long time, often while saying “Pleased to meet you” or “(Long time no see) It’s so nice to see you again” In other situations such as a second meeting the next day, just briefly raising your eyebrows and/ or one palm in a “Hi” gesture is usually more appropriate The same is true in more informal situations and/ or when meeting a large group of people, where shaking hands might seem “too much” and/ or a waste of time People also fairly often shake hands when sealing a deal (while saying “Great, I can shake on that”, “I think we have a deal”, etc), and at the end of those kinds of successful meetings (saying something like “Thanks, that was very productive”) There are also other times when shaking hands is suitable when saying goodbye, but again Brits tend not to so with very large groups of people or with people they often see Perhaps to make the process more predictable, British people almost always shake with their right hands We only shake hands with the left hand if we really can’t use our right one, for example we have paint on our right hand or have injured it In other situations, it is more normal to ask people to wait while you make it available (“Just a moment while I wipe my hands”, “Just a second, I’ll put this down”, etc) To summarise, typical “mistakes” when trying to shake hands the British way include, in approximate order of how negatively they will be viewed: - Shaking hands too weakly (the “wet fish”) - Holding the other person’s hand, arm or shoulder with your left hand when you shake hands with them - Shaking for too long - Shaking too far up and down 19 - Shaking hands too strongly - Trying to shake hands with your left hand - Standing too close when you shake hands - Shaking hands too often/ in the wrong situations As British boys used to, you might want to practise shaking hands until you get it just right, especially if you are dealing with British people in a business setting + Other types of physical movements Covering one’s mouth suggests suppression of feeling and perhaps uncertainty This could also mean that they are thinking hard and may be unsure of what to say next What you communicate through your body language and nonverbal signals affects how others see you, how well they like and respect you, and whether or not they trust you Unfortunately, many people send confusing or negative nonverbal signals without even knowing it When this happens, both connection and trust are damaged Some differences body language around the world: 20 2.4 The effect of the experience on educational operations, myself, colleagues and centre: After a period of applying these topic to teaching, I've realised that most of my students have made considerable progress in communicating, especially using body language The ratios of the students understanding the gesture while talking from average and weak levels up to fair and good ones have clearly increased More importantly, students themselves have felt more self-confident, comfortable 21 and active while using body contact Thanks to the theories mentioned previously, they have dealed with the situations swiftly and effectively Moreover, language class atmosphere becomes more exciting and less stressful than it used to be Last but not least, a teacher has worked less and become a bandmaster The classes assigned between 2017 and 2018 are 11A and 10A a The folowing survey had been carried out before applying this theme Clas s No 11A 10A Good level Fair level A verage level Weak level Ss No Rati o Ss No Rati o Ss No Rati o Ss No Rati o 17 0% 11% 29% 10 60% 18 0% 6% 28% 12 66% (This survey table was carried out in late August, 2017) b.The folowing survey was carried out after applying this theme Clas s No 11A 10A Good level Fair level A verage level Weak level Ss No Rati o Ss No Rati o Ss No Rati o Ss No Rati o 17 41% 41% 18% 0% 18 44% 39% 17% 0% (These statistical figures were conducted again in early April, 2018) 22 CONCLUSION: 3.1 Conclusion: I assume that everyone has their own thought and each teacher also has their own methods of teaching Nevertheless, no matter what approaches are applied, they all aim at promoting students' positiveness, initiative and creativity in the language class and helping them acquire knowledge and use it in concrete situations with great effectiveness Thus, it is required that a teacher make great efforts to find out good and effective approaches in order to increse education and training qualities in general and English learning in particular To make this come true, it is a must that a teacher should frequently selfstudy, further his education and update new knowledge to improve his profession The theme: “BODY LANGUAGE IN ENGLISH COMMUNICATION" is part of the above-mentioned issue 3.2 Proposal and petition: To improve the quality of learning English, I think investing in facilities is a main factor Beside that, we should have more extracurricular lessons It gives students more chance to exchange knowledge and useful skills for learning a foreign language CONFIRMATION OF MANAGER Thanh Hoa, May 10th, 2018 COMMITMENT NOT COPY Written by Do Thi Dung Chau 23 REFERENCES The definitive book of Body language (Allan & Barbara Pease) The basic problems of body language (Le Thi Thuy) Mehrabian’s Communication Theory – verbal non – verbal, body language (Albert Mehrabian) Mehrabian’s communication Study (Albert Mehrabian) The Internet sources 24 ... importance of English for the country's modernization and international integration Learning body language in English communication is an important part for English learners Body Language is a... Body language is also very relevant to relationships outside of work, for example in dating and mating, and in families and parenting Communication includes listening In terms of observable body. .. state of well-being of the person making them In certain cultures, pointing using one's index finger is deemed acceptable However, pointing at a person may be viewed as aggressive in other cultures