The laws of body language

To leave the desired impact on the customer, one should utilize the possibilities of body language. The first impression is formed after about 100 ms. In doing so, humans focus on the face and what is called body language.

The customer is standing in front of you with crossed arms. What do you think? Defensive posture? You are in good company with this assumption. Many of my listeners only know this one meaning. However, there is nothing fundamentally wrong with that. It's just that you should also align your behavior towards the other person accordingly. If you think someone is behaving towards you in a rejecting manner, you won't exactly approach them with open arms. The conversation takes on a completely new direction. To break free from this vicious cycle, it is worth considering the meaning of crossed arms. One question that arises is: defensive posture against whom or what? Not always is someone being rejecting towards you personally, but they might simply disagree with a view or argument. Likewise, your counterpart might be "holding back". This is often observed in arguments. Crossed arms can also convey the thought of "I am not doing anything now, it's the others' turn". People often cross their arms in this situation. This is frequently seen in meetings, sometimes combined with leaning back in the chair. For many, crossed arms are actually a preferred listening posture. And this has nothing to do with disinterest. It simply conveys the message "I am not taking action now, it's the other person's turn". Simple interpretations of gestures should therefore be approached with caution. They provide guidance for better understanding the other person. However, this does not mean that one can read us like an open book. Here's another example for you to participate in or observe yourself: Let's say you are in a conversation with someone. Your counterpart is standing on their left leg, with the right leg barely bearing any weight. What kind of content will the conversation have at this point? Correct: emotional content. If you are in sales and observe this in your customer, you should bring emotional, sentimental content or arguments. Because at that moment, your counterpart's brain specifically craves this information. So, you should provide it to them. Sounds easy to implement and a good way to align with the customer's needs? Absolutely! But if the customer doesn't switch legs and you soon run out of things to say? Then simply provide factual information. It might be that the customer has an injury on their right leg or foot and cannot put weight on it... Enjoy self-awareness, awareness of others, and reading body language. Best wishes from your René Knizia   For more information on the laws of body language and René Knizia, visit: https://www.deutsches-rednerlexikon.de/lexikas/rednerlexikon/redner-finden/detail.php?id=1147&from=suche&start=0