Body language goes a long way in leaving a powerful impression on people you come across in your day to day life. An important part of body language is your gestures, which include body movements from twitching your eyebrows, to fidgeting with your fingers. Gestures become a powerful tool of communication in the hands of an expert and sometimes, convey much more than words.

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Understanding Gestures

Gestures constitute non-verbal communication, which complement verbal modes of communication. They have a defining impact on how one receives words and can make or break the impact of the spoken word. Gestures include any intentional or unintentional body movement made during the course of a conversation. In a formal scenario, such as interviews, gestures have a big role to play, more so, because the candidates, in their nervousness, do not pay attention to the way their body reacts. This exposes them to the critical eyes of the people on the other side and enables them to form certain impressions about the candidates. For instance, pointing your fingers in a formal set-up is considered rude.

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Importance of Gestures

Gestures come in handy, especially to portray you as a confident person, in control of his/ her self. The right gestures used at the right time can enhance the meaning of the spoken words and even add another layer to them. They, in fact, become the second line of communication, in addition to the spoken word. A firm handshake, for instance, reveals a person’s confidence level and self- belief and tells the other person that you mean business. A nod of the head during a conversation conveys acknowledgement and shows that you are focussed on the conversation.  Conversely, inappropriate gestures can reduce the import of the spoken word and create an unfavourable impression. For instance, people who bite their nails, stare at the ground, sweat due to anxiety, reveal their lack of confidence as well as nervousness, which works against them and leaves a poor impression.

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Gestures as Powerful Communicators

The fundamental idea behind communication is to convey your thoughts and have a meaningful discourse. Gestures have the power to act as effective tools of communication too. Not only can they be used to complement and support what is being spoken, sometimes, they can act as the primary tool of communicating what you think, and do that more effectively than even words. For instance, who doesn’t remember the cold stare of our parents in our childhood when we committed some mistake? The stare was enough to send shiver down our spines and prevent us from committing the same mistake again. While growing up, we remember our teachers putting a finger on their lips, a signal for the students to keep quiet. Such is the power of gestures.

Facial expressions, Hand movements, Posture and Eye Contact all aid non- verbal communication. For all MBA aspirants, who wish to work in the professional world of business, mastering these gestures and using the right ones at the right time becomes a skill to ace in itself.

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