Body Language and Tips for Teachers on Effective Body Language

It is well known that communication consists not only of written and verbal communication but also of non-verbal communication, where you observe a person and infer their meaning. This type of communication includes facial expressions, posture, tone of voice, eye contact, and even touch and body language.

Body language is the biggest part of non-verbal communication because it can convey meaningful messages without you having to say or write anything. For this reason, body language is of great importance for management or leadership and for all aspects of work and business where communication between people is visible and physically observable.

But it is also very important for relationships outside of work, e.g. dating, family, and raising children.

This type of non-verbal communication works in two ways. Posture, movements, and gestures reveal feelings, thoughts, and meanings to others, and the body language of others does the same for you.

There are also different views on how people use body language to communicate. These differences can be cultural and sometimes very obvious, but sometimes very subtle.

The importance of body language

Many body language experts seem to agree that a significant percentage of human communication is non-verbal, which is why body language is very important for effective communication.

There are six main reasons why body language is so important in our lives:

Understand others’ feelings: body language helps to understand other people’s moods and emotions.
Show that you are truly engaged: You can use body language to show someone that you are listening to them carefully and that you are genuinely interested in what they are saying.
Show your confidence: Body language can help someone appear confident, even if they are not.
Enable better self-awareness and self-control.
Give yourself a significant advantage when dealing with others.
Help create an impression when meeting someone for the first time.

Tips for effective body language in teaching

Body language is not only important in management and/or leadership but also in teaching. There are some non-verbal cues such as empathy and warmth that can show students that the teacher is responsive and listening to them.

Below are some tips for effective body language that will help to empower and engage students.

Eye contact: Students pay more attention when they know you are speaking directly to them.
Use gestures: Gestures can encourage students to participate in the lesson.
Use facial expressions/smile: This is the most important thing. Students feel your appreciation and can connect with you better.
Keep your arms open: This is an open posture and can be seen as an invitation to your students.
Assume a thinker’s pose: This pose can arouse curiosity.
Avoid nervous body language: Signs of negative body language are often easier to spot than positive ones. Try to avoid standing with your arms crossed or scratching the back of your head.

It is important that as a teacher you pay more attention to non-verbal communication in the classroom because you can become an effective communicator of knowledge. You can also be a receiver of your student’s needs and thus gain the power to send signals that promote.

Larning and open their eyes to signals that hinder learning