Body Language GOLD on the Internet!

March 8, 2010 by david | No comments

There’s gold in them thar…internets.

~ Anonymous (updated for our current technological age)

Mining for Gold

Do you ever feel like the internet is a colossal mountain of facts and opinions with selectively placed treasures hidden within? Do you wonder how it’s possible for a search engine to generate 24,200,000 hits for anything in 0.40 seconds? Do you ever wonder why my cat is addicted to sitting on chests?

Well, two out of three ain’t bad. Right?

In all the prospecting I’ve done in cyberspace, I have found many wonderful sites where I’m gleaned information that has inspired, uplifted, and educated. I’ve also found many more less-wonderful sites that I wish I hadn’t spent so much time seeking.

Today I’m celebrating a lustrous example of the former!

Hodu.com is a Communication Skills Goldmine!

I found hodu.com though my brother. He sent me a link to a website for Lilian D. Bjorseth, a communication skills and media relations consultant in the Chicago Area. I read her article on body language and openness (see link below) and I loved it. I loved it so much that I wondered if this information was from another source that might have more edifying information.

In my search, I determined that this article was Ms. BJorseth’s creation and I found hodu.com. After a few minutes of exploration (prospecting), I determined that Hodu.com is a Communication Skills Goldmine!

What do you do when you strike gold? In older days you probably dug it up and hid it as discreetly as possible so no one killed you for it. Now, electronic Gold cannot be hoarded. It cannot be contained. Please put down your pick-axe and open up your emailbox. In this Golden Age, we have the power to share the GOLD and, hopefully, give people information that serves them.

Three Nuggets for you!

NOTE: The tools discussed in the articles I’ve linked to can be used to meet your needs in ways that don’t contribute to other’s well-being (i.e. “manipulating” others for your own ends). I share these tools with this intention: To help you better understand yourself and others as you try to connect with them. I invite you to explore these tools and see if they have value for you in that endeavor

Nugget One: Know Your Stance!

By the way you stand, you either exclude or include others.

Does your Stance Include or Exclude Others . I love watching people. I believe that our bodies channel our energy (or intention) in unconscious ways. This is one reason why I focus energy on helping people get clear on their intention before they speak or listen. In conversation, I have observed how where you stand and how you stand directly impacts how your communication is received and how you share it. This article put language to dynamics of body energy that I have observed.

Nugget Number Two: Watch Your Feets (and those of others)!

Our feet and legs are…in the forefront of reactions to “fight, flight, or freeze” survival strategies.

Why Feet Don’t Lie. When I read this line, my eyes popped with open. (Usually only my kitty diving onto my chest from the top of my futon does this.) This article looks at body language by putting the focus on our feets! Our feet are the tool for fight and flight. Watch them and you can much better connect to the rest of that person.

Nugget Number Trois: Words Speak as Loudly as our Bodies

The words themselves make the difference in the intensity of the message, even when we no longer hear the tonality or see the body language with which they were spoken.

Debunking the 55%, 38%, 7% Rule - Oh no, My bubble has been burst! Stephen Covey of 7 Habits of Effective People fame says that 60% of meaning in our messages is conveyed by tone and body language and 40% through the words. I heard a lady speaking on NPR (an infallible source ) say that 93% of the meaning in conversation is not the worlds. This data inspired me to say this at my trainings: About 7% of the meaning of language is not the words and most NVC Training focus about 93% of the time on learning the most effective words to use. This article has prompted me to change my tune! Another example of falling out of love with one trusted idea and falling in love with another. I love it!