How To Get Your Teen To Communicate Better With Body Language 

“I don’t let my mouth say nothin’ my head can’t stand.”

Louis Armstrong 

Teenagers are testing the waters, so to speak, trying to figure out their way as they progress into adulthood.

Being a teen once myself, I know that transitioning towards being an adult is not smooth at all, and sometimes as adults we tend to forget that. It can be confusing, scary and often proceeds as a two steps forward, one step backward sort of dance.  

All of this sudden change can play a role in how our body functions and the way we present ourselves to the world.

One of the critical things we can learn is our body language, because it plays a significant step in the direction you are individually viewed. Since the beginning of time, learning how to communicate better has had a lot to do with understanding body language. Author, Julius Fast wrote a book entitled, “Body Language” in the 70’s. He talked about a new science called, Kinesics.

Contributing to his studies, as well as other scholars, Body Language is ubiquitous and understood as an essential aspect of communication.  

In fact, experts suggest specific percentages, starting with only 7% of what a person is saying comes from their words, while 38% is based on the tone of their voice. The remaining 55% of the meaning comes from the body language the individual is presenting. This rule comes from research that was published in the late 1960’s. 

Obviously, it’s 2018, and some now think that the percentages from this research might be slightly different. Nevertheless, the bottom line is still the same. Again, if you don’t know the basics of body language, you are missing a valuable tool for learning how to communicate better.

I Believe it’s essential to mentor our youth on this subject and help develop them in the leaders they are capable of being.   

FACE – Your facial expression speaks 1000 words.

When you enter a room if you feel anxious, nervous, your appearance might make you look aloof or unfriendly. Smiling in the room is a sure-fire way to remove anyone’s doubts about your approachability. Laughing and smiling makes us look warm, open and confident around others. 

EYES – Have you ever heard, the eyes are the windows to the soul?

I think this is a true statement. Your eyes certainly give people clues about what we’re feeling. A direct gaze towards someone can show interest– direct staring on the other hand, can mean an intense dislike. Minimal eye contact can prove that you’re shy. 

HANDS – Have you ever paid attention to speaker’s hand movements when they’re talking?

Open hand movements tend to make a person appear open and honest. Bringing hands together for long periods of time can accent the point you’re making. Awkward hand movements or continuous movement of your fingers and hands will give away nervousness.  It can even make someone look dishonest- are they trying to hide something?  

POSTURE – Research shows, if you lean towards someone, you’re showing an interest in the group or individual conversation.

If we’re feeling low in confidence, self-esteem or self-worth, we tend to slouch our shoulders and look down when someone is talking. 

I personally feel these concepts will get your teens on the right path of having a leader approach towards life. It starts with being confident and learning confident body language. Let me know what you think about this post and your opinions on how important it is letting our teens know how important body language is.

Lastly, always remember tomorrow is yours to create, don’t limit yourself.