Communicate with body language

Some common body language signals that can help (or hurt) a conversations:

1. Fiddling: Playing with your watch or a pen looks like you’re bored or impatient.
2. Legs crossed or body hunched: Closing up your body profile –becoming smaller– looks like you lack confidence.
3. Arms crossed: If you keep your arms folded during communication, you appear to be defending yourself against the others.
4. Touching your face: When you have your hand in front of your mouth, you appear timid.
5. Rubbing your nose, looking away: People who are lying often rub their nose or look away when speaking.

And of course, the classics - steady eye contact and a strong handshake - communicate a whole lot in a conversation, too. —Gina Trapani