If one person looks up, you often see others follow suit. We are hardwired to do this, unconsciously, automatically, but there are times when we don’t need to react to someone’s eye movement - and our brains know the difference. “The brain is reading people’s minds, not just where they are looking,” says Brian Scholl, a professor of psychology at Yale University and the senior author of a new study published in ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’. Our brains can derive meaning from looking into another person’s eyes. We know when we might need to see what they are seeing (a potential threat or point of interest) or whether they are just breaking eye contact. People look off to the side, up or down all the time. They may be breaking contact to relieve tension or eye accessing, perhaps looking up and left to recall a memory, or maybe they have been caught looking somewhere they shouldn’t have been. On all these occasions there’s no need for us (the observers) to look wh
The Body Language of Zoom - Tips Sit Still Chair-swivellers and seat-squirmers can appear nervous (ready for escape) or predatory (ready to attack). Appearing ‘grounded’ can signal that you’re in control and mean what you say: in essence, that you’re not a pushover. This rigidity should apply to the lower body, seat and trunk, and not the face (if you look like a still image you may look frozen in fear). Movement, especially fast movement, can look jerky on many devices. Sit up An erect spine can make a speaker look attentive and prepared. If you’re slumped in a seat or hunched over, it can appear that you’re not making an effort, and looking bored can reflect this feeling onto your audience. Shoulders down Shoulders should be square to the camera and kept low/relaxed. When feeling anxious the shoulders have a tendency to raise up for protection with the head lowered (turtle effect). Avoid this to look more confident. Hand gestures Limit the use of gestures. Hands that are