Examples of Friendly Body Language
Possibly the most important part of body language to get right is simply appearing friendly. While the body language of attraction and the body language of business might have their benefits, surely nothing is more important than just being a nice, friendly person, is it? Didn’t think so. That’s why these examples of friendly body language are so important.
For some people, looking friendly is an absolute must. Good counselling in schools requires the counsellor to always look friendly to gain trust. Insurance salesmen need to look friendly as they’re already given a bad image before they’ve even met their customer. From everything from law enforcement to modelling to being a TV host, you need to look friendly to present the right image. And for the rest of us. . . well, we need to look friendly to have friends. That’s why you need to understanding the following examples of friendly body language.
It’s such a shame that some truly nice people are often thought of as unfriendly just because they have a few errors in their body language, while some downright horrible people are thought of as wonderful simply because they look good. It’s an issue that needs to be set right. So let’s do that right now.
By understanding how these examples of friendly body language communicate friendliness, we can learn to show a better, more open and approachable image of ourselves that will significantly boost our social lives.
Left: Ellen Degeneres always shows very friendly body language on the Ellen Show
Examples of Friendly Body language
Open body language, where you do not form any barriers (for instance by crossing your arms over your chest) is imperative to showing trustworthiness and friendliness.
Smiling should be used but not too often as it is also a sign of submissiveness.
Raising your eyebrows just a little will significantly help in looking friendly.
Showing the hands, and particularly the palms of the hands, creates an honest and approachable image which will make you appear more friendly.
Holding your chin in neutral position (parallel to the ground) will make you appear confident but not arrogant, which will make others more comfortable in approaching you.
Hiding any part of the body behind either an object or another part of the body (for instance, putting your feet under your chair, covering your mouth with a hand, putting your hands in your pockets etc.) can create various negative impressions. People will view you as more friendly and more approachable when you do not cover up any body parts (except with clothing, of course).
So, now we’ve covered the examples of friendly body language, let’s move on to another very important subject.
Why Truly Nice People Sometimes Appear Unfriendly
Those examples of friendly body language will be worth nought if they are ruined by negative body language.
No matter how nice they may be, some people are born with certain physical features which make them look less friendly. If you have any of these physical traits you may benefit by exaggerating some of the other elements of friendly body language to compensate.
- People with small pupils are at a disadvantage because small pupils naturally look angry.
- If you find it hard to show much expression in the face, you may wish to make more use of hand gestures when speaking to compensate.
- If you have any dental issues that prevent you from smiling comfortably (for instance, wisdom teeth), make more use of the friendly body language gestures.
- Any physical issues that create limited motion in an area of the body can inadvertently communicate unwanted characteristics and emotions. If you have such an issue, try to observe yourself or ask a friend or family member how it impacts the visual communication of your character and personality and try to use different positive body language gestures to balance this out.
By becoming aware of the negative areas of our image and adopting the examples of friendly body language, we can present an open, likeable and approachable side of ourselves that will give people a new, altogether more positive opinion of us. Be sure to make use of these friendly body language pointers today.