Girl on the Brink: Surviving Desperate Times with Desperate Measures

As I struggle through life, love and work, I have become a closer observer of movement—the way people do or don’t integrate gestures with words to get across a point.

Some people also call this nonverbal communication. For many people, body language is too normal to notice.

But it forms part of the fiber of our social skills—in casual conversations, business situations and on TV. Perhaps that is the reason for the popularity of the Fox TV show Lie to Me, which is all about body language to determine a suspect’s guilt or innocence.

Even dancing is a specific language of our bodies. Dance Your Ass Off, Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance are TV shows designed to communicate a specific message.

We all move and respond to the way people move, such as something so minor as glancing at a watch to indicate time is running out.

When we don’t pick up on other’s movements, we say they have deficient social skills, which can include poor eye contact to a lack of empathy to an overall indifference toward others.

For example, when I’m not interested in kissing a guy, my body becomes rigid. And you? How many times have you exchanged pleasantries with an office security guard, and he looks away and down?

We all shift our eyes to the side spontaneously when confronted with uncomfortable or unexpected situations.

Body language is evident in all aspects of our lives, including a job interview. Wimpy handshakes and slouching, as if you couldn’t guess, don’t project confidence.

Don’t you think that’s a no-brainer basic? I hope so, but some folks just don’t get it. According to a survey by CareerBuilder, one interviewer said a job candidate sniffed his armpits. How gross is that!

Other weird behavior, according to the survey, included a person who combed her hair, asked for a ride home after the interview, wore swim trunks and spit.

What are these people thinking, or are these the unspoken signs of the times?