Effect of Body Language on Business Communications 0

THE EFFECT OF BODY

LANGUAGE AND MICRO
EXPRESSIONS ON BUSINESS
COMMINUCATIONS
Business Communications – Formal Business Report

Allana Wiese
4/11/2019
The Effect of Body Language on Business Communications 1

Table of Contents
Effect of Body Language on Business Communications 1

Abstract
The Effect of Body Language on Business Communications 2

All communication can be split into two categories: verbal and nonverbal. In the business

setting, people tend to focus mainly on the verbal component, whether it be a negotiation,

presentation, or conversation. In actuality, up to 90% of every conversation is interpreted through

nonverbal messages, if the words said don’t match the expressions shown, the individual being

spoken to will always believe what their body language is “saying” as opposed to the actual

message. Body language and nonverbal communication has been studied by many scientists all

the way back to Charles Darwin in the mid 1800’s, and the question of how body language can

promote success in the business setting has been studied more recently by Patryk and Kasia

Wezowski. Recently, studies have focused on a form of nonverbal communication known as

“micro expressions” or “micromomentary expressions” which, defined by Dr. Paul Ekman,

Ph.D. on Emotional Expression, are involuntary expressions that occur within a fraction of a

second and display a person’s true emotions. The universality of facial expressions makes micro

expression training a powerful tool when trying to understand an individual’s true intentions and

desires in the business world.

Origins of Nonverbal Studies

Body Language

The first person to study body language, or kinesics, was the father of evolution, Charles

Darwin. He studied both humans and animals and recorded his findings in his book, “The

Expression of Emotion in Man and Animals”, published in 1872. Not surprisingly, he noticed

that like humans, animals also had shared behaviors they used to express their emotions. These

cues included body postures, gestures, and other physical gestures. Now, facial expressions

lasting even a fraction of a second are major indicators of a person’s emotions. A person’s body
The Effect of Body Language on Business Communications 3

language is an important indicator of how the content of a message is supposed to be interpreted.

The universality of these emotional signals allows for effective communication between people

of different cultural backgrounds as well, making this area of study important not only for people

within a company, but also for international business affairs.

Micro Expressions

The discovery of micro Expressions was accidental. When Kenneth Issacs and Ernest

Haggard were studying nonverbal communication in psychotherapy tapes, they noticed a change

in facial expression within only a few frames of film. They called these occurrences

“micromomentary expressions”. Darwin’s hypothesis that involuntary facial movements can be a

result of suppressed emotion, Sigmund Freud’s belief that “No mortal can keep a secret. If his

lips are silent, he chatters with his finger-tips”, and the discovery made by Haggard and Issacs,

all indicate that micro expressions are an important component of nonverbal communication.

Micro Expressions Today

More recently, Paul Ekman, Ph.D on Emotional Expression, has been studying these

involuntary cues more in depth, and has shared his findings in his many books including,

“Emotions revealed” published in 2003, and “Nonverbal Messages, Cracking the Code”

published in 2016. He also posts blog posts about the topic and was the host of the television

show “Lie to Me”. Dr. Ekman’s research has allowed him to become one of Time Magazine’s

top 100 most influential people in the world. His cross-cultural work has provided evidence for

universality of certain facial expressions, these being anger, fear, disgust, contempt, sadness,

surprise, and happiness.

The Effect of Body Language on Business Communications 4

Reading Facial Expressions

To understand these facial expressions, one must look for certain movements in the face

to distinguish between fake emotions and real ones. For example, a real smile and a fake smile

may look the same to the untrained eye but can be distinguished easily by looking for key

components. In both a fake and a real smile, both corners of the mouth curve upwards, and teeth

may be exposed or not. In a real smile, the muscle contractions are stronger, and the eyes may

become slightly squinted, causing crows feet wrinkles. A fake smile is likely to last only a

fraction of the time a real smile lasts. Another example is in the micro expression of contempt.

Contempt may be shown if an individual feels a sense of superiority and may be hiding some key

information from the listener. This is indicated by a slight raise in one corner of the mouth. By

looking for these key movements, anyone can learn to read these universal facial expressions and

understand the true emotions of the person speaking to them.

Micro expressions are most popular for their role in interrogations and psychotherapy.

Law enforcement and scientists analyze them to be able to identify when the subject is lying. As

previously mentioned, if there is any inconsistency in what someone is displaying with nonverbal

cues and what is said, the nonverbal cues will always overpower the words. For example, if a

manager were to approach an employee and say, “Good job on that report!” with a “fake” smile,

and tense posture, they are unlikely to believe them versus if the manager says the same thing

with a relaxed posture and more expressive smile. These simple cues are used to tell whether a

patient is lying about their condition, or a criminal is lying about being innocent.
The Effect of Body Language on Business Communications 5

Business Communications
Types of Communication