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Speaker Showcase - Good Idea or a Waste of time?

Check out Patti's thoughts on the subject of Speaker Showcase at the link below!

http://speakersponsor.com/speaker-showcase/

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

Their Signature Stance Shows Off Their Style - But It Actually Reveals A Lot About Them, Too! - What's in a Pose?


There is no doubt that these stars manipulate their body language to portray a certain image.  But do they realize just how much of themselves they are actually revealing?  A closer look tells fans who has something to hide, who is looking for a fight and who wants you to know she is calling the shots!






BLAKE: STRIVING FOR SEXY

Blake Lively isn't fully comfortable according to Patti.  The hand on the hip is something she's taken on to be more sexy - but it's not fully her, it's not relaxed.  The real Blake is more private says Patti.  The leg cross is a protective posture.  There is part of her that she does not want to reveal.





KRISTEN: TOUGH CHICK

Kristen Stewart has the body language of a teenage boy according to Patti.  The way she holds her shoulders out and down, like a rebel without a cause, is antagonistic.  She is even fighting down to her feet!  Her feet are apart, which is masculine.  Women tend to do that only when they argue.







BEYONCE: SO IN CHARGE

Beyonce is the boss!  Both hands on hips is a power pose according to Patti. She juts her hip so it is more come-hither.  But the sex appeal does not stop there.  This girl has major body confidence.  The way her hands are palms-down on her hips says that she likes that she is a very curvy and a sensuous woman.








Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

Ashlee and Evan are Closer Than Ever



At the start of their romance last year, when Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross stepped out at Hollywood's Roosevelt Hotel, "there was a tremendous amount of distance," observes Patti.  "They are not in sync and hadn't figured out how to handle the relationship."

Patti gives this "pulling away" couple a 2 on the Life & Style True Love Rating scale.

But on a shopping run this summer, the now-engaged pair are in step and they are showing a playful, comfortable ease with each other according to Patti.

Patti gives this "leaning in" couple a 5 on the Life & Style True Love Rating scale.

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

Can Body Language Indicate Personality Traits and Type?

Many of you know that I have been researching the relationship between body language and the DISC personality assessment for many years. After reading about movement analysis being used to determine Putin’s decision making style I have been looking at some of the newest research in personality and nonverbal communication. Here is a great article on some of the research. I have several other articles if you search on my blog for personality or DISC or gestures and speakers.
Note the yellow highlighted information. The following article was posted on http://postnihilism.blogspot.com/2011/07/can-body-language-indicate-personality.html

Can Body Language Indicate Personality Traits?

In my previous discussion paper, “The Tarot as a Source of Ancient Personality Theory”, one of the more interesting findings was that some characteristics of the court cards, which are believed to represent people in your life, had to do with the way people move, such as ‘graceful’, ‘swift’, ‘acute’, ‘slow’ and ‘clumsy’. As a result this researcher was lead to question whether personality may actually be indicated in how a person moves and carries themselves. However, current personality theory does not associate traits with physical movement within any of the Five Factor Model of personality characteristics. Even though people tend to use their first impressions about a person to make quick judgments regarding personality, surprisingly little research is available to further our understanding of how exactly this might work. In this paper we will examine whether any current research on body language could lend itself to personality theory and expand present knowledge in this area.

          An interesting tool recently used in assessment of personality and body language is Laban Movement Analysis. Created by Rudolf Laban to describe interpret and document human movement for dancers, actors, athletes and health professionals, LMA is also being incorporated by psychologists into these theories by correlating movements with emotional state and personality variables (Levy & Duke, 2003). LMA also takes a gender based approach, finding subtle differences in the expression of particular emotions between males and females. For example, in males anxiety may be expressed by increased use of shrinking movements while dominance, achievement and exhibitionism is expressed by decreased use of enclosing movements. Females, in contrast, expressed anxiety by a decreased tendency to change back and fourth between efforts and lack of emphasis in effort, as well as decreased sagittal movements. Dominance and exhibition is expressed by a decreased use of spreading movements. This indicates that there may be some subtle gender based difference in emotional expression in body language.

          Another study examined whether body language could be linked to desire for control. In a study more than 700 participants were asked to sit and stand in a variety of positions (Rhoads, 2002). In addition, the same subjects completed need for control tests and the results were correlated. Results indicated that people who crossed their arms with the right arm in the dominant position, with the right shoulder elevated, as well as which side they favor when they stand or sit was positively correlated with desire for control. Highly controlling people are associated with characteristics in the low agreeableness trait.

          A very informative study covers a much more holistic view of personality assessment based on body language. Politicians giving speeches were transformed into animated stick figures and shown to subjects, who rated the five personality factors of the figure based on gestures (Koppensteiner & Grammer, 2010). Overall subjects were found to be very adept at associating meaning to gestures and movements. Stick figures with more low arm gesture activity interrupted with smaller periods of high activity were regarded as more agreeable than stick figures with overall high activity. High extraversion was associated with high overall activity and only brief low activity periods. Stick figures with greater head movements were considered less conscientious, more neurotic and less open compared to stick figures with head movements with less amplitude. High openness was associated with pronounced changes in movement direction, and round movements were considered linked to less openness. Making smooth transitions in movement from one activity peak to the next was associated with low neuroticism, whereas high neuroticism was linked to sudden changes in gestures and making these changes more often. Although further study is required to confirm if these traits are consistent, it gives us considerable insight integrating particular movement patterns with trait theory.

          Overall we can start to see connections between body language and personality. High extraversion seems to be connected to more movement, broader, sweeping movements and increased saggital movement. High neuroticism could be seen in shrinking, enclosing movements, decreased saggital movement, more head movement and more sudden, jerky movement. Openness may be linked with more profound changes in movement direction, and conscientiousness with less head movements. Agreeableness may be linked to low periods of activity with short periodic bursts of high activity, as well as displaying more submissive body language such as crossing arms with the left arm dominant as well as sitting and standing with the left shoulder favored relative to the right.

          Going back to the original traits under consideration we could see swiftness as a trait of high extraversion and slowness associated with low extraversion. Graceful gestures could indicate a smoothness of movement linked to low neuroticism. Finally, acute movement could also indicate increased confidence, and hence low neuroticism, or it may indicate high neuroticism if gestures are sharp and change frequently. It is surprising this has not been an area of more intense research, since the research that has been done would seem to indicate that this method of personality assessment is constantly employed by nearly everyone, and deserves to be better understood.

References
Koppensteiner, M. & Grammer, K. 2010. Motion patterns in political speech and their influence on personality. Journal of Research in Personality, 44, 374-379.
Levy, J. A. & Duke, M. P. 2003. The use of Laban Movement Analysis in the study of personality, emotional state and movement style: An exploratory investigation of the veridicality of “body language”. Individual Differences Research, 1, 39-63.
Rhoads, S. A. 2002. Using body language as a measurement of the personality trait of desire for control. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, 63, 2996


Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

Body Language Tips for an Expert Witness on the Stand

You are sitting in a hard chair on a raised platform being asked question after question by a hard hitting attorney while a courtroom full of people watch your every move. Welcome to the hot seat! As a physician testifying as a defendant or serving as an expert witness, your experience on the stand can be daunting.  Understanding how to use your nonverbal communication to feel confident and credible on the stand will make a difference in the outcome.
Here are the keys to ensuring that your nonverbal communication conveys the same message of impeccable integrity as your words.
It is important to know that how you hold your body can actually change how you feel. You can influence how you look and feel on the stand by consciously controlling your nonverbal cues.
Under stress the limbic brain normally makes us freeze, flee, fight or faint or give up. Your body may react by freezing in place, appear to be fleeing by pulling your body back, or folding your limbs in to look small. Other reactions to stress may be to become tense and angry, going limp and giving up. You can take steps to reduce those stress responses and increase your credibility.
You want to be aware of the dance between you and the opposing counsel, instead of being reactive to the opposing team’s attorney. Use the following tips to be an effective credible witness.
Space
You want to look powerful, like a true expert, but not appear arrogant. Instead of going still and getting small, take up space and get big. When you need a shot of confidence put your arms on the armrest of your chair, or stretch out your feet a bit. Research says that women on the stand tend to perch, on the edge of the seat arching their backs, making them look less powerful. Men tend to slouch, relying more on the backrest, making them appear disrespectful. Purposefully vary your position to be in control, but when you feel stressed, get big.
  
Openness
Imagine that there are “windows” on the front of your body, the windows of the knees, pelvis, heart, mouth, eyes, and palms of the hands. These body windows can be open or closed. You want to keep your windows open to look honest and unafraid. The most important window for credibly is the palms of the hands. The limbic brain of the viewer senses danger and dishonesty when the palms of someone’s hands are hidden. Keep your hands open and in view on the table or the arms of the chair. Gesture normally, but don’t use sharp, cutting or poking motions that can be read as symbolic weapons.

Stay Up
When you’re confident and honest your gestures move up, your head comes up, your shoulders come up and back, you sit and move in a way that directs your energy upward.
People who are afraid and or are lying have difficulty moving and staying up.

Get Grounded
When people are nervous, they tend to either move a lot or freeze. Here’s a trick: when you’re in the thick of the most difficult questions, and want to achieve the highest levels of cognition, place both feet firmly on the ground slightly apart. This placement
actually makes it easier to utilize both hemispheres of the brain — the rational and the creative-emotional. If you feel yourself freeze, move your feet apart and/or forward to feel strong.

Lean into It
We tend to pull back when we are fearful or offended by a question. Lean forward as you listen to show you are interested and confident. You can lean forward with your head, your upper torso, or your whole body to show you are connecting to what the lawyer is saying and you are not afraid. Lean in when you are being questioned by your team to show respect. But don’t overdo it, you’re not trying to “get in their face.” So don’t lean forward quickly or aggressively, just aim for gentle timely leans.

Speak with Strength
Everyone, but especially women, should be sure that their voices stay strong until the end of each sentences. Going up high in pitch at the end of your sentences makes you sound unsure of yourself. Practice answering questions with a confident voice going down in pitch, steady and strong in volume, to the end of your sentences.

Match Your Movement and Your Words
Make sure your gestures and movements match what you are saying. If you say “That is accurate” and shake your head “no” the jury will believe your body language, not your words. Be careful of being too scripted or automatic. If your emotion and facial expressions and gestures do not match you seem inauthentic.

Keep Your Hands Away From Your Face
Be careful of showing “stress cues.”  When we are feeling stressed the nerve endings fire at the tip of the nose, edge of the ears, around the mouth, and eyes. You may have an urge to touch or rub your face.  Don’t! It makes you look uncertain or dishonest. If you need to comfort yourself, briefly place a hand on your leg out of view which will help you feel anchored.

Mind Your Mouth       
The mouth is the source of truth and lies. Avoid licking your lips or pressing your lips tightly together. Keep hydrated and keep your lips relaxed.

Giving a deposition or testifying in a trial is an experience that is part of being an EM physician.   Knowing the nonverbal messages that people use to ascertain whether you are telling the truth will help ensure that you are perceived as being the credible witness that you are.

Ms. Patti Wood, MA, CSP is a body language consultant and professional speaker, and the author of eight books, including “Success Signals Understanding Body Language” and “SNAP Making the Most of First Impressions Body Language and Charisma.” She is interviewed by national media every week, including CNN, FOX NEWS, The Today Show, The History Channel, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Psychology Today. You can contact her at Patti@PattiWood.net.
Dr. Sagan is an emergency physician and an attorney based in Woodmere, New York. He can be reached at DougSegan@Yahoo.com.



Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.