Let me put it this way...
Gestures and body language are an important component of non-verbal communication. We're going to do a quick lesson on gestures, so that you can be more engaging when you speak. You'll need video for this one!
Using gestures and body language well will improve your communication skills and help you engage better with people. You'll send the right unspoken messages, and it will improve your G.B.C. score too! This is the first lesson on improving your delivery score.
If you have taught this student before, give them a critical assessment of how they use gestures and body language in class. You need video for this class, but if the student refuses, it's their loss. You can still demonstrate, so make sure your video is on for this class.
What's the point of using gestures? What are some gestures you use? What are some gestures you know about that English speakers use? Are there any gestures that you might use that could be misunderstood by English speakers?
A lot of people will in fact use gestures unconsciously. Try to make them aware of this, and see if you can catch them using body language (even if it is something like a cock of the head, or looking skyward when they don't understand or they are thinking).
The point of gestures
Gestures are a form of visual punctuation.
Misunderstood gestures
- In Brazil and Iran, the OK sign is offensive. It means "anus". It's also offensive in American sign language. Have fun explaining that!
- In Japan, many people use the reverse peace sign for the number two, but to British, Australian and New Zealanders, this is "up yours" or "giving the fingers" and is offensive.
- "Come here" gestures are different in the West and Japan.
- "Can I have the check please?" is different in the West and Japan.
- "You are not allowed to do that" (だめ！) is a hands crossed gesture in Japan (on the left below), sometimes called "batsu". It means something is wrong or no good. Does not translate well in English. See image below.
- The "maru" gesture (on the right below) in Japan is not something that makes any sense in the West.
Let's practice the following gestures and body language. Do you know what they mean? Which can you use in G.B.C.?
- chin scratch;
- fist pump;
- the Clinton thumb;
- crossed fingers;
- cuckoo sign;
- facepalm;
- money sign;
- so-so;
- air quotes;
- open palms;
- blah blah
- counting
- shrug
- the steeple
- pointing;
- handshake
- hand wave
- no no
- me
Make a point of eye contact here—this is a score in itself on the G.B.C. test:
Let's work through this short list of common gestures. Do you know how to make the gesture? Do you know what it means? And don't forget to make eye contact!
Here are the gestures. Go through each and figure out if you can use it in the test or not—some are just for fun:
- chin scratch—thinking; "I am not sure"; "Let me see" etc.;
- fist pump—Japanese people can use a double-clenched fist gesture to mean something like "Let's do it", but with an expression of frustration, for Westerners that gesture means something like "Godammit" etc. With one fist, it means "Yesssss!";
- the Clinton thumb—clench your fist and point with your thumb, for emphasis;
- crossed fingers—for good luck, or "I hope..."
- cuckoo sign—you're crazy.
- facepalm—you have got to be joking; oh my lord; I can't believe it; etc.
- money sign—this is one that differs place to place. Ask your student if there is a gesture in their culture for money.
- so-so—for evaluating stuff.
- air quotes (also "scare quotes")—This might take a bit of explaining. Often used in ironically or sarcastically. From Wikipedia: "The air-quoted phrase is—in the most common usage—very short, at most a few words. Air quotes are often used to express satire, sarcasm, irony or euphemism, among others, and are analogous to scare quotes in print."
- open palms—This is a gesture of trust, honesty and openness.
- blah blah—Someone talking too much; gossip.
- counting—a good one for listing reasons.
- shrug—I don't know.
- the steeple—I am a very thoughtful person.
- pointing—the gif shows the two version: with the index finger and the whole hand. Point out that pointing with the index finger is rude, but the whole hand is OK.
- handshakes—hard to teach online, but included for completeness. Hands should be vertical (not one on top and one under, which is a display of dominance), grip should be firm (not too strong, but not limp) and you should look the other person in the eye.
- handwave—This is included since for Japanese people, this gesture means something like "That's wrong" or "That's not the case", but for Westerners it means "smelly". This could cause embarrassing confusion. When a Japanese person is complimented, they might say something like, "No, my English is not very good at all!" but their gesture might be saying, "You smell bad."
- no no—Contrast this with the 'batsu' gesture in Japan.
- me—Japanese people will indicate themselves by pointing at their nose, which comes close to the "I know" or "It's a secret" gesture that English speakers use.
Facial expressions
Make sure that the student is being expressive—they should at least smile. This is just a footnote to this lesson, but very important and most students will be fairly blank when they are speaking.
Answer content
Make the point that they should change the nature of their answers sometimes to give themselves the chance to use particular gestures. ("My job is so-so. The money is good and the works is interesting, but I have to work so hard.")
Now answer a couple of G.B.C. questions with a focus on body language, eye contact and gestures.