Tonya Reiman

Many of us are not as aware of our own body language, but the people we are speaking with often are. We seldom realize the gestures that we are making either because we are not living in the moment or worse, they have become habit. Certain gestures you are making can be sending the wrong message.

The situations in which we communicate on a regular basis can become so second nature that it is easy to forget to pay attention to how we are presenting ourselves. Let's say that you are a in a meeting. Barbara is playing with her hair, while Frank is constantly clicking his pen and James won't stop drumming his fingers. These are all very distracting behaviors that demonstrate to others that you are bored, tired and/or disinterested.

Everything you do is going to be analyzed by the people around you. "Diane, did you see Barbara today, she wasn't even paying attention. She just sat there playing with her hair and picking at her fingernails." It is very easy to make the wrong impression with your body language. Try to eliminate distracting habits that make you appear unprofessional.

Constantly adjusting your clothes, playing with your hair, fussing with your jewelry, scratching yourself, fiddling with your glasses, jiggling pocket change, fidgeting in your seat, tapping your feet, drumming your fingers, picking your teeth, biting or licking your lips, and even clearing your throat are all distracting behaviors that can communicate the wrong message to other people.

You don't want to be known as the guy that always clicks his pen, do you? You don't want to be remembered as the lady that is constantly playing with her hair, do you? Being conscious of your own gestures is part of being a great communicator. When you can be in the moment and you are aware of your own body language, you can build rapport, influence and persuade others and better communicate your own messages.

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