Body Language and SCUBA Diving.

Body Language and scuba diving, seems like a strange juxtaposition doesn’t it?  (Okay, I was looking for a way to insert the word “juxtaposition into an article.  Sue me.)  What does body language and scuba diving have in common?  At first glance, not much, but as a diver with over 30 years of scuba diving experience I have often boasted that I can effectively teach anyone to scuba dive in 30 seconds by simply telling them to do two things…

1)      Keep breathing and never ever hold your breath and

2)      Never go up (ascent) faster than your smallest bubbles.

Follow these two rules and you have mastered 80% of all the knowledge you need to know to be a safe casual scuba diver.  The rest is just practice to ingrain the habit of always breathing and never holding your breath while underwater, an admittedly strange and foreign environment, and ascending at the proper rate.

That’s not to say that there aren’t far more complex and involve training and knowledge that might come in handy as a SCUBA diver because there are, but those two rules cover the basics and for the vast majority of divers who simply want to enjoy a simple cruise over a reef or two while on vacation this is enough.

This brings us to body language.  Just like scuba diving body language appears very complex and esoteric to the uninitiated and uninformed.  I mean, there are so many gestures, facial expressions and postures to memorize and translate, not to mention the recently popular Microexpressions made famous by the TV show “Lie to me.”  It can seem overwhelming.

But it’s not.  Body language, just like scuba diving, can be broken down into a few basic concepts that anyone can quickly use as a framework to understand and interpret body language.  Here are three core body language concepts you can use to better your body language skills.

1)      What’s the context? Everything about body language is dependent on the context in which the body language takes place.  This makes sense doesn’t it?  We all act differently in church than we do at a nightclub or football stadium.  What takes place in one context may have a completely different meaning than the exact same thing in a different context.  So, first thing, look at the context in which the behavior is taking place.

2)      You need a baseline. – We all act and behave a certain way in whichever context we find ourselves in.  This is a natural part of our personality – some of us are outgoing while others are more introverted.  Some people are touchy-feely while others are uncomfortable with physical contact.  Before you can accurately interpret anyone’s body language you will need to establish a baseline of behavior for that individual in, you guessed it, each individual context.

3)      Look for clusters of behavior. – Interpreting body language gestures in isolation is a dangerous habit because most of the time you will get it wrong.  A body language expert will look for clusters of gestures, behaviors and expressions before making an interpretation.  For instance, crossing your arms doesn’t necessarily mean that a person is closed off.  They might just be cold or habitually close their arms, but when combined with crossed legs, a body turned away from you and eye staring at the ground it’s much more likely that calling a person closed off is accurate.

So there you have it, three very basic concepts that are an essential part of accurately interpreting people’s body language.  These are also three areas where people make mistakes, especially when they are just starting to read the body language of others.

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Tagged as: Body Language, Interpreting Body Language, Learning Body Language, Understanding Body Language