Body language is the unspoken communication that goes on in every face-to-face encounter with another human being. It tells you their true feelings towards you and how well your words are being received. Between 50%-100% of our message is communicated through our body language. Only 7%-10% is the result of actual words we use in a conversation. Eye contact is one of the most important ways of dealing with others, especially people we’ve just met. Keep good eye contact shows respect and interest in what they have to say. In the UK, people tend to keep eye contact around 60%-70% of the time. (However, there are wide cultural differences, so be careful in other countries.) By doing this, you give them a feeling of comfort and real warmth. Otherwise, they will feel you are lacking interest in them or their conversation. Head position is a great one to play around with yourself and others, when you want to feel confident and self-assured, keep your head level both straight and upright. You can also use this straight head position when you want to be powerful and what you are saying be to taken seriously. If you want to be friendly, tilt(倾斜)your head just a little to one side or other. Hand gestures are so many and varied that it’s hard to give a brief guide, but here goes. Palms(手掌) slightly up and outward is seen as open and friendly. Palm-down gestures are generally seen as commanding, emphasizing and possibly aggressive (挑衅的). This palm-up, palm-down is very important when it comes to handshaking and we suggest you always offer a handshake upright, which should convey equality. Distance from others is crucial if you want to give off the right signals. Stand too close and you’ll be marked as “stubborn” (顽固的，棘手的). Stand or sit too far away and you’ll be “keeping your distance”. Neither is what we want, so observe how close all the other people are to each other if in a group. Also notice if you move closer to someone and they back away. You’re probably a bit too much in their personal space, their comfort zone.
We keep eye contact in conversations to _________________.