This activity can be found in Pretty et al, (1995) - University of ...

HO 07 FS2.2How do we convey non verbal messages?What was happening in the pictures?aThe man on the left is using an excellent gesture to convey openness and honesty –exposed palms, foot forward, head up, coat unbuttoned, arms and legs apart, leaningforward and smiling gestures. Unfortunately for him, however, his story is not goingacross. The woman is sitting back in her chair with her legs crossed away (defensive),she has a partial arm-barrier (defensive), a clenched fist (hostile), head down and isusing the critical evaluation gesture (hand to face). The hand gesture of the man in themiddle indicates that he feels confident or superior and his leg position shows that hisattitude is competitive or argumentative. We assume that his overall attitude is negative,as he is sitting back, his head down.bThe man on the left is straddling his chair in an attempt to take control of the discussionor to dominate the man on the right. He has clenched fingers and his feet are lockedtogether under his chair, showing a frustrated attitude, which means he is probablyhaving difficulty getting his point across. The man in the centre feels superior to theother two because of the hands-behind-head gesture he has taken. He also has a leglock position meaning that he will compete or be argumentative. He has a high-statuschair that swivels and has wheels and arm-rests. The man on the right is seated on alow-status chair that has fixed legs and no accessories. His arms and legs are tightlycrossed (defensive) and his head is down (hostile), indicating that he does not agreewith what he hears.cIn this scene the man on the left and the woman are ‘mirroring’ each other’s gestures onthe couch. The couple are very interested in each other and have positioned their handsin such a way that they can expose their wrists and they have crossed their legstowards one another. The man in the middle has a tight-lipped smile which can makehim appear interested in what the other man has to say but it is not consistent with hisother facial and body gestures. His head is down (disapproval), his eyebrows are alsodown (anger) and he is giving the other man a sideways glance. In addition to this, hisarms and legs are tightly crossed (defensive), all indicating that he has a very negativeattitude.Edge (1992)81 Jamaica All Age Schools Project: Facilitator Training for School Based Resource Teachers