Online Class: Kinesics 101 - Learn to Read Body Language

no certificate
with CEU Certificate*
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13Lessons
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16Exams &
Assignments -
7,519Students
have taken this course -
7Hours
average time -
0.7CEUs
Course Description
Reading Body Language, Using it to Your Advantage
In this course you will learn what body language is, about different emotions, how to read body language and how to use the information to your personal and career advantage. You'll learn about cultural differences as it pertains to body language, the power of first impressions and intuition and how to ask the questions and be an active listener when you get responses. Don't shake another hand until you have learned all you can from the information in this course!
Course Motivation
When you talk to someone by waving your hand, nodding your head, or even crossing your arms, you are communicating. Body language is the phrase we use for these movements and gestures. This also incorporates the most subtle of movements that people may not be aware of, including winking, the slight movement of the eyebrows, and other facial expressions.
Paralanguage is defined as nonverbal communication. Body language is a part of paralanguage and it has been studied in the psychology field by many experts, in particular, the involuntary body language like smiling and frowning.
People send and receive nonverbal messages and signals all the time without even knowing it. In the grocery store, you may see a woman pick up a green pepper and frown. She's not aware that the signal she's sending out is one of disapproval. Some people see it and some people don't. These signals may indicate what a person is truly feeling. The technique of "reading" people is used quite often. For example, we teach our children from an early age to look people in the eye when speaking. Children tend to look up and down, everywhere except into the other person's eyes.
Maintaining eye contact is an indicator that the person is positively thinking about what is being said to them. In other situations, it can mean that the person doesn't want to take his eyes off the other, which can mean a sign of distrust. A person who makes direct eye contact, but plays with the chipped paint on the table at the same time, or plays with his hands, may not be really paying attention to you; he's distracted and his attention is elsewhere. There are also those individuals who have been diagnosed with an attention deficit disorder and cannot continuously maintain eye contact; they are simply unable to do this. So, you don't want to make a hasty judgment without considering all of the factors to the situation.
The most basic and dominant form of body language occurs when a person crosses their arms. This particular gesture can be interpreted in many different ways. Sometimes it can mean they are putting up a wall between themselves and others, sort of like protection. It can also indicate they are cold, and are crossing their arms for warmth. Maybe you are in a business meeting and the man across from you crosses his arms. This doesn't always mean he's trying to put a barrier between himself and the speaker; rather, it could mean he's listening intently and taking in all of the information. On the other hand, it could be looked upon as a warning signal that the person is very upset. If he is leaning back in his chair and has a frowning or callous expression on his face, this may be a good indicator of hostility. Such a person is not an ally, and may have controversial motives.
Disbelief can be indicated by a gaze that wavers around a speaker's head instead of looking them directly in the eye. When someone rubs their chin or touches their ear, this can also mean they don't believe what is being said. When a person is not being convinced by what someone is saying, their attention invariably wanders, and the eyes will stare away for an extended period.
You will know right away that you've encountered a bored person, as they will be looking at anything but the speaker. They are likely to tap the table with their fingers or tap their feet. Sometimes they do this repeatedly. You will most likely see them looking around the room from the speaker to the clock on the wall and back again. They might fidget in their seat, play with their hands, or tilt their neck.
There are also cultural differences in people that could lead to a misunderstanding of body language, so be careful about your analysis and consider all of the factors first.
By enrolling for this course, you have demonstrated your interest in understanding body language. And you are not alone. There are many people who are fascinated by the idea of being able to read someone's body language once the concept is introduced to them. One of the things that may surprise people is that body language, or nonverbal communication, makes up more of what we usually say than does verbal language.
Being able to understand and read body language is a very useful tool. You will be pleasantly surprised to learn that you can use the art of reading body language to:
- understand what someone means, even when they aren't saying it
- use it to your advantage for employment and interviews
- avoid aggressive situations that can become more heated
- learn what factors can affect body language, such as alcohol
- put your best foot forward for presentations and meetings
- discover patterns in someone's body language
- use self reflection to avoid negative behavior to be seen by others
Those are just a few things that one can learn from understanding how to read body language. At first it may seem complex, but once you learn some of the common things that people do in varying situations, it will become easier to detect and respond to someone's body language.
Body language is a non-verbal way of speaking. It is an unspoken language that often says more than what is being said verbally. It is a form of body communication that looks at what is being said beyond the verbal language. Body language is a subcategory of paralanguage, which is the area of human communication that is nonverbal. It can include such things as raising the eyebrow, winking, or a number of other facial expressions.
When considering body language it's important to keep in mind that some of it can be voluntary, while some is involuntary. Voluntary body language would include things like the way someone stands, folds their arms, or smiles. Involuntary body language is a little more complex, as it includes such things as blood rushing to the face when someone is embarrassed. This involuntary form of body language often covers facial expressions that someone does not deliberately make.
- Completely Online
- Self-Paced
- Printable Lessons
- Full HD Video
- 6 Months to Complete
- 24/7 Availability
- Start Anytime
- PC & Mac Compatible
- Android & iOS Friendly
- Accredited CEUs

Course Lessons
Lesson 1: Introduction to Body Language
Lesson 1 Video
Lesson discussions: Reasons for Taking this Course
Complete Assignment: An Introduction
Complete: Assignment 1: Analyze Someone's Body Language
Assessment: Lesson 1 Exam
Lesson 2: Body Language Basics
Lesson 2 Video
Assessment: Lesson 2 Exam
Lesson 3: Body Language Varying by Group
Lesson 3 Video
Assessment: Lesson 3 Exam
Lesson 4: Body Language That Displays Different Emotions
Lesson 4 Video
Complete: Assignment 4: Reading Body Language
Assessment: Lesson 4 Exam
Lesson 5: How to Read Body Language
Lesson 5 Video
Assessment: Lesson 5 Exam
Lesson 6: Using Body Language to Your Personal Advantage
Lesson 6 Video
Assessment: Lesson 6 Exam
Lesson 7: Using Body Language in Your Career
Lesson 7 Video
Assessment: Lesson 7 Exam
Lesson 8: Discovering Patterns
Lesson 8 Video
Complete: Assignment 8: Identifying Body Language Patterns
Assessment: Lesson 8 Exam
Lesson 9: The Power of First Impressions
Assessment: Lesson 9 Exam
Lesson 10: Asking the Right Questions, Listening to the Answers
Lesson 10 Video
Assessment: Lesson 10 Exam
Lesson 11: The Power of Intuition
Lesson 11 Video
Assessment: Lesson 11 Exam
Lesson 12: Self Reflection
Lesson 12 Video
Assessment: Lesson 12 Exam
Lesson 13: Supplemental Information
Lesson 13 Video
Lesson discussions: The Importance of Body Language; Course Comments; Program Evaluation Follow-up Survey (End of Course)
Learning Outcomes
- Describe basics behind reading body language.
- Describe variations in body language of different groups.
- Identify and describe body language that displays different emotions.
- Summarize body reading techniques and clues.
- Summarize using body language to your personal advantage and to help your career.
- Identify patterns in a person's body language and interpret what they mean.
- Recognize and use the power of intuition.
- Perform self reflection on yourself and analyze your own body language messages.
- Demonstrate mastery of lesson content at levels of 70% or higher.
Additional Course Information

- Document Your Lifelong Learning Achievements
- Earn an Official Certificate Documenting Course Hours and CEUs
- Verify Your Certificate with a Unique Serial Number Online
- View and Share Your Certificate Online or Download/Print as PDF
- Display Your Certificate on Your Resume and Promote Your Achievements Using Social Media

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Time to complete | 6 months |
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Time to complete | 6 months |
No. of courses | 1 course |
Certificates & CEUs
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Includes CEUs |
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Instructor support |
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Time to complete | 12 Months |
No. of courses | 600+ |
Certificates & CEUs
Includes all 600+ courses
Includes certificate |
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Includes CEUs |
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Self-paced |
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Instructor support |
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Time to complete | 24 Months |
No. of courses | 600+ |
Student Testimonials
- "This was a very delightful, enjoyable, and insightful course! I suddenly notice myself being able to evaluate situations much more quickly and can easily put self reflected comments to situations with ease. I 100% recommend this course." -- Renatee K.
- "This course was awesome. It is very easy to picture in your mind what to look for in certain individuals, gestures, emotions and their overall appearance." -- Collette P.
- "I thought this was the most informative of all the courses. It was helpful and will be very useful in many areas of life." -- Lisa B.
- "I loved learning all of these things that are so prevalent in my life, yet I hadn't paid much attention to them." -- Jonathan R.
- "I really liked this course, hopefully I can continue to use it. It is so helpfull in my everyday life. I learned a lot." -- Gloria F.
- "I found this course to be very helpful, interesting and enjoyable." -- Irene M.
- "I loved it and learned a lot about different cues and body language patterns." -- Corionna L.
- "I have enjoyed learning this information and will try to apply it going forward." -- Cynthia S.
- "It was very helpful!" -- Troy nicholis G.
- "I like learning about everything in general I feel that to pull one part of the course out would be doing an injustice to the whole class. I felt that the course flowed very well." -- Dustin H.
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