Body Language to Show Hierarchies

Body language, the use of ones physical being to communicate messages, is known to be a way in which individuals relate interpersonally, but did you know that body language is also used to suggest hierarchical differences between individuals?  Body language, also known as the study of kinesics, has been around as a discipline since the twentieth century.  Scholars study individual’s use of body language to interpret meanings given through the ways in which people use their bodies and the interpretations garnered by the receivers of those messages.  Such body language tools as eye contact, touch, gestures and use of personal space are perhaps the most common forms of this nonverbal method of communication.  Body language use is typical in all sorts of situations, but few people recognize how typical it is to use body language to suggest difference in hierarchical standings.

Body language, such as that used in the workplace setting, is commonly used to denote different hierarchical standings.  Take, for instance, the manner in which individuals choose seating for a workplace meeting.  Does it not suggest a difference in hierarchies when the big boss takes the seat at the head of the table?  Although there is no hard fast rule in American culture associated with this tendency, the way we use our eye contact can also be a reflection of body language communication to signify hierarchical differences.  When a person higher up on the ladder, for example, uses a penetrating glare in constructing a message, it would be fairly atypical of an employee or underling to meet her or him with the same steady gaze.