Hands Up

Mike Carter is a man obsessed with hands.

 

You may think that the art of good communication hinges on exceptional oratory skills, but think again.

 

“80 per cent of all human communication is non-verbal,” he explains. “We’re all trying to build trust and if you can’t see someone’s hands, you can’t trust them.”

 

Body language expert, Mike, has been coaching with messages like this for the last 20 years. On Monday, 9^th March, he’ll address LWC’s Academic and All-Round Scholars as part of the latest instalment in our Listen, Wonder & Create series of speakers. At least one of the skills that the audience will gain is a strong sense of where to place their hands.

 

“I think the Prince and Princess of Wales are great because their body language is effective and natural,” Mr Carter continues. “I often show a photo of William and Catherine and their hands are visible and in the perfect position. They will have received training from a body language coach in the same way that someone will be employed to advise them on how to dress. The aim is to create the best overall package. If your hands are in your pockets, behind your back or your arms are folded, people will perceive you differently. When hands are on view, we trust and trust is the key to everything.”

 

Mike has honed his knowledge during an eclectic career, which saw him train as a teacher before moving into the film and theatre industries as a director. “I became known as a body language director,” he reveals. “If I was working with actors for the first time, they would expect a read-through of the script, but I would insist on exploring their character instead. How do they come into a room? How do they sit down or stand up? How do they unwrap a Christmas present? By day three or four, no one has to ask me how they should deliver a line because they have become the person they’re playing and understand their body language.”

 

“If we don’t understand and access the power of body language, then we lose the ability to interact in a community.” 

— Mike Carter

 

Mike is evangelical about the benefits of effective body language in developing a future-ready generation of young people, capable of achieving whatever they want to. But he admits that it takes work.

 

“Youngsters can struggle with face-to-face interaction as a result of a couple of things,” he points out. “One was Covid and the ramifications of that. Young people couldn’t develop interpersonal skills and became more absorbed in themselves. The second is their access to technology – smartphones, tablets – the wearing of headphones. These affect communication skills and even posture.”

 

A strong advocate of shoulders back and heads up, Mike aims to encourage his young audience to explore the power of even the smallest of gestures.

 

“I’ll be talking about eye contact, the potency of shaking hands and what a good handshake feels like,” he adds. “I talk about the power of head nodding and how it demonstrates to the other person that we’re both on the same wavelength, automatically putting them at ease. And then there are the more obscure things, like where your feet are pointing when you’re talking to someone. If your feet are pointing away from the person you’re talking to, the suggestion is that you’re getting ready to move off in that direction.”

 

Mike believes that whilst we learn to manipulate and hone our verbal communication skills from a young age, we rarely do the same with our body language. “If we don’t understand and access the power of body language, then we lose the ability to interact in a community,” he elaborates. “We need the understanding to present ourselves in the way that we want to be perceived, to identify what others are feeling and (increasingly) to boost our own mental health by adopting positive body language.”

 

The aim of LWC’s Listen, Wonder and Create series is to offer a variety of unique perspectives from a range of visiting speakers, all designed to open minds. Often, the scholarly audience is able to come away from these sessions with a different outlook and a wider set of skills. This one will be no exception.

 

“I give lots of little tips,” Mike concludes. “One is for those who don’t enjoy giving presentations or standing up in front of a lot of people. We tend to self-touch when we feel uncomfortable – by stroking our face or folding our arms. But this suggests to others that we’re not comfortable with the situation. Instead, put your thumb into the palm of your other hand as you speak. That way, you look comfortable, whilst maintaining the safety blanket of self-touch.

 

“And crucially, your hands will be where people can see them.”

 

Mike Carter will be discussing body language as part of LWC’s Listen, Wonder and Create programme for Academic and All-Round Scholars on Monday, 9^th March at 6.45pm in Gavin Hall. Students and staff with an interest, from the wider College community, are also welcome to attend.