Can ADHD Social Skills Be Improved By Understanding Body Language?
For people with ADHD, social skills can be a difficult skill to build.
To understand this, let's look at an example.
First, let's start with some background information.
In a social situation, the way a person positions their shoulders and feet in relation to another person, group or object can tell you how fully engaged they are by it.
If a person is fully engaged in a person, they are likely to be shoulders front-on and feet pointing forwards.
If they are dismissive or not fully engaged, their shoulders and feet would be facing and pointing away.
The basic concept beneath this behaviour is that the more engaged we are by something, the more physically directed attention we give it.
Using this as a building block, consider the following.
A couple go out on their second date, and are sitting at a table in the restaurant.
As they talk, the woman gradually shifts her body.
First, she crosses her legs.
After a few more minutes of listening the man, she shifts her body so that her feet are pointing in the direction of the door.
Finally, she turns herself so that she is looking along her shoulder at the man.
In this situation, the woman has given three separate signals that show that she cares less and less about the man - and what he's talking about! At each stage the man has had three opportunities to 'correct course' and reengage her, but his inability to recognise her signals has resulted in her moving towards the exit.
If only he had been able to read her body language, he could have changed what his behaviour and acted in the right way...
and saved the date! ADHD and Social Skills For people with ADHD, social skills can be a difficult skill to master.
Luckily, ADHD Social Skills can be learned by understanding its foundations - Verbal Communication, Non-Verbal Communication, Social Dynamics and Knowledge Of Self.
If you have ADHD, one of the key foundations of social skills that you need to understand is body language - what it is, how it works and how it will improve your social skills.
In this article we'll explore the basics.
Body Language is the term used to describe the majority of non-verbal communication.
In short, these are the cues that we give each other in various situations - we cross our arms to show we're cold or unhappy, smile to show we aren't a threat and user our hands to show dominance or passiveness.
They help us communicate effectively, quickly and honestly in groups or one on one situations.
Body Language is also the quickest way to assess a person's basic thoughts and feelings towards anyone or anything.
Although certain cultures have their own specific non-verbal cues, body language is generally the same around the world and this means that once you've learned the basic rules you can apply them anywhere.
This is great for ADHD Social Skills as it becomes a simple matter of recognising pre-learned behavioural signals.
As stated, Body Language is the way in which we send non-verbal signals to other people.
It allows us to quickly convey our moods and attitudes, as well as understand those of other people.
With ADHD, we have to practice picking up on body language and it's meanings so that we can use it in day to day situations.
Body Language works by conveying by accessing our most basic and primal responses.
For example, at a young age we turn our head from our mother to indicate that we don't want any more milk - and thirty years later, we still use this motion repeatedly (shaking our head) to indicate that we don't want any more of something.
Another example is the way that humans smile to show that they are friendly - in reality, this behaviour stems from the way that primates bare their teeth in a similar manner to indicate that they aren't being threatening.
As such, when you smile and bare your teeth in a positive way to another person, you indicate that you are not a threat.
ADHD Social Skills are improved by processing the relationship between mentality and behaviour - and once you get the hang of body language, you'll gain a much better understanding of other people!
To understand this, let's look at an example.
First, let's start with some background information.
In a social situation, the way a person positions their shoulders and feet in relation to another person, group or object can tell you how fully engaged they are by it.
If a person is fully engaged in a person, they are likely to be shoulders front-on and feet pointing forwards.
If they are dismissive or not fully engaged, their shoulders and feet would be facing and pointing away.
The basic concept beneath this behaviour is that the more engaged we are by something, the more physically directed attention we give it.
Using this as a building block, consider the following.
A couple go out on their second date, and are sitting at a table in the restaurant.
As they talk, the woman gradually shifts her body.
First, she crosses her legs.
After a few more minutes of listening the man, she shifts her body so that her feet are pointing in the direction of the door.
Finally, she turns herself so that she is looking along her shoulder at the man.
In this situation, the woman has given three separate signals that show that she cares less and less about the man - and what he's talking about! At each stage the man has had three opportunities to 'correct course' and reengage her, but his inability to recognise her signals has resulted in her moving towards the exit.
If only he had been able to read her body language, he could have changed what his behaviour and acted in the right way...
and saved the date! ADHD and Social Skills For people with ADHD, social skills can be a difficult skill to master.
Luckily, ADHD Social Skills can be learned by understanding its foundations - Verbal Communication, Non-Verbal Communication, Social Dynamics and Knowledge Of Self.
If you have ADHD, one of the key foundations of social skills that you need to understand is body language - what it is, how it works and how it will improve your social skills.
In this article we'll explore the basics.
Body Language is the term used to describe the majority of non-verbal communication.
In short, these are the cues that we give each other in various situations - we cross our arms to show we're cold or unhappy, smile to show we aren't a threat and user our hands to show dominance or passiveness.
They help us communicate effectively, quickly and honestly in groups or one on one situations.
Body Language is also the quickest way to assess a person's basic thoughts and feelings towards anyone or anything.
Although certain cultures have their own specific non-verbal cues, body language is generally the same around the world and this means that once you've learned the basic rules you can apply them anywhere.
This is great for ADHD Social Skills as it becomes a simple matter of recognising pre-learned behavioural signals.
As stated, Body Language is the way in which we send non-verbal signals to other people.
It allows us to quickly convey our moods and attitudes, as well as understand those of other people.
With ADHD, we have to practice picking up on body language and it's meanings so that we can use it in day to day situations.
Body Language works by conveying by accessing our most basic and primal responses.
For example, at a young age we turn our head from our mother to indicate that we don't want any more milk - and thirty years later, we still use this motion repeatedly (shaking our head) to indicate that we don't want any more of something.
Another example is the way that humans smile to show that they are friendly - in reality, this behaviour stems from the way that primates bare their teeth in a similar manner to indicate that they aren't being threatening.
As such, when you smile and bare your teeth in a positive way to another person, you indicate that you are not a threat.
ADHD Social Skills are improved by processing the relationship between mentality and behaviour - and once you get the hang of body language, you'll gain a much better understanding of other people!
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