COMMUNICATION: How To Flirt, Start Conversations And Keep Them Going? The Art Of Succesful Flirting and Dating | Page 11

Gestures
As well as overall body posture, the gestures we use can
signal interest, attraction and invitation – or discomfort,
dislike and rejection.
When flirting, it is important to be aware of these nonverbal cues, both in 'reading' your partner's bodylanguage and in controlling the messages you are sending
with your own gestures.
In conversation, gestures are mainly used to enliven,
clarify and 'punctuate' our speech, or to show
responsiveness to what the other person is saying. In a
flirtatious encounter, the amount of gesticulation, the
directions of the gestures and the co-ordination of
gestures can indicate the degree of interest and
involvement your partner feels towards you.
Different cultures vary widely in the amount of
gesticulation that accompanies their speech (Italians say
that you can silence an Italian by tying his hands behind
his back), and even within a single culture, some people
naturally express themselves more through gestures than
others. Generally, however, someone who is interested in
you will be more lively and animated in conversation,
using more gestures when speaking in order to keep your
attention, and more responsive gestures to show interest
when you are speaking.
Similarly, you can signal interest in your partner, and keep his/her attention focused on you, by enhancing your speech
with appropriate gestures: shifting your hands or head
slightly at the end of sentences, using downward hand
movements to emphasise a point, 'projecting' what you are
saying towards your partner by open-pa