How to Coach Yourself and Others How to Influence, Persuade and Motivate | Page 226

expressive and communicative patterns, and that speech and body
language are highly interconnected.[20]
Furthermore, the researchers asserted that speech and body language also
bear strong ties to our thought processes. One article discusses how
gesturing can serve as a memory aide. Subjects had a more difficult time
remembering words when they had to keep their hands holding on to a bar
than when their hands were free.[21]
There is a direct correlation between our ability to read body language and
our relationships. In another study, college students were tested to see
whether they could accurately identify the meanings behind certain facial
expressions and tones of voice. Significantly, the research consistently
showed that the students who made the most errors in interpreting the
meanings were those who had troubled relationships and/or greater
feelings of depression.
Eyes
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "The eyes of men converse as much as their
tongues." The more common phrase we hear is "the eyes are the windows
to the soul." Through our eyes, we can gauge the truthfulness,
intelligence, attitude, and feelings of a speaker. Not making eye contact
when we ought to can have devastating results. Note the following true
example:
Pennzoil Oil took the Texaco Oil Company to court over Texaco's
allegedly interfering with a contract Pennzoil already had with Getty Oil.
Throughout the trial, Pennzoil's counsel was accused of trying to sway the
jury by encouraging their witnesses to make eye contact and joke with the
jurors. To show that they were serious and did not consider the
circumstances a joking matter, Texaco's counsel told witnesses not to joke
at all and to avoid eye contact with the jurors. Unfortunately, the advice
proved to be unwise and cost Texaco dearly in the end. Pennzoil was
granted more than $2.5 billion in damages — the largest damage award in
U.S. history. Why? Afterwards, jurors expressed distrust toward the
witnesses who had avoided eye contact, even going so far as to call them
"arrogant" and "indifferent."
Our eyes' pupils are one of the most sensitive and complicated parts of our
body. They react to light but they also respond to our emotions, betraying
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