14 Body Language Styles In Business Meetings & What They Mean [Humor]

If you are one of those people who has to attend a lot of business meetings, I feel for you. There’s nothing that can make you feel more annoyed, tired and like you are wasting precious time than sitting in a boring, unproductive meeting. Have you ever noticed your own posture in meetings? Have you ever thought about what that body language might be conveying? I haven’t…which is why I thought these illustrations were so funny. These are body language styles you might see in your business meetings.

These quite perceptive illustrations were created by Nate Bolt, Design Research Manager at Facebook, in collaboration with illustrator Matt Huynh (and of course all the meeting participants who were observed for this very scientific research about the body language of meetings).

So now the question is, which one of these describes you? I change styles according to the day. I can probably identify with the first one, the “Addict,” most of the time. The thing is, I just try to avoid business meetings at all costs, and when I do have to meet with a group of people, I prefer to do it outside in the sunshine or at a restaurant.

If you find yourself pacing around the room, opening your laptop halfway, swinging your arm across the back of the chair, or bringing candy to a meeting, just know you may be sending a message with that body language, and it may or may not be the message you want to send. I guess the main thing to take away from this article is that if you want people to pay attention during your meeting, it’s important to make it fun. If you need help with that, you can click over to this article on Forbes called 3 Ways To Make Meetings Much Less Boring And Much More Useful.