Body Language

vertically. Be careful not to shake or nod your head in the wrong places, which would show agreement.
Touch: apart from maybe a handshake, no touching.
You can also use height – you can seat them whilst you remain standing – and don't forget there is also the anchoring you read about earlier. As a manager you should have ample opportunity to set up anchors in your staff both positive and negative.

places to show you are listening.
Head tilt: tilt your head slightly to one side as you listen.
Touch: if appropriate show caring with a touch to back of hand, forearm, upper arm or shoulder.

Discipline
Unfortunately, life as a manager isn't always about showing your caring side. Sometimes it's a case of laying down the law. If staff don't follow the rules then you as their line manager will also have to handle disciplinary procedures, issue warnings and even handle dismissals.
Playing the role of disciplinarian
You can use body language to reinforce your message, so that what your body says is consistent with your words. This way, you will get your message across more clearly, and be taken more seriously.
Seating: in this instance, barriers are good. Set up the room so that you have barriers. A desk is always good, and make sure their chair is smaller than yours with no arm rests. If you have arm rests sit with your elbows out.
Eye contact: instead of your normal eye contact keep it to a minimum. (If you really need to apply some pressure, look at a spot just above the bridge of their nose or on their forehead. This has an amazing effect at making people pay attention. This technique is used a lot in hypnosis.)
Facial expression: serious, no smiles, keep your lips together when you're not speaking.
Head angle: keep it straight both horizontally and vertical

Playing the role of listener
An empathetic listener will be far more successful in getting people to talk than someone who lacks that skill. There are several body language techniques that can be used to increase empathy.
Eye contact: make more eye contact when you are the listener than the talker.
Facial expressions: use as appropriate to the situation being discussed.
Yes/no signals: nod or shake your head in all the right

The public zone is everything else outside the other four zones. It's where we tend to keep people when giving speeches, doing big presentations and so on. It's the natural distance for your audience. Any closer and you talk over the front few rows, any further and it becomes impersonal.

Public zone: 3.6 m or 12 feet and over – seminars, presentations, etc.
Close intimate zone
The close intimate zone is reserved for very special people, your close family and friends, children and pets. If anyone else tries to get that close to you, you pull back and away from them physically, maybe even turn your face or, in extreme cases, turn your back on them.
Intimate zone
The intimate zone is just a little further from the body but is still very close. Again there are only certain people you are going to let that close and still feel comfortable with. Mainly friends, children and animals again.
Personal zone
The personal zone is that comfortable distance you stand from someone when you're chatting in social scenarios but it's also the acceptable distance for workplace interactions. Any closer and you could be seen as overbearing.
Social zone
The social zone is not exactly what it would appear. Social in this context means people you deal with that you don't really know, where you want to keep just a little bit of extra distance between you: a plumber visiting your home to fix a burst pipe, for example. Shop counters keep customer and server about this distance apart.
Public zone

Spatial Zones
Everybody has their own personal space around their body and will react instinctively if any particular area is encroached upon by those with whom you do not hold a certain level of relationship. Earlier, in Chapter 1, I mentioned Edward T. Hall and proxemics: these are the five zones he formulated and the relationship status needed to be allowed in to any one particular area.
Close intimate zone: 0–15 cm / 0–6 inches
Intimate zone: 15–45 cm / 6–18 inches
Personal zone: 45 cm–1.2 m / 18 inches–4 feet
Social zone: 1.2 m–3.6 m / 4–12 feet

functions, than it is on the creative, intuitive, abstract right brain. This is not really surprising. It follows most people's school experiences where we are taught to prioritize maths, English, history, physics, biology and chemistry, over sport, music, drama and art. Really only a fraction of our time in education is dedicated to right-brain activities.

You will have picked up by now that the greatest gift to come from understanding someone through their body language is that it gives you choices.

Shy, nervous and less confident people won't give you much, whereas confident people will happily engage you eye to eye.