Medicine Section

BODY LANGUAGE

• Much of what we intentionally or unintentionally intend to “transmit” to another is via our body language. It is therefore important to know some of the positive and negative conveyances related to focusing on the pet owner and the pet.
• Some types of body language perceived negatively include:
• Arms folded
• Avoiding eye contact
• Looking “off in the distance”
• Tapping a foot, drumming fingers
• Poor posture
• Leaning back against something
• Writing while the pet owner is speaking
• Frowning
• Yawning
• Looking at your watch
• Lack of (if appropriate), physical contact with the pet
• Conversely, some forms of body language perceived positively include:
• Smiling!
• Empathic listening!
• Leaning forward slightly, yet respecting the other person’s “space”
• Arms not folded
• Occasional eye contact
• Correct posture
• Physical contact (if and when appropriate) with the pet