Uncomfortable............

I had another chance to put my non-verbal people-reading skills to the test. I walked by a lady talking with a guy in the hallway.

Lady: ....well, I have one other brother.

Man: I see.

Lady: But we're estranged and never talk to each other anymore. So I might as well be an only child.

Man: (nervous laughter) Oh, OK.

Lady: Yeah, he's a bit of an oddball. He's never acted like he wants to be part of the family.

Man: (crosses one leg over the other) Mmmmm hmmmmm.

Lady: So, we've just refused to talk to him anymore. I can't say I miss him all that much.

Man: (arms crossed) Sure, sure.

Lady: I've always felt like an only child. Never felt like he was ever my brother.

Man: That's too bad. Well, I've got to run. Talk to you later!

Lady: Take care!

1. Nervous laughter was evident in his first response. He was already in the 'avoid saying something stupid' mode at that point.

2. Crossing his legs is a defensive posturing. It's a sign that he's uncomfortable with the situation and is trying to protect himself in some way.

3. Crossing the arms is another defensive posture. He's closing himself off from the discussion, hoping to avoid any missteps.

4. After saying he 'had to run', he took off walking at a speed that would make race walkers jealous.

The amusing part was that the lady in this conversation appeared to be totally oblivious to how uncomfortable the discussion was to the man. She wore a smile on her face the whole time as she verbalized a family situation that would have made most people cringe. Regardless, it was another situation where non-verbal communication painted a pretty vivid picture of the situation that most people wouldn't have noticed.