When you say... nothing at all

... yeah, I'm talking about body language or gestures. When learning English, do you think it is necessary to know how to use this body language? Would it be more effective if we knit our eyebrows or give a big smile at the right time?

Don't misunderstand me. I'm not talking about another way of speaking English when your hands are more tired than your mouth. I'm talking about an effective way of expressing yourself using both verbal and non-verbal language.

So if any of you have some experience in this field, please share with us.

Sometimes, a right gesture is worth more than a thousand words. If you study Italian, you'll know what I mean. However, with English, I dont see how one knows what would be the "right" gestures. English is a language that is spoken by millions people from different cultures and backgrounds. Their reactions are very much different from one to another.
"Nguyện mỗi người có một niềm vui"
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Gesture language, well, we've already had a topic like this long long before. It was definitely interesting, so it wouldn't be a waste of time checking out this link:
http://www.ttvnol.com/forum/t_50189/3a?0.3378984
I suggest you read the first page only, pages 2 and 3 are nothing about body language, they're all 'bout "bia o^m" (I didn't know Milou, one of the most absolutely disciplined TTVN admins, was a good chatter as well)
Back to the topic, hehe, there's something I want to tell you. When I lived in Sierra Leone, about 6 years ago, I used gesture language a lot. I stayed with many Europeans, hence I was obviously influenced by their behavior. Whenever I spoke, I used hands also. It became one of my habits. But when I came back to Vietnam, I was ... laughed at by that action. Teachers found my hand-using ... a little bit unusual. You know, whenever a Vietnamese student say something before the class, he stands like a statue. Friends also told me I shouldn't do it cause I looked like a "crazy" person. (When you come back from a foreign country, you will either be liked or hated, I can say for certain, especially I was still very small then. A lot of people hated me.) Ok, it took me quite a long time to give up that habit. Now, when I'm in high school and I'm studying in an English -specialized class, where everyone acts like me and we are even forced to use body language, we frequently get complaints from teachers. They even lower our oral score because of our gestures. We all find it extremely annoying because we were talked badly... how could they say we're like mad people???? Vietnamese people ... oh some of them are ... nha` que^
I myself feel that body language is of great importance. I'm much more confident to express myself when I use it. Especially in face to face communication, gesture language obviously play a significant role, you can feel what others are thinking through their gestures. What does body language say? It was posted in the above topic whose link I gave you, so remember, if you're interested in non-verbal language, have a look at that topic.
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As our lives change, come whatever
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Được britneybritney sửa chữa / chuyển vào 02:57 ngày 14/06/2003

I agree with anh CXR that English is an international language and used by people from different cultures. Therefore, depending on where you live: America, England, or Hongkong..., people use body languages differently.
A few suggestions for those who will visit or stay in a foreign country:
- First, be aware that different cultures use and interprete gestures differently. This helps lessen misunderstanding, and avoid expectations.
- Second, be observant: observe what others do, and ask questions
- Last but not least, imitate: "When in Rome, do like Romans do"

Thanx Britneybritney,
I checked the thread on body language, and the first two pages are really useful.