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1. Introduction We all know the traditional five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. To these I would add the infamous Sixth Sense and seventh which I call movement. When I use the term movement as it pertains to Diplomacy I am specifically thinking about what is popularly called “body language.” My purpose here is to explore the evolution of communication, especially body language, in Diplomacy over the years. 2. Definition of Body Language Most of us think we have a pretty good understanding of what body language is and how it is used, at least in social and business situations, but for Dippers it isn’t quite that simple. There are many definitions of “body language” online. Most of the good ones include these basic points: Simple definition of body language: movements or positions of the body that express a person's thoughts or feelings Full definition of body language: the gestures, movements, and mannerisms by which a person or animal communicates with others (Merriam-Webster) Nonverbal, usually unconscious, communication through the use of postures, gestures, facial expressions, and the like. (Dictionary.com)  Silent (non-verbal) messages communicated through the sender's body movements, facial expressions, voice tone and loudness, etc. In social psychology, all behavior in presence of another person is considered communication. Also called kinesic communications. See also non verbal communication. (BusinessDictionary.com) The gestures, postures, and facial expressions by which a person manifests various physical, mental, or emotional states and communicates nonverbally with others. (FreeDictionary.com) Body language is a kind of nonverbal communication, where thoughts, intentions, or feelings are expressed by physical behaviors, such as facial expressions, body posture, gestures, eye movement, touch and the use of space. Body language exists in both animals and humans, but this article focuses on interpretations of human body language. It is also known as kinesics.. Body language must not be confused with sign language, as sign languages are full languages like spoken languages and have their own complex grammar systems, as well as being able to exhibit the fundamental properties that exist in all languages. Body language, on the other hand, does not have a grammar and must be interpreted broadly, instead of having an absolute meaning corresponding with a certain movement, so it is not a language like sign language, and is simply termed as a "language" due to popular culture. (Wiki) Traditionally there are five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. To these I add the Sixth Sense and Movement (e.g. dance steps). 
There are various ways we broadcast and receive body language messages: we speak and we listen; we write and we read; we use the telephone; we use videos; as well as all kinds of electronic gear. Body language is communication without words. It is anything someone does to which someone else assigns meaning. Not all of the "signals" a person sends are intentional and often they are "not picked up" or misinterpreted. Nonverbal behavior is complex, subtle, and multichannel. It may be structured (following certain rules) but is more likely to be unstructured; it may be continuous, unlike language, which comes in disconnected units; it may be learnt but some functions seem innate; and it may be "right-" as opposed to "left-brained." (Psychology Today) 3. Five Ways to Read Body Language How to read body language signs and gestures - non-verbal communications - male and female, for work, social, dating, and mating relationships. This is a detailed essay with an easy to use chart format with list of body language signs and gestures with interpretations. It's not specifically about diplomacy or Diplomacy but it has some useful generalized information. A typical Wiki article on body language.
4. Using Body Language This is a long essay on using body language that discusses message clusters, core patterns, parts-of-body language and more. Body language is an important part of communication which can constitute 50% or more of what we are communicating. If you wish to communicate well, then it makes sense to understand how you can (and cannot) use your body to say what you mean. Message clusters Body language comes in clusters of signals and postures, depending on the internal emotions and mental states. Recognizing a whole cluster is thus far more reliable than trying to interpret individual elements.
Core patterns A number of core patterns in body language can be identified that include clusters of movements: These include Crossing, Expanding, Moving away, Moving forward, Opening, Preening, Repeating, Shaping, Striking and Touching Parts-of-the-body language You can send signals with individual parts of the body as well as in concert. Here's details of the contributions of each part of the body.
 Other notes Remember that body language varies greatly with people and especially with international cultures (so be very careful when applying Western understanding to Eastern non-verbal language). This is also true of body language in Diplomacy. I remember well the cultural shock Americans and Europeans went through during their first encounters in the 1980s.
You can read the entire essay here and save it for the future Dance moves are a specialized form of non-verbal communication. Fans of Chris Martin will enjoy the Wiki essay and might learn something about the non-verbal communications of one of the hobby’s most persuasive Dippers. 5. Body Language Examples Thirty Body Language Examples: Can you guess what they mean: generally, in diplomacy and in Diplomacy? Arms crossed in front of the chest, biting of nails, hand on cheek, finger tapping or drumming, touching the nose, brisk rubbing of hands, placing finger tips together, open palms facing upwards, head in hands, locking of ankles, stroking the chin or beard, ear pulling, head nodding, link picking, catapult posture, lowered head, standing straight with shoulders back, one-sided head tilt, overly-tilted head, looking down away from the body, standing with hands on hips, shifting of weight or foot movement, sitting legs crossed with slight-kicking of foot, sitting with legs apart, walking hands in pockets hunched shoulders, eye-rubbing, hands clasped behind back, pinching the nose bridge with eyes closed, patting or fondling hair, quick tilting of head. 6. Diplomacy and the Role of Body Language It’s not surprising that there are quite a few articles online about the role of body language in real-life diplomacy. Here are some of the better ones: See a short history of the use of body language in diplomacy, office politics, and conveying status, hierarchy or dominance: Diplomacy and the Role of Body Language. An essay on diplomatic signaling to send messages with various types of diplomatic signaling: media, use of intermediaries, diplomatic relations, diplomatic visits, attire, economic sanctions, departures from protocol I remember watching, almost daily the news videos from the P5 + 1 Talks in Vienna last year. By the end of the first week I could tell what the various participants were going to say in front of the microphones and cameras or in more unscripted moments when they didn’t realize they were being recorded. This link is to a brief discussion of how nations have studied foreign leaders and diplomats body language for clues to their thoughts and behaviors. The US Government calls its program “Body Leads” and has spent some $300K on it. A USA Today 2014 article talks about how the US military has used this method to study Vladimir Putin with so-so results. It leaves one wondering if a gimp leg, a funny walk and a Napoleonic complex can really explain The Crimea, Syria, etc.? As far as I know they’re still looking for “indications of intent” as Ray Locker put it. Apparently this was one of Andy Marshall’s pet projects. If you don’t know who Marshall was look him up on Wiki or You Tube. This modern interest in the body language of politicians and diplomats can be traced back to the work of psychologist William C. Langer who wrote several psychological analyses of Adolft Hitler for “Wild Bill” Donovan’s OSS during WWII. For more on this subject check out: The CIA's Secret Psychological Profiles of Dictators and World Leaders Are Amazing (Mother Jones) Ever on its downward glide from responsible news broadcasting toward tabloid titillations, CNN offered the following: Donald Trump says 'there's something going on' with Obama's body language
As with so many of Trump’s campaign statements this one is short on facts and details and long on conspiracy theory hints. On a lighter note you might enjoy this essay from The Economist which deals with James Bond’s body language, the art of catching spies and how to spot a spook. 7. Body Language in dip One of the most intriguing but least talked about and understood forms of communication in Diplomacy is the use of body language. Dippers dabble in it; they practice it; but they usually fail to master it. When was the last time you heard a winning Dipper give credit to his body language skills for winning a championship? Getting down to specifics and cases: Using body language to communicate is something all Dippers, even if it is only sub-consciously do. Without even realizing it we send and receive signals by moving our bodies. We may even think we’re pretty good at it, but most of us aren’t and there’s a lot we could all learn about how to use our body language skills and vocabulary more effectively. From the primitive early days to the peak of body language and back. Samples I can remember over the last fifty years are many: a raised eye-brow, a raised thumb, a raised middle-finger or a finger drawn across one’s throat, nail-biting , thumb sucking, ear pulling, cracking knuckles, picking nose, scratching. Is scratching an itch merely relieving tension or sending a subliminal message Is massaging one’s toes a substitute for sexual gratification, as Freud would say, or an example of “I’m gonna’ walk all over you” syndrome as Nancy Sinatra would have warbled. Past (The age of the hammer) I call the early years of the game and hobby “The Age of the Hammer.” There was nothing subtle about body language in those days. Screaming, whispering, and occasionally throwing things or even more violent actions (e.g. Conrad von Metzke trying to stab me with a kitchen knife; James Justin Dygert trying to set me on fire with embers from one of his cigars; Brian Bailey recounting how his PNG natives played FTF Dip with spears, knives and clubs, but nobody ever got badly hurt; or Matt McVeigh’s demonstration with a broadsword at Warwick Castle of how he’d take care of a French order F Brest-English Channel in Spring 1901) are never-to-be-forgot moments.) Examples abound from: San Diego’s Dip Hobby First Golden Age, the Bay Area’s LTA, First PBM Golden Age, Early DipCons, WDCs, Regional DipCons, National DipCons, and recent hobby groups: You just have to read the event reports, game accounts, or get an Old Fart talking about the good old days. Present (The age of the stiletto) lack of finesse Perhaps I’m just jaded now but from what I’ve seen in more recently, and recently for me can go back to the 1990s, there has been a certain lack of finesse shown by many Diplomacy players, especially in the English-speaking countries. Too many players have concentrated on the mechanical skills needed in tactics, strategy and negotiations and forgotten about the subtler skills demonstrated by real diplomats ranging from Mazarin to Spaak to Merkel. Happily, there are signs of change, if not of improvement. This, I believe, has been a time of transition for the worldwide Diplomacy hobby I suspect it began with Fang Zhang’s trip to Milan and Edi Birsan’s trip to Shanghai. It’s now spread via the internet, Facebook, etc. to the internet hobby. It’s affected every sub-area of the hobby, including body language. Future (The age of the sublime) Proclaiming the arrival of the hobby’s Third Diplomacy Hobby Golden Age! There have been so many improvements, on so many fronts that we’ve missed seeing the totality of what has happened. On such tidbits of evidence I think and, more importantly, I feel this is what is happening. Or maybe it’s the Fourth because I blinked and eye and missed a dot? This new Age will, I believe, bring with it not only more technological changes in the hobby but also what I call The Age of the Sublime in which the roads previously lesser travelled, or not travelled at all, will be explored in the play of the game and the way the hobby functions. What roads will be chosen I cannot say but I suggest you don’t rush to cancel your AAA membership just yet. Transitioning from Today to Tomorrow is never easy, especially as one ages. It’s so much easier to look back and remember the good old days but we, all of us, need to focus on the future of the game and hobby and what role body language will play. For instance, look at Chris Martin’s videos from the 2016 WDC for some examples. This represents now, as it did then, “one giant leap for all Dipdom.” Most of us don’t realize that yet but in time we will. These videos, if used wisely, could well be the next generation’s “Gamers Guide to Diplomacy.” I recommend these videos: World Diplomacy Championship Recap Jorge Zhang and John Zhanay R1 impressions 2 world champions, but Paul Pignotti gets the big result as Germany The First Swedish Diplomacy Invitational On Video Thanks to the first steps taken by the Swedes, Dutch, Chris and others this is one of the new roads the hobby may travel down. What will the future bring the hobby and its use of body language in particular? Body language moves to a stage of sublimity. The state of being sublime: The historical parallel that comes to my mind is: knights of old and barbaric medieval times collide with Arthur’s vision, and results in movement toward the Knights of the Round Table and their lofty, if unattainable, goals. Just in case you aren’t sure what sublimity and sublime mean here are a few ideas: elevated or lofty in thought, language, etc.: Paradise Lost is sublime poetry.; impressing the mind with a sense of grandeur or power; inspiring awe, veneration, etc.: supreme or outstanding: complete; absolute; utter; stupidity; the greatest or supreme degree; Here are a few clichés and random thoughts that came to mind as I wrote this: “I hear what you’re saying but I believe what I’m seeing.” “Read my lips” vs. “Listen to my words” Movement or lack of movement may be: Blatant, Obvious, Subtle, or “Impeerceptible”. “I think trusting people is the most important part of any deal.” “Trust but verify.” Today we’re going to talk about body language --- well, that’s not quite right. Body language is NOT the same thing as spoken or written language where words have specific meanings. This is a hobby where everything can be done with or for dots. XXX taught me that a Dipper’s heart can never be bought with dots. So which is it? It’s a great skill to be able to change sides like that. So which will it be this time? The Three Options: Option 1: Make a plan and stick to it by trying to make things happen according to the plan. Option 2: Make a plan but be flexible and adapt it as needed to fit current needs. Option 3: Don’t even make a plan. Make a list of a half-dozen key objectives and try to achieve those by “winging it.” Going through the top three finishers of the last 5 or 10 WDC, regional DC and local DipCons events will give you a pretty good list of those who have mastered the art of using “body language” as a communications device in FTF Diplomacy. (I leave it to you to do this if you are interested. ) 8. Conclusion And there you have it. You’ll note that I didn’t include a lot of recent body language examples from recent Dip events I’ve attended. That’s because I thought it would be more educational and entertaining for you to remember your own. 9. Additional Sources There’s a lot of information out there on the subject of body language. Amazon.com lists dozens of books on the subject. Barnes & Noble, or any good used book store, will have a whole shelf of “self-help” books devoted to body language. And of course there are many articles and videos available on Google or You Tube. One book I saw on Amazon.com looked particularly intriguing: Spy the Lie: Former CIA Officers Teach You How to Detect Deception Paperback – July 16, 2013 by Philip Houston (Author), Michael Floyd (Author), Susan Carnicero (Author), Don Tennant (Writer) Body Language For Dummies Paperback – June 29, 2015 by Elizabeth Kuhnke (Author) Body Language: A Practical Guide Paperback 2012 by Dr. Glen Wilson.
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