Here’s one reason to read female body language: rejection avoidance. Men complain of blow offs and often blame themselves for not approaching a woman right, for acting too fresh and for not being good looking enough. Some of these things may be true but remember that approaching a lady in a party is half the battle. You have to know from the start whether she will reject you or not. Spare yourself the agony of guesswork and analyze her actions from afar. Is she ready to meet people or is she waiting for a boyfriend to arrive? Did she attend the party alone or is she scanning the crowd for a guy she’s smitten with.

1. Search the crowd for women who are preening – A woman who is looking to be approached will stand more erect. Her facial muscles will be relaxed and she will be sporting a half smile. She is probably trying to act nonchalant and idly scanning the crowd while holding a drink in one hand.

2. Is she smoothing her hair? – Part of the preening process is making sure that she looks her best during a meeting. If it’s not her hair, it’s her dress. She will also turn around every so often to glace at a mirror. A guy can practice reading female body language a few minutes before he approaches, just to familiarize himself with the signs that a woman sends out to indicate that she is really available.

3. Watch her while she talks with other people – Look for slow crossing and uncrossing of the legs. A delicate balancing of a shoe on the toe of one foot means she’s totally comfortable talking to this guy. Some female body language signs that convey comfort include tucking of the feet under the chair and caressing or fiddling with a part of her face or legs.

4. Direct eye contact – You will often see a woman looking at you directly. Watch for signs when she looks away embarrassed as soon as you catch her. This is actually a good sign. A direct gaze is a sign that she wants attention. But don’t approach her just yet. Send your own signals and let her continue giving you signs through female body language that shows she’s eager to talk to you.

5. Look for shoulders and torsos that are pointing towards you. – You can test this female body language inside a library. When you pass by a row of shelves and a woman is right there holding a book, her body will follow you even when her eyes look down at the book. This is one sign that a woman is seeing and noticing you without looking directly at you, and this can be a cue to identify those women inside a room who are already aware of your presence.

6. Demure gestures – Every woman can act demure when in the presence of a good looking guy. It doesn’t matter how powerful the woman is, when she’s in front of a guy she truly likes, she will most likely act somewhat shy and coy. Tilting of her head and laughing in flirtatious ways are some of the gestures to look for.