We’re willing to bet you’d like to be seen as being confident and sure of yourself when you are meeting new people. You may look polished (especially after you’ve been pampered by our staff!!) and have the latest fashion but you can’t forget to factor in what your body language is communicating about you! This can even tie into how much sleep you are getting because if you are feeling tired and sluggish, you are less likely to walk with a stride and are more likely to slump those shoulders. 🙂
First, let’s look at how you stand and walk. An upright stance conveys confidence, strength, power and motivation. Conversely, slumped shoulders with head looking towards the floor as you walk conveys a sense of uncertainty, uneasiness, weakness and a lack of self esteem. Try to keep your head raised squarely, as though it were being held upwards with a fine thread. We found an excellent article detailing importance of posture and the potential impact it could have on whether or not you get the job, too! You can find it here. Did you know this topic has been studied and it is very interesting! The January issue of Psychological Science tells all about studies that have been done. Professor Galinsky and his colleagues conducted three experiments to see how power and posture work with each other. What they found surprised them: proper posture increases the levels of the feel-good hormone testosterone and lowers the levels of the hormone cortisol, which is linked to stress.
“I was surprised by the findings that posture was more important than position,” Galinsky said in an interview with the Star. “Posture doesn’t just affect how others view you but how you regard yourself.” Not only does standing tall affect how people perceive someone else, but a person with correct posture, in turn, gains more self-confidence and self-assurance, they found. In simple terms, posture breeds empowerment. “Posture does make a difference. How you sit and how you stand will have an effect on how you are perceived.” Galinsky also reported. Now isn’t that good to know!?
Next, consider how you use body language when you are in conversations. Eye contact is huge. Leaning in or moving closer to a person when they are speaking to you communicates that you are comfortable with them and are truly interested in hearing what they are saying. Do you do this?
Nervous habits can sure send negative messages, too. Watch for these nervous body language bahaviors and see if you can make some changes that will help if you catch yourself doing any of them:
- Constant throat clearing
- Nervous laughter
- Tapping fingers on the table
- Pacing
- Fidgeting in chair
- Crossing arms and legs
- Hands covering mouth when speaking
- Poor eye contact
- Sighing
- Weak, clammy handshake
- Fiddling with objects or clothing
Hopefully you’ve gained some new insight to help you be your very best and to ensure that others are seeing you as they should be!
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