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15 Body Language Tips For Successful People

15 Body Language Tips For Successful People

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If you believe you’ve gotta fake it ’til you make it, then you should probably know how to walk, stand and sit like the success story you plan on being. Here are 15 body language tips for successful people.

Sources: Cnn.com , Psychologytoday.com, Lifehack.org

Teambeachbody.com
Teambeachbody.com

Sit up straight

Slouching implies that you’re less than 100-percent interested in what is happening. Sitting up straight gives the impression that you’re alert, always picking up details, and always ready to engage. People respond well to that.

Wikimedia.org
Wikimedia.org

 

Walk with good posture

Your entire body tells the world how you feel about where you’re going. If you hunch over or drag your feet when you walk, it looks like you expect to fail when you reach your destination, you’re afraid of where you’re going, or you’re disinterested in where you’re going. Keeping a straight back and your head held high while you walk tells the world, “I believe in what I’m about to do.”

Pixabay.com
Pixabay.com

Keep your hands calm

Your hands are the real giveaway of how confident you feel in a situation. Playing with your hair or tapping a pen indicates that you feel nervous, insecure, or anxious. Make a point of keeping your hands still.

Pixabay.com
Pixabay.com

 

Keep your hands on the table

Make sure they’re visible. Keeping them hidden under a table can make you appear timid or afraid. Keeping your hands on the table shows that you feel good about the topic being discussed.

Pixabay.com
Pixabay.com

 

Keep your palms facing down

If your hands are on the table but your palms are facing up, those around you might subconsciously read this as you feeling helpless, feeling that you don’t have an answer, or feeling like you need something rather than offering something.

EvoIllution.com
EvoIllution.com

 

Stand where you’re seen

You can tell a lot about a person by where he stands in a room. Some people stand in the corner where they can’t be seen because they’re shy. Some stand somewhere where they can’t be seen, but they can see everyone, because they like to judge. Center yourself in the room. Sit or stand in a noticeable place to show you have nothing to hide, and that you’re present.

Wikipedia.org
Wikipedia.org

Take a wide stance

Standing with your feet very close together can make it seem like you’re trying to make yourself as small as possible, be far away from people, and take up as little space as possible. Take a wide stance; this makes you look stable and lets the other person know you’re not going anywhere. A wide stance also shows that you believe you’re a presence to be noticed—you don’t mind taking up space.

wikipedia.org
wikipedia.org

 

Look up even when it’s not your turn to speak

Whether in a meeting or just walking down the street, look up. Even if someone else is speaking in a meeting and nobody is focused on you, looking up shows respect for the other people talking, as well as confidence. It shows you don’t care if people are watching you and see your face straight on. You have nothing to hide.

wikimedia.org
wikimedia.org

Maintain eye contact

Maintaining eye contact when someone is talking shows not only respect, but also it shows that you want to pick up on everything the person is saying—either outwardly or subliminally. It indicates that you are reading their facial expressions for additional cues on how they’re feeling.

aspiremag.net
aspiremag.net

Nod

Be an active listener by nodding when the person who is speaking makes an important point. Simply staring perfectly still, like a statue, sets up the dynamic that you’re being spoken at rather than with. Nodding makes you a part of the points being made and shows you’re on the speaker’s side.

victorialabalme.com
victorialabalme.com

Keep movements slow and subtle

If you’re easily distracted by an itch on your head or a hair on your cheek, constantly swatting these things away or scratching at yourself won’t make you appear very present. You may appear nervous. You don’t want to stand like a statue, however, so just allow natural movement to take place while you’re talking. But keep movements slow—it keeps others calm.

ThinkStockPhotos
ThinkStockPhotos

Mirror the other person

If you’re speaking to someone who is leaning over the table, almost coming towards you, but you’re leaned back in your chair, you’re probably giving the impression that you feel lax about something the other person feels strongly about. Meanwhile, if the other person is leaned back but you’re leaning over the table, you could make them feel intimidated. Mirror the other person’s body language to show solidarity.

Shutterstock
Shutterstock

 

Show you understand with your face

In addition to nodding when listening, show you’re not a robot. Use your face to indicate that you’re having the proper emotional reactions to something someone is saying. This seems like something that would happen naturally, but often, when we take in a lot of information, our faces can become frozen.

Wikipedia.org
Wikipedia.org

 

Don’t let anything stand in your way

Literally, try not to have tables, chairs, pillars or large objects between you and the person you’re speaking to. Walk around the table so you’re standing on the same side. Sit in the chair nearest the person. This makes the person instantly feel you’re on his side, whatever is being discussed, and that you have nothing to hide.

ThinkStockPhotos
ThinkStockPhotos

 

Smile like you mean it

Not to sound like that song by The Killers, but people can usually tell when you force a smile. Even if you don’t mean to force it—even if you’re genuinely happy to see someone but you’re just nervous—if your face jumps from neutral to a huge grin in a split second, the other person can think you’re faking it to cover up how you really feel about him. Let your smile build slowly.