Your body language can tell a lot about you. From what you are like to who you like, your body language reveals it all. This article will help you learn how to use your body language to your advantage.
The best way to improve your body language is to lift your mood. This will automatically project to the rest of the world that you’re happy and in a good place. Keep a smile on your face, straighten your back and head, and make sure you stay groomed. Keep one or both of your hands visible with open palms, display open body language where possible to improve your nonverbal communication.
Body language is understood as the nonverbal movements, gestures, or poses by bodies while communicating with others through face-to-face contact or over distance, we will take a look into 10 simple steps to improve your nonverbal communication below.
- 10 Simple Steps to Improve Body Language
- How Can You Use Body Language To Improve Your Communication Skills
- How To Improve Body Language During Interview
- How To Improve Negative Body Language
- Use Body Language To Develop Your Personal And Professional Relationships
- How Can I Improve My Body Language At Work
- Summary
10 Simple Steps to Improve Body Language.
- Smile as you walk into the room.
- Eyebrow flash to greet people.
- Stand tall.
- Sit with your back straight.
- The hands should be above the navel at all times.
- Show open palms.
- Point your feet towards the person you want to speak with.
- Tilt your head to show interest.
- Turn your head to the side to show an ear.
- Keep good eye contact
How Can You Use Body Language To Improve Your Communication Skills.
There are various ways in which you can use body language to improve your communication skills.
One way is by focusing on how you are sitting or standing. People usually feel more confident when they are sitting straight with their feet flat on the floor and their arms at their sides.
They also feel more confident when they have their feet firmly planted on the ground so they don’t slouch, cross their legs, or point them outwards away from the person they are speaking with.
Another way to use body language is to keep eye contact with the person talking and listening attentively.
You can move your head to the side slightly to show one of your ears, which will send a nonverbal message to the person speaking.
Use your arms correctly to improve your communication. Never let your arms fall down to your waistline; always hold them above your naval. “The truth plan,” a phrase coined by Mark Bowden. If you’re sitting, make sure to leave your arms out in front of you in a relaxed position and be sure to keep your hands free from anything that could obstruct your view, pens, phones, etc.
Use appropriate eye contact when conversing. Take short glances at the person’s face as they speak. If you feel uncomfortable doing this, look at the end of their nose for a few seconds before you break away. This lets the person know that you’re still engaged and interested in the conversation.
Let your feet do the talking. Where you place your feet is very important in body language. It’s one of the things that we never practice or are told about. Where your feet point is where you want to go or shows who is most important to you in a conversation.
So when you want to improve your body language, make sure you point your feet towards the person, not the exit.
How To Improve Body Language During Interview
It’s about knowing your strengths and weaknesses, being confident yet humble, being the best version of yourself.
The interview process can be nerve-wracking for anyone especially when it is in-person rather than over the phone. The following are some tips on how to exude confidence in your body language during an interview:
- Stand up straight with good posture.
- Walk into the room with a relaxed air.
- Smile using a Duchenne smile.
- Greet people with open palms
- Make sure your arms are above your waistline.
- Use an eye eyebrow flash as you walk into the room.
- Be well groomed.
- Let them offer you a set before you sit down.
- Mirror their body language subtly.
- When talking use illustrators to get your point across.
- Speak with good cadence and rhythm to give off a natural flow in conversation.
- Point your feet toward the interviewer (as describable above)
Top Tip
If you notice yourself becoming stimulated this is excess energy that needs to be taken care of. The best way to remove this is to get up and move around, but this isn’t always possible so the next best thing is to squeeze your toes in your shoes. This does one of two things focuses your brain back into the now and removes any extra adrenaline caused by a part of your brain called the amygdala.
How To Improve Negative Body Language (Stand Up Straight)
Body language plays a significant role in communication and non-verbal communication. The way you behave in a setting can have a huge impact on the people around you, and even your mood.
When we feel negative emotions, it often shows in our body language. In order to make sure that your body language is not conveying negativity to others, there are some things you can do to minimize this.
We need to first become aware we are in a negative mood this is key to improving your body language and adjusting your state.
Once we know we are in a bad mood but want to improve our nonverbal communication, a simple trick is to smile more.
There have been many studies that show that a simple smile will lift your mood internally, releasing endorphins to the brain and making you naturally happier as the day goes on. When you feel good, your body language will improve naturally. Colleagues will become more responsive and want to be around you more, creating a harmonious environment for you to work in.
Use Body Language To Develop Your Personal And Professional Relationships
Poor body language can have a bad impact on your personal and professional life. It can lead to misunderstandings or negative perceptions.
It is important to understand that body language is a form of communication, just as words are. In fact, studies show that people usually have a stronger reaction to how others behave than what they say.
You can read body language to improve your personal and professional relationships. What reading non-verbal cues allows you to do is to take a conversation from the negative to the positive.
For example, you are asking your partner what they think about a new friend and you see a strong eye block signal you notice a shift in their tone of voice and they move to their body away from you. This is a strong signal that they don’t like this new person even though you do. You should then ask more questions about how they feel.
There are many examples of how reading body language can help personal and professional relationships. It’s like a superpower everyone can learn and use in order to navigate a conversation towards a more positive outcome.
How Can I Improve My Body Language At Work? (Mirror)
We can improve our body language at work by thinking about the message we want to convey. We should not think of it as just a form of communication but also as our first impression. There are many ways to improve your body language at work. If you take a look at the above section on how to use body language to improve communication skills, you should cover most of what is required on a day-to-day basis at work.
Final Thoughts
There are many ways to improve your body language. Reading people is an important skill that can be learned. Understanding how to read body language, reading others’ nonverbal cues, and controlling the perspectives of people around you can help contribute to your success.
To find out more about reading non-verbal cues, check out this post. To get a good understanding of body language check out How To Read Body Language & Nonverbal Cues (The Correct Way) for a more detailed understanding. Until next time thank you for reading.