Sunday, December 11, 2011

SHOW CONFIDENCE

Top 10 Ways to Show Confidence With Body Language.


They say a picture is worth a thousand words;

now picture yourself, approaching a woman or a

prospective client, walking into a board meeting or a

party.


How do you look?


What message do you communicate the moment you

walk into a room?


What are your eyes, hands and shoulders saying?


What information can people gather about you before

you ever say a word?


Never thought about it?


You should. And you can start by perusing our top 10

tips to show confidence with body language.


People read your body language, often via instinct and

without thinking. It’s because our poses and postures

are a great source of information. They reflect our

mood and our confidence level. We stand and walk a

certain way when we’re confident and another way

when we’re nervous. In a glance, most people can

discern if we’re apprehensive or outgoing, relaxed or

aggressive. With a little practice, we can learn the tips

to show confidence through body language so that

we always appear confident, capable and ready.


Top 10 Ways to Show Confidence With Body Language.


01. Avoid your pockets

The first tip on our list of the top 10 tips to show

confidence with body language is to keep your hands

out of your pockets. We put our hands in our pockets

when we’re uncomfortable or unsure of ourselves.

And as long as you have your hands stuffed down

your pants, that’s how other people will view you.


Instinctually we tend to hide our hands when we’re

nervous; keeping your hands out in the open indicates

confidence and shows people you have nothing to

hide. Also, recognize that putting your hands in your

pockets encourages slouching, which isn’t good.

As an alternative, try putting your hands on your hips;

it’s a far more confident posture.


02. Don’t fidget

Fidgeting is a clear sign of nervousness. A man who

can’t keep still, is a man who is worried, tense and

certainly not confident. Your hands can be your worst

enemies — fight to keep them still and steady.

You can definitely talk with your hands, but keep

your gesticulations calm and under control. Also,

when seated, avoid that rapid leg-vibration thing that

some guys do (you don’t want to look like a dog

getting his belly rubbed).


03. Keep your eyes forward

Keeping your eyes level might be one of the trickiest

ways to show confidence in body language.

When you’re walking anywhere by yourself, it often

feels natural to lower your head slightly and watch

your step, but this posture communicates to others

that you don’t want to engage in conversation or

interact. And if you’re not careful, you might get into

the habit of doing it all the time. Keep your chin up

and your eyes forward, even when you’re walking

down the street by yourself.


04. Stand up straight with your shoulders back

Standing up straight is one of the most important of

our top 10 tips to project confidence through body

language. It can be a challenge especially if you’ve

been a sloucher all your life, but get over it. Standing

up straight is perhaps the most important means of

communicating confidence.

Concentrate on pushing your shoulders back slightly

when standing and walking. Nothing major,just a little.

That one simple motion does wonders for your posture.

Try it in front of the mirror—you’ll be surprised how

much more confident it makes you look.


05. Take wide steps

A confident man will never be described as "scurrying,"

"creeping" or "sneaking," so pay attention to the way

you walk. If you want to show confidence with body

language you want to take large steps. Wide steps

make you seem purposeful and suggest a personal

tranquility, which denotes confidence in a man.


06. Firm handshakes

Another of our top 10 tips for showing confidence

with body language has to do with the firm handshake.

There are few things worse than reaching out your

hand during an introduction and getting a palm full of

dead fish. Don’t be that guy. Instead, grip the other

person’s hand firmly and confidently.

If shaking hands with someone you’ve already met,

you might even consider the two-hand grab: placing

your free hand on the other person’s elbow adds

warmth and enthusiasm to the handshake.

Just don’t get carried away. A handshake is not a

contest. Don’t try to crush the other person’s hand

and don’t hold on too long.


07. Proper grooming

Imagine yourself walking into a room, maybe there

are lots of beautiful women there or maybe the room

is filled with respected colleagues. Now consider your

appearance: four days’ worth of scruff, bad skin, hair

crispy and pointy like a Backstreet Boy’s. The point

we’re trying to make is that grooming is an essential

component of communicating confidence through

body language.

You want your hair, face and even your smell to work

for you, not against you. Don’t be afraid to experiment

with new products to find the ones that work for you.


08. Smile
Confident people smile because they have nothing to
worry about. Try this as an experiment: smile at
someone as you pass them on the street or walking
around the office. Chances are good that they’ll smile
back. Now wouldn’t you like to have that effect on
people all the time?

09. Don’t cross your arms when socializing

Crossing your arms is a protective posture. We do it

when we’re cold, nervous or on guard. Think of those

big, burly nightclub bouncers, crossing their 26-inch

pythons while standing guard at the door to a club.

Do they look like guys you want to talk to, joke with

or work with? No, right?

Their job is to look intimidating. Your job is to look

likeable, open and confident. So relax a little and keep

your arms uncrossed.


10. Use contact to show appreciation

The pat on the back is a lost art. Don’t be afraid to pat

a buddy or a colleague on the back when he or she

delivers a perfectly timed punch line or nails the big

presentation. Most people aren’t freaked out by a

hand on the shoulder and they’ll likely be appreciative

of your sign of affection and respect.

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