What Does Your Body Language Say About You?

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Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Margaret Batting, GoLocal Image Consultant and Personal Brand Strategist

I recently met a friend for lunch. As I waited for her to arrive, I couldn’t help but notice a man seated near my table with his face buried in his iPhone. He was well-dressed, but his body language gave off an impression that he was arrogant and aloof. He sat hunched over his phone, with elbows spread.

By no means did he appear to want to engage anyone in conversation. Even when his friend showed up, he didn’t appear pleasant. He could be the greatest guy. But unfortunately, it only took a few seconds for me to form a negative impression of this man. How many times have you made up a story while people watching? We do it all the time. What do you think people are saying about you?

 Here are some tips to help make a more positive first impression:

1. Face: Make smiling a part of your everyday expressions and show your teeth. Just make sure you don’t over do it. Smiling too much can derail your level of authority.

2. Gestures: Be expressive but not distracting. Keep your fingers closed when gesturing. Keep your hands below your chin. Resist the urge to cross your arms and legs.

3. Head Movement: Use Head Nods and the Head Tilt when listening. Your listeners will begin to feel trusted because you do not appear threatening. Keep your chin up.

4. Eye Contact: Give the eye contact that makes everyone feel comfortable unless looking at others is a cultural no-no. Good eye contact builds trust and credibility.

5. Posture: Lean forward when listening and stand straight when speaking.

6. Territory: Stand as close as to a person as you feel comfortable. If the person moves back then don’t step forward again. Respecting personal space is critical.

7. Mirror: Subtly mirror the body language of others. It is a way to bond with others.

Margaret Batting is the Corporate Style expert for GoLocalProv.com. Margaret is the owner and president of Elevé Image Consulting and the only certified image consultant and personal brand strategist and a Worcester, MA native. She travels the country as the national corporate image consultant for CareerBuilder. For more information, visit http://www.eleve-style.com.

 

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