Body language changes that project confidence
The best way to improve your confidence is to work on your body language. Improving your eye contact, facial expressions, gestures and listening skills, so that people see you’re actively engaging with them. ILLUSTRATION | IGAH
What you need to know:
- Straighten up, improve eye contact, facial expressions, gestures and listening skills.
- Like displaying good body language increases your testosterone levels. Which improves your confidence and causes other people to see you as more assertive, trustworthy and self-assured. That’s true for both men and women.
- Good body language also decreases your cortisol levels, which enables you think more clearly and reduces the effects of stress. Especially when you’re facing tight deadlines, tough decisions and high work loads.
It takes brains to get ahead, right? Well, intelligence certainly is important, but lots of other things matter more. Your attitudes for example. Like anyone who’s willing to work hard will beat even the most intelligent couch potato every time. And a lack of confidence can really hold you back, especially in conversations, meetings, speeches and presentations.
And you know what? The best way to improve your confidence is to work on your body language. Improving your eye contact, facial expressions, gestures and listening skills, so that people see you’re actively engaging with them.
They’ll also see you as being more competent, persuasive, confident and likeable. And you’ll be more successful in life, because positive body language encourages people to trust you more and to go along with your way of thinking.
So how do you improve your body language? There are endless books and websites to start you off. But the best way’s to learn from observing your friends! And it’s worth the effort, because consciously making your body language more positive not only improves how people see you, it also improves your confidence and abilities.
That’s because the connection between the hormones which influence confidence, performance and body language is a two way street. And so good body language also improves them!
IMPORTANT SKILL
Like displaying good body language increases your testosterone levels. Which improves your confidence and causes other people to see you as more assertive, trustworthy and self-assured. That’s true for both men and women.
Good body language also decreases your cortisol levels, which enables you think more clearly and reduces the effects of stress. Especially when you’re facing tight deadlines, tough decisions and high work loads.
What else should you work on?
Your ability to read social situations. Study why people behave the way they do, so you improve your ability to anticipate what they’re about to do next.
Develop your emotional sensitivity, so you become better at reading other people’s emotions. You’ll be seen as more empathic, and people will start to seek you out for your understanding and wisdom. Watch how people react to your behaviour and do more of the things that work, so you gradually learn how best to behave in a wide variety of social events.
Improve your ability to convey your emotions through your facial expressions, tone of voice, gestures and body movements. It will make you more approachable and popular.
But there are also times when you don’t want everyone to know what you’re feeling. So you also need to be able to control your nonverbal signals. Like how you never know what a good poker player’s really thinking. It’s an important skill, because it allows you to listen to someone who’s upsetting you without revealing your anger, for example. And to work on the right response in your own time, rather than losing your rag on the spot. And just that one skill alone can completely change your life!
