Improving Your Body Language: Top 5 Tips

Your body language says a lot about what you are expressing and the individual you are. People are able to quickly make an impression of you after observing your body language. So here are 5 tips you can take home on improving your body language.

Firstly, there is the posture. You need to master your posture. Compare a person slouched up on the chair as opposed to someone who is sitting back straight with their shoulders outwards. What is your conclusion? A person sitting or standing straight up gives off an impression of self confidence and self assured to others. When you stand straight, not only you automatically start looking better you will also feel good instantly. Furthermore, people will start paying attention to you.

Secondly, there is eye contact. When dealing with other people, eye contact is extremely important. If you keep averting your eyes, people are more likely to mistrust you and regard you as being a shifty or dodgy character. However don’t go to the opposite side of the spectrum. Don’t stare intensely at the person. You will only be scaring them or making them feel nervous and uncomfortable. So try keeping eye contact around 60-70%. This will give them a feeling that you are sincere and genuinely interested in what they are saying.

Thirdly, check your distance when standing around others. Everyone has their own comfort space. If you are standing too close, you will be labelled as being pushy. However if you are standing too far away, you will be called arrogant or stand-offish. So be observant about the distance that everyone is maintaining around each other and try to do the same. If they keep backing up as you get closer then you should know you are encroaching on their personal space.

Fourthly, check your mouth movement. Your mouth can give away all sorts of clues. A different type of smile may give a different type of feeling to each recipient. A person will be able to detect whether the smile you are giving is sincere or not. Another example is that pursing your lips may signify you are thinking. However when you are feeling angry, you may also purse your lips to signify displeasure. So be careful of the signals that you are giving out.

Fifthly, check your arms too. Your arms can tell a person how receptive and open you are towards them. Imagine yourself talking to person who has their arm crossed across their chest. You may have arrived to the conclusion that the person appeared to be cold and unfriendly towards you. So here’s a tip, keep your arms at the side of your body. This shows that you are not scared and you are open and receptive to new things.

So try all these tips today and you are sure to notice what a major improvement it has made on yourself.

How To Read Body Language

Look all around you, the people around you may be verbally communicating with you but are you noticing the non-verbal signals that they are sending out? You should! Reading the body language is a very useful social skill. So here are a few tips for you to learn on how to read body language.

1. Gauge their distance

You need to pay attention to how close someone is standing to you. The closer they are standing, the more intimate they think of you. The farther they stand away, the less they care of you or the situation. Remember that everyone has their own personal space too. If you move forward towards them, do they take a step back? If they do, don’t go further. You don’t want to come across as pushy.

2. Look into their eyes

People who are unable to maintain eye contact are more likely to come across as being untrustworthy. If they tend to look to their sides a lot, they may be nervous or distracted. There might be some people who have their eyes always fixed on the floor. This may be because they are shy or timid. So be gentle and kind with them and you will be received more kindly by them. Notice too if their pupils are dilated. Dilated pupils usually indicate a sign of interest. However, remember that after a few alcoholic drinks, the pupils may get dilated too. So don’t get the wrong idea there!

3. Their arms

People with crossed arms are usually cold and not receptive to your presence. Although to some it me just a habit, it may also indicate that the person is slightly reserved. If they have their arms at the side of their body or behind their back, this indicates that the person is warm and open to new things.

4. Mirroring your moves.

If a person mirrors your moves, this may be a genuine sign that they are interested in you. Try changing your position to see whether they imitate you too. If they do, it’s a positive signal!

So try all these little tips today and be on your way to social success!