Posture and Gestures Speak for Itself

The most important message that you can convey to people is that you are confident in yourself and what you are saying to others. Sometimes when we get nervous of feel uncomfortable we tend to forget or not be aware of distracting things or movements that we may be displaying. Posture plays a major role in showing confidence and reassurance to others. For instance if you were in an interview slouching and giving a weak handshake, it would show that you may not want to be there and are not taking an opportunity or job seriously. Instead you should have your feet firmly planted on the ground and give a solid handshake, this reassures them that your are the right candidate because you care about this job and want to make a good impression. It’s amazing that making a small change like that could lead to you getting the job!

Take a second to review the pictures below and think about how these people make you feel?

Making these small changes will have a huge impact on how people see and communicate with you. Having an open posture instead of a closed posture will better the atmospheric mood. It also reassures them that you believe in what you are saying and want to make sure that they understand your point fully. In turn this will help them feel comfortable around you so that they may convey any thoughts they may have and feel as though you care about their input. For example, if you were sitting in a desk chair, you would rest your hands on the arms of the chair comfortably instead of crossing them over your chest. This gives off that you are ready and eager to listen or that you are confident in what you are saying to others.

Some common gesture mistakes are:

·         Fidgeting with your hands

·         Gesturing at waist level or below

·         Pointing at the audience

·         Holding your hands behind your back

·         Using overly rehearsed gestures

·         Slouched or bad posture

·         Avoiding eye contact

·         Elbows being locked at your side

·         Constant one-handed gestures

·         Keeping hands in your pocket

·         Crossing your arms

Practicing to eliminate some of these things will be needed, this allows you to feel confident enough to not rely on some of these gestures to ease nervousness. You want the people to naturally flow along with you and not be concentrating on other things. The basic key to creating the right gestures and postures are that they reinforce what you are saying, rather than distract people from it. An awesome tip would be for you to videotape yourself while you are practicing a presentation so you can see firsthand any negative or distracting things you do. It could be a small thing like scratching your head, twitching, or just looking downright nervous! Don’t worry, anything can be changed with practice. Writing down a list of things you do and working on eliminating them will put you on your way to success!

Don't forget, you should keep in mind that you will be using non-verbal communication in your everyday life, try to practice these things in daily conversations...so this doesn't end up happening to you!