Have you ever considered what does your sitting style or your voice tone say, or what message do you send when you cross your arms? Mastering body language can have an effect not only on social occasions, but also on your brain!
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Through this article you are going to understand how to get the most out of your body language to enhance leadership, or even how to ‘read’ another person’s postures and gestures; an amazing skill everyone wishes to have!
1. Posture Keeping the trunk of the body open and exposed indicates friendliness, openness, and willingness. 2. Spatial awareness Spatial relationships play a major role in body language. Namely, the distance between people is critical to their interaction. There are four distinct zones in which most people operate: Intimate space – Less that 1.5ft; Personal space – 1.5ft to 4ft; Social space – 4ft to 12 ft; Public space – 12ft to 25 ft. 3. Eye contact Eyes mirror people’s soul. Don’t be afraid to look somebody in the eyes. Not only will you say a lot by doing so, but you might also learn a lot. 4. Smile During a conversation a good tip to increase engagement is to smile more. However, be careful not to overuse smile, if things get serious. 5. Hand gestures A clenched fist indicates anger or solidarity, while fingers-to-mouth gestures indicate an inner need for reassurance. 6. Movement Less is more to enhance leadership quality. Considered movement and definite hand gestures gain more impact and respect than many repetitive movements. Stillness is a great quality in good leaders. 7. Voice tone Shouting, smiling, irony, word selection and so on may add extra meaning which is neither considered pure body language nor speech. A slower and lower tone seems more dominant, making the person more authoritative and enhancing the possibility for greater respect.
