Movers and Shakers: Body Language and Your Career
Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2025 3:54 am
We all know the stats. In the land of communication, the body is king; studies show that 38% of meaning comes from tone, and a whopping 55% from body language. But how to use this knowledge to your advantage?
We’ll show you how.
Know Thyself
Ever heard the classic, “Just be yourself?” Judi James, body language and behaviour expert, counsels against it at work. “To expect your normal behaviours to be effective under strong pressure to perform to strangers on an unreal ‘stage’,” she says, “is sloppy to the point of dangerous.”
It’s easy to kid ourselves that, at work, anything is enough. But the office or bahamas phone number library meeting is, as James notes, a stage – and your performance is a crucial one. Inappropriate manners or body language are likely to go down like a lead balloon. If that’s not a reason to pay attention to posture, I don’t know what is.
Take charge
You might have heard about power posing. The theory goes that standing in particular positions – ‘powerful’ ones – for several minutes before a meeting or interview may help boost confidence in the room. Though a widely-credited idea, recent studies suggest that these exercises may be less effective than previously thought, and possibly even bogus. Besides, you’d look a bit silly, wouldn’t you?
A more accessible option might be power priming. Shortly before your next important meeting or interview, try thinking of a time in your past when you felt really confident – where you succeeded. If you can, write down an account of how you felt and why. Research suggests that positive thoughts like these can temporarily boost leadership skills and self-assurance.
Then, when you get in the room, practise open posture. Arms should not be crossed, particularly not in a ‘self-hugging’ posture, which communicates discomfort. Hands should face upwards or sideways, never down. You might even try taking up a little more room on the table with your belongings. This way, you emanate a sense of openness as well as conviction, and render yourself more approachable.
We’ll show you how.
Know Thyself
Ever heard the classic, “Just be yourself?” Judi James, body language and behaviour expert, counsels against it at work. “To expect your normal behaviours to be effective under strong pressure to perform to strangers on an unreal ‘stage’,” she says, “is sloppy to the point of dangerous.”
It’s easy to kid ourselves that, at work, anything is enough. But the office or bahamas phone number library meeting is, as James notes, a stage – and your performance is a crucial one. Inappropriate manners or body language are likely to go down like a lead balloon. If that’s not a reason to pay attention to posture, I don’t know what is.
Take charge
You might have heard about power posing. The theory goes that standing in particular positions – ‘powerful’ ones – for several minutes before a meeting or interview may help boost confidence in the room. Though a widely-credited idea, recent studies suggest that these exercises may be less effective than previously thought, and possibly even bogus. Besides, you’d look a bit silly, wouldn’t you?
A more accessible option might be power priming. Shortly before your next important meeting or interview, try thinking of a time in your past when you felt really confident – where you succeeded. If you can, write down an account of how you felt and why. Research suggests that positive thoughts like these can temporarily boost leadership skills and self-assurance.
Then, when you get in the room, practise open posture. Arms should not be crossed, particularly not in a ‘self-hugging’ posture, which communicates discomfort. Hands should face upwards or sideways, never down. You might even try taking up a little more room on the table with your belongings. This way, you emanate a sense of openness as well as conviction, and render yourself more approachable.