5 Simple Tips to Improve Your Body Language

Regardless of how well you’ve rehearsed the words, your verbal message is not the only thing your audience takes away from an interaction. Nonverbal communication works hand-in-hand with verbal language to send your message, make an impression and provide insight into your personality. Whether you’re preparing for a job interview, giving a sales pitch in the boardroom or chatting with acquaintances at cocktail hour, consider these five simple tips to improve your body language.

1. Smile

People are naturally drawn to others who smile. A smile invites conversation and makes you appear more confident. Improve your body language by smiling in the mirror, and avoid a smile that looks cheesy or forced. Think of something that's funny or that makes you happy to convey a genuine smile with real emotion behind it.

2. Make Eye Contact

Improving your eye contact is a balancing act; too much eye contact makes the other person feel uncomfortable, while too little makes you seem uninterested in what the other person is saying. When involved in a conversation, make eye contact about 70 percent of the time. Make eye contact in regular intervals, and alternate comfortably between smiling, looking at something on your desk or scanning the room. Pay attention to nonverbal communication from the person you’re speaking to. If he leans away from you, constantly looks around the room or avoids looking at you, your eye contact may be too intense.

3. Maintain a Comfortable Distance

Pay attention to how much distance you put between yourself and the person with whom you’re speaking. Stand close enough to have a comfortable conversation at a reasonable volume, but respect the other party’s personal space. If your contact takes a step back, take this as a nonverbal clue that you are standing too close; avoid the urge to close the gap by stepping closer to him.

4. Practice Good Posture

How you sit conveys a nonverbal message. When you sit up straight and turn toward your contact, it shows that you are engaged in the conversation. Further improve your body language by leaning in a bit to convey that you are focused and interested in what the other person is saying.

5. Consider Your Hand Movements

Standing with your arms crossed in front of you acts as a protective barrier and makes others things that you’re uninterested in conversation. Pay attention to how you use your hands when you speak. Gesturing with your hands can help enhance a story, and using open body language makes you appear more confident, letting others know that you welcome a conversation.

Someone you’re meeting for the first time is likely to form an immediate impression of you before you even open your mouth. Your body language offers nonverbal clues that give others insight into your personality and disposition. Remember to smile, make eye contact, keep a comfortable distance, practice good posture and mind your hand gestures in order to improve your body language.

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