Are you lacking self-confidence? Ever wonder how some people can dominate attention just by walking into a room? This could be confident body language.
So what is confident body language?
Confident body language is the way you dress, your posture, facial expression, hand gestures and the way you walk. It’s how confident you appear.
Your body language makes up a huge chunk of your communication. So if you want to have a great first impression or appear more confident, then these tips are for you.
These tips will help you appear more confident, even if you’re not by showing confident body language.
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What is a confident posture?
To appear more confident, you first need to have a confident posture. This is when you stand straight with legs aligned and body weight evenly distributed on both legs.
Keep your back straight, your shoulders should be pulled back and down, level your chin so your head is up looking straight ahead.
Your hands should be relaxed, with no fidgeting or crossed arms. Just let them fall naturally. All the while facing the person you’re talking to.
If you are in a seated position, sit up straight or lean slightly forward this shows interest. But no slouching.
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Your hand position
What you do with your hands matters a lot when you’re trying to appear more confident. Pay attention to the movement, position, and relaxation of the hands, these can affect how confident you look.
Placing your hands in your pocket, fists clenched, or crossing them makes you appear nervous, defensive, closed off and uninterested. If you must put your hands in your pocket, just keep your thumbs out.
Keep your hands open, by your side, or loosely link your fingers. Also, avoid pointing your fingers it’s a sign of aggression.
When doing any hand movements avoid any sudden, fidgety, awkward movements and avoid playing with objects while speaking to others.
If you must shake hands, grip their hands firmly and confidently. No sweaty palms, please.
Confident facial expression
Our facial expression communicates thoughts, ideas and emotions. It also helps us understand if we can trust or believe what the person is saying.
Try to blink normally, not over or under blinking. The most trustworthy facial expression involves a slight raise of the eyebrows and a slight smile, this shows confidence and interest.
Relax your face with a slight smile, not a weird, awkward grin. And avoid biting your lips, it makes you look nervous.
People with smiling, joyful expressions appear more intelligent than those with angry expressions. (source)
Maintain eye contact to appear more confident
Our eyes speak volume in the way we communicate with others. Maintaining eye contact when speaking means, you’re focused on the speaker, paying attention, and active listening.
Eye contact helps build trust, connection, and openness in communication. Whereas not maintaining eye contact means you’re uninterested, nervous, and dishonest. Our eyes and body speak more volume of confidence than our words do. (source)
Whereas holding your head down, avoiding eye contact are signs of nervousness, timidity and insecurity. So avoid those to appear more confident.
Feel confident in your walk
A great way to make an unforgettable first impression that exudes confidence is through your walk.
Practice your confident walk for a few minutes per day to get better at it. The same way you practice walking in heels. Am not the only one who does that am I!?
I don’t know about you, but whenever I put heels on I feel an instant boost in my confidence.
As usual stand tall focus on pushing your shoulders slightly back, head up, eyes forward, chin level, and hands open by your side.
Be sure to take long brisk steps that seem purposeful and show confidence. And smile when you greet people. Not a weird, awkward grin!
Relax, no sudden frantic movements to look confident
Practice moving around comfortably while keeping your back straight and relaxing your hands. Mentally scan your body, from your head to toe.
Notice what each part of your body is doing and feels like. If you feel any tension, take a deep breath and relax.
And take up space! Don’t make yourself small to give others room because you feel unimportant. You are worthy of every inch of space that your body occupies.
An important part of confident body language is moving comfortably so practice and make it count.
How to speak more confidently
Now you know what confident body language looks like, here are some tips to help you speak more confidently.
Practice deep breathing
First, let’s practice the art of deep breathing.
Ever stand up to give a speech and your heart just keeps racing? This is your fight and flight response kicking in to help you deal with what appears to be fear.
Public speaking is one of the most feared things for most people. So, no wonder your heart rate increases.
This is where deep breathing can help. Practicing deep breathing techniques can help slow your heart rate, oxygenate your brain and help you normalize your breathing.
This allows you to think and speak clearly without sounding nervous.
This article has a helpful breathing technique.
I am overcoming social anxiety and deep breathing helps me stay calm in most social situations.
If you want to look and speak more confidently, try the deep breathing technique before any speech. And don’t forget to breathe when speaking.
Fake it till you make it
Having high self-confidence takes time and work, but who says you can’t fake it until you make it, with your head held high, strutting your stuff.
If you are feeling fearful, feel the fear and do it, anyway. That’s actually a really helpful book.
Evaluate if your fear is rational. What are you afraid of, can it really harm you? How can you overcome this? Are you being realistic about my expectations?
Sound confident by speaking slowly
Speaking slowly and clearly is a sign of confidence. Speaking too fast doesn’t give the listener time and space to understand what you’re saying.
It appears rushed and often interpreted as a sign of nervousness and low self-confidence. So slow down your speaking, but not so slow that you bore people.
Allow a pause between words to breathe and allow the words to flow. Also, speak with an even tone of voice and watch your volume.
To sound confident, take your time to articulate your words carefully and confidently.
Also, allow silence during conversations to sound and appear more confident. Don’t worry about always having something to say.
Speak and allow silence for the other person to think and respond. This shows that you’re confident in what you’ve said and are interested in what others have to say as well.
How to get motivated to act confidently
Now you know how to sound confident and what confident body language looks like. Here are some tips to help you overcome some nervous jitters and get you motivated to act confidently.
Positive self talk
We all know that annoying little voice that tells us we can’t. Our inner critics or self-talk.
Self-talk is the internal dialogue we hold about/with ourselves that is negative or positive. Self-talk is important in appearing and building confidence.
Positive self-talk affects the way you approach and handle situations, it can also boost confidence to help you achieve your goals.
If you’re preparing for a presentation, practicing positive self-talk can help you feel motivated and confident. Try to identify your negative internal dialogue and replace them with positive, uplifting words. (source)
Because you can’t be confident and have constant negative self-talk. It just doesn’t work that way.
Try positive affirmation
Trying to overcome negative self-talk to become more confident?
Try positive affirmations to help you tackle your subconscious behavior. Affirmations can motivate you, enhance self-esteem, and encourage positive changes in your life.
Affirmations are a great way to give yourself a pep talk or a confidence boost when practiced daily. More info on affirmation.
Related: Self-Love Affirmations To Build Confidence & Improve Your Life
Listen to motivational messages to motivate you to act confidently
We all lose motivation sometimes, it’s like food, we need a boost every day to keep going.
Inspirational quotes and motivational speeches can help you keep a positive mind, it can change your mindset and provide comfort during times of struggle.
Motivational speeches can also help us stay persistent to handle obstacles.
Whenever I need a quick boost in confidence or feel discouraged, I listen to motivational speeches. You should try it!
Related: 32 Greatest Inspirational & Motivational Quotes For A Success Mindset
Don’t overthink
Ever have your mindset on doing something then you get anxious thinking of all the pros and cons?
When you overthink and your mind goes against its self, you may get anxious and start lacking confidence. This may cause you to hesitate in taking action or be unable to decide.
If you want to appear confident, learn to trust your gut. Practice deciding quickly and be slow to change decisions.
Always look your best
People say your appearance doesn’t matter, but news flash it does.
Ever get all dressed up, fully pampered from head to toe and instantly feel confident and unstoppable?
This is what they mean “when you look good you feel good.”
When you look good, it has a positive effect on the way you feel. So ensure proper grooming before your big day or try to maintain it daily.
Looking good doesn’t have to cost much, there are plenty of affordable websites to find trendy outfits.
Be knowledgeable to appear more confident
The final tip to help you appear more confident in any situation is being knowledgeable.
For example, you have an interview. Nothing makes you lack confidence more than not preparing before showing up!
Build your confidence prior to, by researching the company, the job qualifications, and find questions you can ask in the interview.
Knowledge gives you an advantage over the competition. It makes you appear confident and interested.
Conclusion
Even though there are many aspects that can help you build and appear confident.
If you practice confident body language, speak confidently and find the motivation to appear more confident, eventually, they will become a habit.
Over time you will not only look confident, but you will also start to believe that you are.
Don’t forget to share!
