How to Use Body Language Effectively

According to most psychological research, your body’s communication has more of an impact in communicating your feelings and attitudes than all the other forms of communication put together.

This means that if you want to transmit a certain attitude, you’ll need to focus on your body language more than anything else. So for example, if you want to demonstrate confidence, you need primarily to discover what confident body language looks like and then apply this knowledge.

Learning how to use body language effectively will not only transform your communication, but given the power of proper communication, it can transform all areas of your life, from your social life, to your relationship, to your career.

The challenge is that there is no single type of effective body language. Depending on the emotions and attitudes you want to communicate, one type of body language may work better than another type.

If you aim to show that you’re relaxed, then you want to stand up straight, but not too straight. If you aim to show dominance, than you do want to stand up as straight as possible and really push your chest forward.

Sometimes, subtle changes in your body language can significantly change the message you’re putting across. So it’s critical to figure out precisely what attitude you want to project and then master the kind of non-verbal communication that projects that attitude.

This being said, there are certain types of body signals that are frequently good and it’s an excellent idea to incorporate them into your non-verbal communication in a voluntary way. Smiling is almost always a positive sign and you want to be smiling a lot.

You also want to hold good eye contact. Try to look at the person you’re talking with about 2/3 of the time for the best effect. In addition, an open posture works wonders in most social situations. Don’t cross you hands and don’t keep them in your pockets. Keep them visible and in an open position.

More than anything else, learning how to use body language effectively is a matter of experimenting, seeing what works and then implementing it in the long-term. It takes time and patience, but you’ll become a master of non-verbal communication.