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Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D.

International Speaker, Author, Leadership Coach

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February 8, 2022 By Eve

Body Language Habits that Make You Stand Out

Although there are many nonverbal strategies that help you look like a leader, there are gender, situational, and cultural differences that impact their effectiveness. 

But one body language truth is universal: You are the most convincing, motivating and charismatic when your body language reflects your best authentic self. 

You probably already realize that it isn’t any less authentic to be seen at your best than it is to display your worst (or sloppiest) behaviors. A problem only arises if you confuse authenticity with habit. 

For example: You may slouch because you have always had poor posture, but that doesn’t make it authentic, it simply makes it a habit – and, by the way, not a habit that serves you well. As a leader, your posture affects how people perceive you. Poor body posture makes you look looks as though you are bored, uninterested or unmotivated — which I assume is not the impression you want to project to your boss, customers, and colleagues.

On the other hand, if you served in the military, marched in a band, or took ballet lessons, you already created the habit of standing tall and holding your shoulders back, which sends nonverbal signals of energy and confidence. 

So let me ask you: Do you have a communication habit that gets in the way of being perceived as the talented leader you are? To manage the impression you make, think through these questions:

  1. What is one habit that you’d like to change because it undermines your best authentic self? Maybe you’re like a client of mine – a brilliant and shy manager who spoke in a low, almost inaudible, voice during meetings. While her shyness was valid, her habitual way of speaking was a behavior that didn’t authentically reflect her intellect and leadership potential. 
  2. What is the new habit you’d like to create? It helps if you mentally “rehearse” – creating a powerful image of yourself displaying the new behavior. Each time you repeat this visualization, you come one step closer to making that a reality. 
  3. What trigger are you going to use to remind yourself to display this behavior? Try the “When – Then” trigger technique, in which a normal part of your routine becomes the reminder. For example, if you wanted to display more of your natural warmth during a virtual meeting, you might state it like this: WHEN I greet people at the start of the meeting, THEN I smile and call them by name. 

It takes time and repetition to create a new habit. But it’s worth it. As you practice and become comfortable with your new behavior, you are in the process of transforming people’s impression so that you STAND OUT as your best authentic self. 

Resources:

Here is a link to my best-selling LinkedIn Learning video course Body Language for Leaders

STAND OUT is available on multiple websites and in bookstores. Here is the link on Amazon: Stand Out: How to Build Your Leadership Presence

Filed Under: Articles

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Body Language for Negotiators (5/16/2022)
Trust. Leadership, and the Power of Stories (4/14/2022)
7 Mistakes That Derail Organizational Change (3/23/2022)
5 Unorthodox Truths about Goal Setting (2/28/2022)
Body Language Habits that Make You Stand Out (2/8/2022)
The Power Of Personal Connection (7/11/2021)
Thriving on Post-Pandemic Change (5/6/2021)
5 Mistakes People Make Reading Your Body Language (2/5/2021)
How Santa Claus Knows if You’ve Been Naughty or Nice: Deception Detection (12/19/2020)
The Five C’s of Leadership Presence (11/21/2020)
Hacks For Women To Stand Out On Zoom (7/24/2020)
Body Language for Leadership Presence on Zoom (5/16/2020)
We Need Physical Distance, Not Social Distance (4/5/2020)
How Leadership Presence Is Different For Women (5/28/2019)
8 Ways Leaders Build Collaboration (4/12/2019)
Virtual Presence for Leaders (2/5/2019)
Does Your Body Language Help – or Hurt – Your Leadership Effectiveness? (12/28/2018)
The Body Language of Collaborative Leaders (8/1/2018)
3 Ways Women Can Escape The Imposter Syndrome Trap (7/23/2018)
Reading Body Language at Work: Five Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make (4/21/2018)
10 Tips to Supercharge Your Success (1/10/2018)
10 Body Language Myths That Limit Success (11/20/2017)
Customer Centricity Takes Collaboration (8/12/2017)
10 Change Leadership Tips Backed By Science (7/8/2017)
3 Crucial Skills For Leading Without Authority (5/23/2017)
7 Tips for Inspiring Collaboration (4/6/2017)
How Female Leaders Can Claim Power Through Body Language (3/9/2017)
How Leaders Project Charisma (2/3/2017)
How To Spot A Liar At Work (1/5/2017)
How Santa Claus Knows If You’ve Been Naughty Or Nice (12/16/2016)
Ten Questions To Power Up Your “Leadership Presence” (7/19/2016)
Why You Don’t Believe Me When I Say “I’m Listening” (7/5/2016)
Tips to Increase Leadership Presence (2/1/2016)
Why First Impressions Stick (5/1/2015)
Has Your Collaboration Strategy Fallen Into The Say-Do Gap? (2/1/2015)
10 Powerful and Simple Body Language Tips for 2015 (1/1/2015)
Is Your Body Language Sabotaging Collaboration? (10/1/2014)
Body Language for Videoconferences (6/1/2014)
5 Ways To Project Confidence (5/8/2014)
Do You Work For A Bully? (4/8/2014)
8 Tips For Collaborative Leadership (3/8/2014)
Why You Should Reach Out and Touch Someone (2/11/2014)
10 Simple and Powerful Body Language Tips for 2014 (1/1/2014)

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