Not many people know it, but body language is the secret weapon of many great leaders. The subtle nuances of body language can strongly influence how other people perceive you, and how they react to you. In business negotiations, these subtle nuances can turn the tide in your favor and give you the upper hand. In this article, we’ll teach you everything you need to know to master your body language and use it to your advantage in your professional life.
The Art of Assertiveness
In 2007, Professor Daniel Ames (PhD, Columbia Business School) and Professor Francis Flynn (PhD, Stanford Graduate School of Business) conducted a study on the behavior of successful leaders. Their findings suggested that even the most successful corporate leaders struggle with assertiveness, either being over or under-assertive at the wrong moments.
So, how can you find that sweet spot of confident assertiveness? Body language is key. Here are some tips for cultivating assertive body language in corporate meetings:
Maintain good posture. Sit up straight with your shoulders back, but avoid stiffness. This projects confidence and makes you appear engaged. Slouching or hunching communicates disinterest or nervousness.
Make eye contact, but strike a balance. Look directly at the speaker to show you’re paying attention, but don’t stare at them for too long. Shift your gaze periodically to different participants to acknowledge everyone in the room.
Keep your arms uncrossed, and avoid fidgeting. Open gestures, like palms facing up, showcase openness to ideas and encourage collaboration.
The Nod of Acknowledgement:
Use nodding to show you’re actively listening and following the conversation. However, avoid excessive nodding that might seem disingenuous.
Mirroring and Matching:
Subtly mirror the body language of others to build rapport and establish trust. This doesn’t mean mimicking everything they do, but rather aligning your posture and gestures occasionally to create a sense of connection.
By mastering these nonverbal cues, you can convey assertiveness without appearing aggressive. You’ll come across as a confident and capable leader, ready to navigate any business discussion.
Are You Smiling Too Much?
Nothing grabs the attention of others better than a charming smile. However, it might surprise you to learn that you could be smiling too much. While a genuine smile can work wonders for approachability and building rapport, excessive smiling can diminish your authority and assertiveness.
Here’s why:
Power Dynamics: A smile can sometimes be interpreted as a sign of submissiveness, particularly during negotiations. In a hierarchical dynamic, those with higher power tend to smile less frequently.
Confidence and Control: Smiling too much can be perceived as a lack of confidence or uncertainty. This can be especially true for women in leadership roles, where assertive behavior is sometimes misconstrued as aggression.
So How Much Should You Smile? The key is to find a balance. Here are some tips:
The Genuine Grin: A warm, genuine smile can light up a room and make you seem approachable. Use this to your advantage during introductions and greetings.
The Confident Smirk: A subtle smile or smirk can communicate confidence and control, particularly during discussions where you’re presenting ideas or making proposals.
Take a Breath and Slow Down
The easiest way to tell when someone is nervous is that they talk too fast and their body language becomes erratic, with fast hand motions, blinking, stuttering, and other such tells. Before important corporate meetings or negotiations, take a breath and consciously slow down your mind and your body. Practice talking in the mirror if you have to.
By talking slower, those around you will understand you better, and you’ll give yourself a few seconds to think about what you’re saying and choose your words better. Those extra fractions of seconds between words can make all the difference, and they even stress the gravity of your words, encouraging others to hang on to every word you say so you can hold their attention for a little longer.
Practice Makes Perfect
Mastering the art of effective body language isn’t easy. It’s a skill that will take time and deliberate effort to perfect. But if you work at it consciously, you’ll be able to dominate any negotiation you find yourself in.