Your stance and how you use your hands during conversation can say a lot about you. In fact, some individuals will judge you based on these two things before you even open your mouth. This means that you need to make sure your stance and hand gestures say exactly what you want them to say.

A lot of us are not conscious about how we stand or our posture, but would you be more aware of this if you knew it was making you look intimidated, nervous or disengaged? If your aim is to appear confident and self-assured, then you want to practice what I call the “Oak in the Wind” stance.

 

Oak in the Wind

It goes like this. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, feet facing forward, weight evenly distributed. Imagine your legs are an oak tree trunk. You’re solid and immovable, powerful. Your torso is loose and relaxed.

But what to do with your hands? Control those hand gestures! Think about each one, its purpose and its power. Don’t be rigid, but look like you’re in control of your movements.

 

Portraying confidence and power simply takes awareness of your body and (in this case, non-verbal) communication. Here is another approach to effective gestures for having your voice heard or getting into a conversation, watch this Vlog.