Wise Bread had a good article on body language. I know a lot of people who need to read this.
You might not think you look disinterested, but sometimes you might. I know I’m guilty of some of these. I tend to rock back and forth and use lots of hand motions in presentations. BUT I took a speaking class and right after each presentation, the professor would have you stand in the front of the class and the whole class (around 40 people) would criticize you of the awkward and wrong things you did. This was definitely scary, but it helped a lot. I’m more aware of everything now.
Be aware. There are probably a lot of things that you do that you don’t realize. You might play with your hair, rock back and forth during a presentation, use WAY too many hand movements, and so on. Realizing and noticing what you do is the first step to changing.
Watch others. What do the people that you admire do?
Be aware of how you cross your arms and legs. Your legs should be crossed towards the person you are talking to, not away. Crossing away shows that you’re either not interested or distant.
Make eye contact. Now don’t have a staring contest though!
Try to sit or stand straight. Better posture is good for many reasons.
Make sure your handshakes are firm. I don’t give out a ton of handshakes, so I’m not really sure how mine are. Hmmmm….
Relax. Make sure you are relaxed and that your body isn’t too tense, if you are tense, then it’ll show.
What do you do that you could improve?
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