{"id":67166,"date":"2022-05-24T10:06:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-24T14:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=67166"},"modified":"2022-05-25T13:20:26","modified_gmt":"2022-05-25T17:20:26","slug":"body-language-tactics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/body-language-tactics\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Body Language Tactics for Approachability"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What does <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/body-language-crucial-conversations\/\">body language<\/a> say about you? Can people really read your personality based on your body language? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before you even had the chance to utter your first words, people have already formed opinions about you based on your body language. These impressions may or not be accurate, but they influence how people will react to and treat you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are three foolproof body language tactics to appear confident and encourage a warm response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-your-body-language-says-a-lot-about-you\"><strong>Your Body Language Says a Lot About You<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You form an instinctive impression of everyone you come across within the first few seconds of <em>seeing<\/em> them. Before someone gets a chance to utter her first words, you\u2019ve already made assumptions about her personality, her feelings, her confidence levels, and her social or professional status. Most importantly, you\u2019ve already decided whether she\u2019s the type of person that you want to spend time with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What forms the basis of these assumptions? According to Lowndes, it\u2019s your body language\u2014this includes your posture, how comfortable you appear, the way you smile, and the way you make eye contact. Whether you\u2019re conscious of it or not, your body language constantly emits signals about the way you feel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are three body language tactics you cannot go wrong with, regardless of the context. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-don-t-slouch-maintain-a-good-posture\">1. Don&#8217;t Slouch, Maintain a Good Posture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Lowndes, people interpret poor posture as an unwelcoming signal. Trying to minimize your physical presence by slumping implies that you\u2019re insecure or ashamed and don\u2019t want to be approached.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, people interpret good posture as a welcoming signal because it implies that you\u2019re proud and confident and have nothing to hide. This tricks them into assuming that you\u2019re an accomplished person who deserves their attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-maintain-an-open-stance-and-avoid-fidgeting\">2. Maintain an Open Stance and Avoid Fidgeting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Lowndes claims that people interpret fidgeting and guarded movements as insincerity because they make you look suspicious and defensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, Lowndes argues, people interpret a relaxed and open stance as a sign of an honest and welcoming personality because it signals that you\u2019re calm, unafraid of appearing vulnerable (because you have nothing to hide), and approachable. To come across as calm, self-assured, and trustworthy, practice keeping your arms loosely by your sides with your palms and wrists faced upwards. If you\u2019re approached by people you want to talk to, turn your body totally towards them to show them they\u2019ve got your full attention\u2014this implies that you\u2019re happy to be in their company and puts them at ease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-delay-your-smiles-and-maintain-eye-contact\">3. Delay Your Smiles and Maintain Eye Contact<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Lowndes, people don\u2019t respond warmly to quick, instinctive smiles because they interpret them as impersonal\u2014they assume that you\u2019re flashing that smile at anyone you come across. This impels them to respond in kind, by acting detached or distant.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another behavior that puts people off, Lowndes argues, is a lack of eye contact. Others interpret it as a sign that you\u2019re either distracted or uncomfortable, and this makes it difficult for them to form an emotional connection with you.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To get a warm response, Lowndes suggests that you avoid your instinct to flash a quick smile at anyone you meet. Instead, look the recipient in the eyes, pause briefly, and then let out a big warm smile while maintaining eye contact.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What does body language say about you? Can people really read your personality based on your body language? Before you even had the chance to utter your first words, people have already formed opinions about you based on your body language. These impressions may or not be accurate, but they influence how people will react to and treat you. Here are three foolproof body language tactics to appear confident and encourage a warm response.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":8644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,9],"tags":[620],"class_list":["post-67166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication","category-psychology","tag-how-to-talk-to-anyone","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>3 Body Language Tactics for Approachability - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Your body language says a lot about you. Here are three foolproof body language tactics to appear confident and encourage a warm response.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/body-language-tactics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"3 Body Language Tactics for Approachability\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Your body language says a lot about you. Here are three foolproof body language tactics to appear confident and encourage a warm response.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/body-language-tactics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-05-24T14:06:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-05-25T17:20:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/mentor-outsiders.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1366\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Darya Sinusoid\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Darya Sinusoid\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/body-language-tactics\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/body-language-tactics\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Darya Sinusoid\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0421cce75bc249b11e2517b3a91f9c46\"},\"headline\":\"3 Body Language Tactics for Approachability\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-05-24T14:06:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-05-25T17:20:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/body-language-tactics\/\"},\"wordCount\":571,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/body-language-tactics\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/mentor-outsiders.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"How to Talk to Anyone\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Communication\",\"Psychology\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/body-language-tactics\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/body-language-tactics\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/body-language-tactics\/\",\"name\":\"3 Body Language Tactics for Approachability - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/body-language-tactics\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/body-language-tactics\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/mentor-outsiders.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-05-24T14:06:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-05-25T17:20:26+00:00\",\"description\":\"Your body language says a lot about you. 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