Body language is nonverbal communication that involves body movement and gestures, which communications researchers call kinesics. There are hundreds of thousands of possible signs that can be communicated through body movements and gestures.

Did you know that body language accounts for over 60% of a conversation! Body language can be used to help conduct an interview, give a presentation or make that important sale: a conversation stretches so much further than speech.

Our body language will give others an impression of ourselves or show our emotions.

Our body language is an important aspect of running a successful business as we cannot always say what we really feel.

You may not be aware of what you are saying with your body, but others will get the message. Make sure it's the one you want to send.

Here are some helpful tips for you to consider:

1. Don’t cross your arms or legs
   You have probably already heard you shouldn’t cross your arms as it might make you seem defensive or guarded. This goes for your legs too. Keep your arms and legs open.



2. Have eye contact, but don’t stare
   If there are several people you are talking to, give them all some eye contact to create a better connection and see if they are listening. Keeping too much eye-contact might creep people out. Giving no eye-contact might make you seem insecure.



3. Don’t be afraid to take up some space
   Taking up space by for example sitting or standing with your legs apart a bit signals self-confidence and that you are comfortable in your own skin.



4. Relax your shoulders
   When you feel tense it’s easily winds up as tension in your shoulders. They might move up and forward a bit. Try to relax. Try to loosen up by shaking the shoulders a bit and move them back slightly.



5. Nod when they are talking
   Nod once in a while to signal that you are listening. But don’t overdo it and peck like Woody Woodpecker.



6. Don’t slouch, sit up straight
   Sit in a relaxed way, not in a too tense manner.



7. Lean, but not too much
   If you want to show that you are interested in what someone is saying, lean toward the person talking. If you want to show that you’re confident in yourself and relaxed lean back a bit. But don’t lean in too much or you might seem needy and desperate for some approval. Or lean back too much or you might seem arrogant and distant.



8. Smile and laugh
   Lighten up, don’t take yourself too seriously. Relax a bit, smile and laugh when someone says something funny. People will be a lot more inclined to listen to you if you seem to be a positive person. But don’t be the first to laugh at your own jokes, it makes you seem nervous and needy. Smile when you are introduced to someone but don’t keep a smile plastered on your face, you’ll seem insincere.



9. Don’t touch your face
   Touching your face might make you seem nervous and can be distracting for the listeners or the people in the conversation.



10. Keep you head up
    Don’t keep your eyes on the ground, it might make you seem insecure and a bit lost. Keep your head up straight and your eyes towards the horizon.



11. Slow down a bit
    De-speed:this goes for many things. Walking slower not only makes you seem more calm and confident, it will also make you feel less stressed. If someone addresses you, don’t snap you’re neck in their direction, turn it a bit more slowly instead.



12. Don’t fidget
    Phase out or transform fidgety movement and nervous ticks such as shaking your leg or tapping your fingers against the table rapidly. You’ll seem nervous and fidgeting can be a distracting when you try to get something across.



13. Use your hands more confidently
    Instead of fidgeting with your hands and scratching your face use them to communicate what you are trying to say. Use your hands to describe something or to add weight to a point you are trying to make.



14. Lower your drink
    Don’t hold your drink in front of your chest. In fact, don’t hold anything in front of your heart as it will make you seem guarded and distant. Lower it and hold it beside your leg instead.



15. Realise where you spine ends
    Many people might sit or stand with a straight back in a good posture. However, they might think that the spine ends where the neck begins and therefore crane the neck forward in a Montgomery Burns-pose



16. Don’t stand too close
    Everybody gets weirded out by a close-talker. Let people have their personal space, don’t invade it.



17. Mirror
    Often when you get along with a person, when the two of you get a good connection, you will start to mirror each other unconsciously. That means that you mirror the other person’s body language a bit. To make the connection better you can try a bit of proactive mirroring.



18. Keep a good attitude
    last but not least, keep a positive, open and relaxed attitude. How you feel will come through in your Lbody language and can make a major difference. For information on how make yourself feel better read 10 ways to change how you feel and for relaxation try a very simple way to feel relaxed for 24 hours.

- Published by Henrik Edberg October 27th, 2006 in Personal Development and People Skills, positivity blog