When you move confidently and carry your body confidently, you not only feel
more confident but others assume that you are.
You may be surprised to learn that only 7% of the information you transmit to
others is in the language you use. The remainder comes from:
■ 38% How you speak – quality of voice, accent, voice projection, emphasis,
expression, pace, volume, pitch etc.
■ 55% Body language – posture, position, eye contact, facial expression, head
and body movements, gestures, touch etc.
Whereas people often try to disguise their true feelings in their utterances, they
communicate them freely through their non-verbals. When your body language
tells a different story from your spoken words, guess which is believed? The
answer is,your body language. It imparts eight times as much information.
Pay more attention to how you use your body. Poor movement and posture
restricts breathing, tightens the muscles and brings about skeletal disorders.
One of the best ways of improving your posture is to practise the Alexander
Technique, a wonderful method for detecting and releasing muscular tension. It
involves moving with the back straight, gaze gently fixed straight ahead, shoulders
back but relaxed, ears, shoulders, hips and ankles in line. This has the effect of
lengthening and widening the spine giving the lungs a chance to work better.
This is the epitome of a confident posture. Moreover, regular practitioners also
find themselves mentally calmer and more confident than before.
(^39) Confident body language