Lasting impression

Our body language can communicate our confidence or the lack of it, writes Dr Paras

When we say, ‘actions speak louder than words,’ it means that whatever conscious and unconscious movements and postures one forms, it reflects in our attitude, sometimes even more than what we speak. This means that the whole world is a stage and you are being observed profoundly through a magnifying glass. Whether you realise it or not, your actions and gestures attempt to influence the perceptions of other people thus making impression management key.

Most people fail to express themselves well. Especially teenagers, a majority of whom, genuinely face a tough time to exude body confidence. This can sometimes get devilishly skewed. Perhaps, they fail to show confidence through their body language like poor posture, fidgeting too much or poor eye contact, sluggish movements due to boredom, or probably slouching that undermines their specific expression and message. Usually this kind of problem arises due to low self-esteem and low confidence. This means, whatever happens in the mind reflects in our thought process.

If we do a background check and look into the scenario carefully, all humans are social beings and we live in a social environment where we are not trained how to be socially eloquent. We follow norms but there is no formal learning introduced from the beginning. We just adapt to the environment but the adaptation can go in various forms such as flight fight mode, where a person feels “I need to survive” or numerous other mechanisms due to comparison, competition, bullying, favouritism, and constant judgment. This majorly impacts our thinking pattern and body confidence, sometimes leaving us with low self-esteem and low confidence.

A feeling of inadequacy directly impacts the body. Thus it is imperative for parents to encourage their child to push for real change. Helping teenagers to become ‘action competent’ will enable the next generation to become connected and empathetic.

Here are a few powerful techniques to correct the body language, gain confidence and overcome a distorted body image. The idea is to work more on the posture:

Step 1: Sit erect and stand erect. Sitting or standing up straight, with your chin up and your head properly balanced, keeps you more aware, awake and mindful during conversations.

Step 2: Don’t slouch. Whenever you’re talking, look straight into the eye of the person. Look into their eyes, don’t stare. Focus at the forehead area between the eyes or the nose. Avoid looking anywhere else. This will make the person realise that you are honest and upfront.

Step 3: Shake hands firmly. Use the touch wisely to imbibe confidence between the sender and the receiver.

Step 4: Smile. In fact smile a lot, as it is universally recognised as a good gesture which will make your conversation more promising and effective.

Step 5: Meditating helps align the physical body with consciousness and sitting up straight while meditating also helps strengthen the body.

Remember, if you stammer, fumble or stutter due to overwhelming nervousness while making a speech and presenting yourself out of the blue, you can practice by recording your presentation to correct and rework on your speech. You can even practice your postures and speeches in front of the mirror so as to give your presentation a prefect direction.

To eliminate a distorted body language and boost confidence, teens need to work more on their thought process and not be too self-conscious.

A positive approach will transform into a positive life if they start believing in their journey and embrace the innate power within them.

(The author is life-leadership coach & founder, Matrrix)