Personal Branding: Is your Body Language sending the right message?
If actions speak louder than words and a picture is worth a thousand words, combining the two together just might fill a book! Have you ever looked at your own portraits and analyzed what story your pose is saying? I have compiled a list of 5 of the key ways you can make sure your body language is on brand and speaking directly to your client the right way.
- Face Forward: Keep your shoulders facing your client and an open heart center pointed towards the camera. If you stand at an angle, make sure your face is still pointed directly at the camera. Turning your face away from the camera communicates that you could be disinterested in your client. Defintely not a welcoming signal!
- Lean In: Communicate your interest in your client by leaning in towards the camera lens. When sitting, be sure you still lean forward and also are scooted towards the edge of your chair. Not only is this a more flattering position, it puts you on the edge of your seat, and isn’t that just how a client wants to feel when speaking to you? Leaning back in your chair produces the opposite effect, creating a feeling of being disengaged in the conversation.
- Eye Contact: Connect directly with your client and make them feel important by looking straight in to the camera lens. Be sure the camera is at eye level and not above or below you. Looking down could make you look shy, judgmental, or even flirtatious while looking up can make you look weak.
- Open Up: Tightly crossed arms can also indicate you are closed off rather than open and welcoming. Keeping your arms from crossing your body is a safe way to be sure that you don’t send the wrong signal. Folded arms can work when loosely resting lower like the waistline but, when you cross them firmly at your chest it comes off as confrontational. If you tend to clasp your hands together in pictures, try to relax and separate your palms to create a more trustworthy feel than a closed fist.
- Stand Tall: Your mother was right to tell you to sit up straight. Whether sitting or standing, an elongated neck and spine with shoulders rolled back conveys confidence. Head high, standing tall, with feet planted on the floor hip distance apart is a powerful pose that I like to call the “cover girl” stance. When sitting, you can still maintain good posture and lean in with a flat back. You can even lightly rest on hands under your chin. Just be sure you don't put too much weight on your hands or it may appear as if your supporting your head out of boredom or tiredness rather than intrigue.
Leave a comment and tell us what tip you found the most helpful.