How to Always Look Young With Your Body Language and Voice
Patti Wood MA, CSP
The way you hold your body, the way you move your face and hands, the subtle changes in your voice all show your soul age. If you are positive and live up, your smile and posture show energy and vitality so you appear and feel younger and more vital.
The wrinkles do not matter if the face wearing the wrinkles is joyful in the life.
From Patti Wood’s book
Snap Making the Most of First Impressions Body
Language and Charisma.
1. Think up and move “Up.”
Practice walking so your whole body lifts up. Look in a mirror and analyze
your walk and posture. When you walk into a room hold your shoulders back and
your head up. Notice how children seem to lift up as they move. When you do
this it should communicate youth. power and confidence. Be careful not to move your
chin up as that makes you look stuck up.
2. Smile and Shake Hands Make
sure you make eye contact right away smile and put out your hand for a
handshake make full contact with your palm to their palm, pump with extra
energy
. (I have done several years
of research on handshakes. You can link to my handshake article on my blog and
at PattiWood.net)
3. As you share, your ideas and
information in any interpersonal interaction make sure your voice shows your
energy and enthusiasm and hold the strength and volume of your voice all the
way to the end of a sentence. As we age, our vocal chords show their wear
and our voices change and tend to sound rougher and we tend to lose volume at
the end or sentences. Research clearly shows that a voice that goes up, or
shake can make people feel we are not speaking with conviction. If people every
say, “Excuse me I didn’t hear you.” check your vocal pattern. My voice is high
and strains easily so I speak with energy to and lots of joy so it always
sounds young.
4. Get your hearing and eyesight
checked professionally. Do it now. If you squint, have trouble reading, and
have old fashioned (as in more than a year old) eye wear you look old. If you ask
for things to be repeated or seem to be disconnected because you are hard of
hearing you look old and out of touch.
5. Make sure you are fashion current
in colors style and jewelry including your watches. If you are still not
sure what is current in professional clothing read a style magazine and bring
it with you. Go to a high-end store, such as Nordstrom’s and look around. You
can always see what you like at high-end store then buy it at TJMAX or
Marshalls. By the way, job candidates under thirty rarely wear watches unless
they are a high end statement watch like Omega.
6. Be careful how you sit in a chair.
Research says that women perch, sitting on the edge of their seats, arching
their backs, while men tend to slouch, relying more on the backrest. Woman
don’t perch the entire time you look less powerful. Sit back in the chair, use
lots of space, and put you arms on the armrest to look confident. Your mother
told you not to slouch. I have to be very careful as I have a curved spine so I
compensate with big gestures. If you slouch, you may look old and tired rather
than vital and energetic. Sit forward slowly as you share certain information
your confident in.
7. In a job interview or important
meeting try not to carry a purse. (Especially if you are a guy. Really I
was just being funny.) Your purse, not only sends a strong female signal and it
gives you one more thing to worry about and fuss over. When woman sit down they
usually have over 16 separate movements. Men have three and look much more
together and organized. If you must carry something, carry a folder or hip, in
bright colored briefcase. If you MUST carry a purse, buy and very sleek streamlined
small one in black, brown or tan that matches your outfit. It should not necessarily
matched your shoes as being matchy matchy is old school and can date your look.
8. Woman, wear great color. Whether
you wear a blouse with a jacket or a nice jacket I suggest you put nice
flattering color around your face hot pink, peach, salmon, cobalt blue. Or find
out what this year’s biggest hottest color is by picking up a InStyle
Magazine and looking at their hot color page..
You want to wear hip colors that make your skin glow and make you feel good.
9. Tighten your glasses. If you
need to wear glasses, get your glasses tightened regularly. So they don’t go
down on your nose. Glasses that come down on your nose, even a little bit make
you look much older. Keep your glasses tightened and high on your face. Again,
think up.
10. Wear the collars on your shirts
and jackets pressed to perfection and whenever you can.
Wear then so they go “up” to create lift around your face.
Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional
The Body Language Expert
Web- http://www.PattiWood.net
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