How to Always Look Young With Your Body Language and Voice

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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12 body language tricks for great first impressions for women working internationally.

I was asked today by a journalist for my for 10 body language “tricks” for good first impressions for business woman for an issue of Harper’s Bazaar Dubai. This has been one of my favorite research areas for many years and certainly one of my audience's favorites so here are my top 12.

1. Make palm to palm contact. The single most important part of the international business handshake is making palm to palm contact.
2. The palm of the hand shows you’re willing to be honest and that you come to business meeting “unarmed”
3. Start early. Men are not always sure whether to shake hands and how to shake hands or greet women, especially in a mixed culture setting so let your body language show what you want. At fifteen feet flash up your eyebrows to show you see them.
4. Then smile to show you’re friendly. The smile is the single most important nonverbal cue to show friendliness. It is actually able to be recognized from 300 feet away and a true wide smile is one of the few cues that have the same meaning in all cultures.
5. Put out your hand at 6 to four feet away from the person you want to greet so they know you want to shake hands. If you prefer not to approach with your hands at your side and your left side slightly in front of you as you meet.
6. People can form a first impression in less than a fortieth of a second and may be deciding what they think about you before you begin to speak so if you know you are about to greet someone important make sure you posture is “up” make sure your head is up and above your shoulders. If you are seated rise to greet others so that your are on an equal plane. (Unless you are eating. You shouldn't’t go up to shake hands with someone who is eating, nor should you have to shake hands when someone approaches you when you are eating. )
   Make sure your posture is “open” that is, and your arms are not held or folded in front of your heart. That communicates that you may be afraid or lack confidence.
   Animate your voice. Make sure it has the appropriate energy to show you are pleased and happy to meet someone.
   Men prefer to talk face to face standing and side to side or catty corner sitting. Choose to stand or sit to make a man comfortable and he is more likely to have a favorable impression of you.
   Remove your bracelets from your right hand if you choose to shake hands in a business setting as they send a first impression, “I am a woman” rather than, “I am a smart impressive person.”
   A first impression is formed very quickly, but there is also a "recency effect". People remember the LAST thing you say or do. It is especially critical in an initial interaction. Make sure you end the conversation with appropriate eye contact. Think about the other person, make a real connection with them, smile softly and make sure that if you leave with a closing statement such as, “It was a pleasure meeting you.” That your voice is expressive and sincere. Think and feel the statement as your say it rather that say it automatically.
   We often are thinking of ourselves, how we look, in an initial interaction. The big secret is to focus on the other person. Make it your job and your pleasure to make them feel comfortable and you will definitely make a great first impression!
   
   Written by Patti Wood MA, CSP.

Palin and Gibson Interview

I am sitting at the Delta Crown room of the San Diego Airport doing a body language analysis of the Sara Palin interview by Charles Gibson. Oh my goodness. She is SO out of her league. One of the most striking cues is her modified turtle posture, her posture that was so up and proud during her Republican Convention Speeches is now hunched down an her head is protected by her shoulders! She goes forward rather than up - this shows her fear. This is a dramatic shift in our previous images of her. She did had strength in her speeches using her - "We are mad as hell" voice. Here she is talking to the utterly calm and subdued Gibson then her sudden angry, louder than necessary voice as she talks about terrorism makes her sound like she is ready to attack the middle east tomorrow and she will be flying the bomber. You know I rarely editorialize in my body language reads, but this is unbelievable. When questioned about whether she believed the Bush doctrine she paused and tried to use one of her prepared answers but then he kept after her and finally had to define the Bush doctrine on terrorism. She did a side of the mouth tongue thrust at him. Yes she stuck her tongue out. It is obvious that Gibson can't believe she does not know the answers to his questions his voice even begins to portray his irritation. Notice how she shows her nervousness as she begins to answer the tough questions, by kicking her foot. She needs to plant both feet on the ground. Some of you know that I recommend that as it allows the hemispheres of your brain to sync and give you higher levels of cognition. She needs the help.