How can you avoid sending mixed messages with your body language?

2 Be confident

Another key element of body language is confidence, which can affect how others perceive your credibility, authority, and competence. To project confidence, you need to adopt a posture that is upright, open, and relaxed, without slouching, crossing your arms, or fidgeting. You also need to maintain eye contact, speak clearly and assertively, and avoid filler words, such as "um" or "like". Confidence can help you establish rapport, trust, and respect with your audience.

3 Be attentive

A third aspect of body language is attentiveness, which can show how interested, engaged, and respectful you are towards others. To demonstrate attentiveness, you need to focus on the person or people you are communicating with, and avoid distractions, such as checking your phone, looking away, or interrupting. You also need to use positive gestures, such as nodding, smiling, and leaning forward, to indicate that you are listening and understanding. Attentiveness can help you build rapport, empathy, and feedback with your interlocutors.

4 Be adaptable

A fourth aspect of body language is adaptability, which means that you can adjust your nonverbal cues according to the context, situation, and culture of your communication. For example, some gestures or expressions may have different meanings or implications in different settings or countries, and you need to be aware of them to avoid misunderstandings or offense. To be adaptable, you need to observe and mirror the body language of others, and use appropriate levels of proximity, touch, and formality.

5 Be consistent

A fifth aspect of body language is consistency, which means that you can maintain your nonverbal cues throughout your communication, and not change them abruptly or randomly. For example, if you start with a confident posture, but then switch to a nervous one, you may confuse or lose your audience's attention or trust. To be consistent, you need to practice and rehearse your body language before your communication, and monitor and correct it during your communication.

Body language is a vital skill for interpersonal communication, as it can enhance or undermine your verbal message. By following these tips, you can avoid sending mixed messages with your body language, and improve your communication effectiveness and outcomes.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?