How to emulate the confidence of your business idols

Business confidence isn’t limited to good projections and profits, it’s about the way you present the company, and yourself, to others.

Enter the minefield, that is, public speaking.

Projecting a confident outward appearance should matter to business owners great and small. Humans are visual creatures, we take note of the physical, and how things look.

– It’s the same with it comes to interactions with your members of staff.

Whether they’re watching their CEO make a speech at an event, or interviewing a candidate for a job role, the way people put their communications skills across physically, matters.

– And this is intimately connected to body language.

In the spirit of confidence and business leadership, let’s look to four tried and tested moves used by some of the business world’s greatest leaders that you can adopt to ensure a cool and confident veneer, whatever you may be feeling underneath.

Embrace the audience

Now we don’t mean hug them. Instead, by gesturing outwards towards the recipient of your conversation, whether that is a hiring manager, or a room full of your employees and clients, they are more likely to engage with you and what you’re saying.

Emulating this move means your eyes are likely to do the same, and direct eye contact with your audience will make your address appear all the more confident and engaging. A byproduct of making these assertive moves is that you are less likely to appear shaky if you are physically nervous.

– Famous fan: Steve Jobs, CEO and founder, Apple

Touch your chest

Not only will this move make you appear emotionally engaged with what you’re saying, but it’s also a proven method to calm yourself down, and can be used as a method of self-calming and reassurance should you be feeling anxious.

– Famous fan: Tony Robbins, billion-dollar life-coach and author

Keep your hands where we can see them

Having your hands open to the audience signifies engagement. If they are on show,  you are also more likely to relax them, as white balled fists will not assure your team, clients, or interviewer of your ability to perform under pressure.

Instead, keep them relaxed, which will make you appear confident and at ease. Being aware of your hands, and what they are doing, also means that you can use them as a memory tool to physically signify the points you want to make. This is especially important in situations where nerves can trigger mind blanks.

– Famous fan: Bill Gates, Microsoft

Lean into your audience

Whilst avoiding getting too up-close-and-personal in more intimate interview situations, leaning your head, shoulders, and arms towards your intended audience shows them you are comfortable in the situation, and that you have things you are excited to talk about with them.

– Famous fan: Sheryl Sandberg, CEO, facebook

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