Slumped shoulders speak a lot on your behalf and will unconsciously influence how others perceive you. In fact, some studies show that as much as 93-percent of communication is nonverbal, according to The New York Times.

Signs of Poor Body Language
Forbes reports some of the most common signs of poor boy language include:
Frowning or furrowed brows
Lack of eye contact
Slumped sholders
Appearing sluggish
Standing too close or too far away from others
Folded arms
Too weak or too firm of a handshake
Although these can be signs, they are often misinterpreted. It helps to have some additional training in body language to be able to determine the underlying emotions or feelings being expressed.
1. Your Body Language Could Make or Break Sales
How you present yourself resonates with your employees and coworkers. If you are unwilling to put in the effort to appear motivated and engaged, they will follow suit.
Clients and leads are also perceptive of your posture and facial expressions. Appearing sluggish, sad, or unenthused will quickly undermine these clients and leads confidence in the company. In turn, it will quickly deter them from making any purchases.
Alternatively, a smile, strong eye contact, a solid handshake, and energetic demeanor can quickly make a sale and solidify a client for life.
2. Your Body Language Affects Your Employees and Coworkers
Depending on your posture, you could present yourself as a confident, motivated, and friendly individual, reinforcing the strength of the company and it's values. On the other hand, slumped shoulders, furrowed brows, a frown, or fidgeting could make you appear unconfident, unmotivated, frustrated, or anxious.
How are employees expected to be productive and place their trust in the company when the higher-level employees appear uncaring or upset?
3. Your Body Language Affects Your Mood
Body language also has a hand in regulating your mood. By simply smiling, you can improve your mood and boost your creativity, according to research published in Cognition. Smiling is also contagious.
Additionally, research published in Social Behavior and Personality found that smiling impacted participants willingness to help, as well as their overall helpfulness. Participants who were smiled at also reported feeling more positive after the interaction.
Service with a smile can leave your employees feeling happier and more willing to cooperate with one another. It can also improve the mood of potential leads, increasing the likelihood that they will become patrons and clients.
4. Your Body Language Affects Your Perception
According to a study by body language expert, Dr. Amy Cuddy, changing your body language can change the way in which others perceive you, and even the way in which you perceive yourself. In addition, your body postures and facial expressions send signals to your brain to release hormones into your blood stream which affect how you feel and, therefore, how you act. Improve your life by improving your body language.
5. Your Body Language Affects Your Memory
Some people may be skeptical, but believe it or not, your body language can also affect your memory.
During a study published in Biofeedback, participants found it easier to recall positive memories while expressing positive body language (such as sitting up straight). Participants expressing negative body language (such as slumping over) found it easier to recall more negative memories.
Sitting up straight and relaxing your shoulders can help you remember the last big meeting or important sales call. If you are slumping or frowning, you are more likely to wind up stuck in your own head, dwelling on irrelevant mistakes or regrets that happened in the past.
Signs of Strong Body Language
Smiling
Making direct eye contact
Relaxing your shoulders
Appearing enthused, motivated, and energetic
Respecting others personal space
Relaxing your arms
A solid handshake
Your body languages says a lot about you, and in turn, the quality and reputation of the company. Poor body language can take a major toll on you as well as your coworkers and employees productivity and performance. It can also impede sales, affect your, perception, and memory.
If you are interested in learning more information about Alexanne Stone and the nuances of body language, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Alexanne Stone has been a certified trainer in Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) since 1991. With 30 years of clients, certification trainings, and personal and professional growth, Alexanne's greatest joy is watching someone else step into your own greatness. Along with NLP came the in-depth study of body language. Through workshops, public speaking, podcasts, blogs and any other way she can think of, Alexanne's focus is to share this information with anyone who is open to know more about themselves and their ability to transform both personally and professionally.
A decorated U.S. Air Force Vietnam-era veteran, Alexanne lives in Reno, Nevada, with her husband Tim Tarvin.
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