Improving your posture and stance

Posture and stance exercises

Some people have a way about them that just makes them stand out. But why? Quite often it’s to do with their posture. That’s because the way you hold yourself has a major impact on your body language and the perception people have of you. You don’t need to say anything to give a negative impression; poor posture can give it away on its own.

This simple exercise can make a massive difference to the way you hold yourself. You’ll need a mirror for the exercise, preferably a full-size one so that you can see your whole body.

So - You need to stand in front of the mirror – but, before you do that, focus on making a conscious effort to stand naturally, just as you normally would.

Now look at yourself – have a really good look and ask yourself a simple question: ‘Do I look confident?’

If you don’t think so or you’re not sure, try experimenting a little – These tips should really help –

1. Try holding your head up.
2. Consciously push by getting your chin up to do this
3. Then breathe in and push your chest out a little
4. Keep your back straight
5. Then push your shoulders back.  Your aim is to look relaxed and yet aware and proud.
6. The simple act of positioning one foot slightly in front of the other can make a difference, try it to see what I mean. This can help you to look more confident when standing in front of or within a group. The alternative is to ‘plant’ yourself with both feet on the same line. Try this too and you’ll see that it doesn’t look quite so natural and probably doesn’t feel so natural either.
7. Always make sure you have a small gap between your feet when you’re standing; you’ll look rather stiff and tense if you keep them tight together.
8. Try to distribute 40 per cent of your weight through your heels and 60 per cent throughout the ball of your foot and your toes. This brings your body position slightly forward and helps you to look more alert and interested.
9. If you’re presenting to a group, as long as you don’t march up and down, there’s nothing wrong with moving a little as you talk. It’ll help you to look more relaxed. It should also help you to engage everyone in the group; Try moving your body to face people when you look at them, perhaps when asking or answering a question. Even if it’s just your upper body this can help to create a stronger link with them and send a confident message.

These simple changes in your posture and stance will help you to look and feel more sure of yourself.
They’ll also help you to look more prominent. The reason for this is simple – having an open posture automatically takes up more space. It sends a physical message that you’re not afraid. It also stops you looking defensive or shy.

Mike McClement