Real leaders are recognized not only by their deeds, but also by their appearance and gestures. The 8 most common signals that people respond to are described by Ailey McConnon in the Wall Street Journal.
Leaders are always in sight, and wherever they find themselves, in a personal meeting or in front of a crowd of thousands, they send non-verbal signals to others, from which people draw a conclusion about how sincere these leaders are, how much they should be trusted. Research shows that doing this requires finding the right balance between showing power and authority on the one hand, and warmth and empathy on the other. If you send too many authoritative signals, you may be considered too alienated. But if you show too much warmth, then it's harder to stand out and grab the attention of others.
Here are some of the most important signals of this kind:
Keep your head straight. When speaking to an audience, the leader should keep his head straight and not tilt it from side to side, says Carol Goman, coach and author of The Silent Language of Leaders. You can throw your head back slightly - but just slightly, otherwise you will be considered arrogant.
A growing smile. Smiling should be used in a limited way: when a person smiles too much, he may be considered weak. It’s most effective when you’re smiling faintly at first, but then wider and wider as you walk across the room or across the stage, says Goman.
Eye contact. Restraint is important here, too, says Goman. When you completely avoid making eye contact with people, they may think that you are deceiving them. But if you do it all the time, such views are perceived as intrusive. Goman advises focusing on the triangle that the eyes and forehead form. If you look below the eye, it can be perceived as not too businesslike, inappropriate attitude.
Directions. When you're pointing at something, it's best to point your entire hand in there, not just your index finger, says Joe Navarro, a former FBI agent and author of What Every Body is Saying. Experiments with the jury have shown that when a person uses only his index finger, he looks too aggressive, and people feel uncomfortable about it.
Soothing gestures. When people are anxious, they often touch their necks, pull up their collars, or lift their hair up with a hand, Navarro says. Leaders should avoid such actions, because they are expected to be calm, controlled; if a leader shows anxiety, everyone else becomes anxious. It is also worth paying attention to such gestures from employees - perhaps this indicates that they first need to achieve some comfort before starting to work productively.
Promotional video:
Folded palms. When you sit or stand, palms held together in a "prayer" position help convey to those around you that you are confident, says Navarro, who conducted the experiments.
On the move. Leaders don't have to hide behind a lectern - they need to move around the stage during a speech to convey energy and engage the audience, says Harvard Business School professor Amy Cuddy. It is best to walk around the stage, pause, and then start moving again. Too much movement is also confusing.
The strength of the pause. When people speak slowly and pause, it adds credibility. The faster you speak, the less authoritative you seem to the audience, says Cuddy.