Schedule It In Your Calendar And Stick To It

Trying to blend in and go unnoticed in your professional life projects a lack of confidence. I would also increase the font size of the periods. It works surprisingly well. If your life seems impossibly hectic and you’re worried about a time commitment, I have good news. Because you’re already interacting with people on a daily basis, even if you work from home, there are plenty of opportunities to practice what you’re reading without setting aside a lot of extra time. You could spend 5 minutes reading about emails or phone calls and pick two powerful tips that resonate with you. You could then practice those tips on every phone call or email you make throughout the day. If you approach your progress this way, you will repeatedly triumph over yesterday’s you. Consider what you could still do on this day to ensure that today’s you is better than yesterday’s you. Do it immediately, or schedule it in your calendar and stick to it. If you catch yourself comparing at the end of the day and you’re thinking, Ty, there’s no more time to do anything, take a moment to look over what you’ve achieved that day. Try your best to find something you did to help you become even slightly better than yesterday.

The First Thing You Give

If nothing comes to mind, then it’s the perfect time to commit to taking small steps tomorrow to make you a better communicator. Don’t forget, even a few minutes of reading and practicing counts! If you start your journey by shifting your mindset to being an empowered learner and comparing yourself only to yesterday’s you, you’ll find your journey easier and much more enjoyable. It will help with your mental toughness, and you’ll be more likely to stay consistent on your path. This will allow you to learn the communication skills needed for your success at an even faster rate, and you’ll be able to do so with significantly less resistance. At the beginning of my professional life, I would constantly analyze my failed interactions. Could I have said something differently? Did I use the wrong words? Was there a better way to phrase what I said? It was all about words. Over time, I discovered that there’s a lot more to communication than the spoken word. Much of how humans communicate has little to do with words and lots to do with our bodies. That’s not to say words aren’t important. One of my side hustles used to be teaching piano to young children, and I had a student by the name of Noah. Noah was one of my favorite students. Sorry, a what? I asked, leaning in with great curiosity.

Memories Are Made Of This

How much of an impact? That is why we’re starting with body language. Improving your body language will have a tremendous impact on your career, and it can completely transform the way that everyone sees you and responds to you. In fact, there’s a direct correlation between your body language and the amount of respect you get from others. Fortunately for us, these skills tend to be the easiest to practice and implement. For example, speaking up in a meeting might be scary because people are guaranteed to notice you, but it’s unlikely anyone will consciously recognize your change of body position and hand gestures. They make snap judgments about your character and what type of person you are. Or do you seem timid, nervous, and unsure of yourself? If your body language and energy project confidence, people will be more inclined to give you the attention and respect that you deserve. If your body language gives off a vibe of awkwardness and insecurity, people may be quick to dismiss or discredit you. You could have the perfect script written for a presentation, but if it’s delivered to an audience while slouching, looking down, and crossing your arms, your chance of success is extremely low. There’s also a close connection between your body language and how you feel. There’s a big difference! Some of us are not naturally confident people. And if you don’t naturally feel confident when you’re at work, your body language will likely match.

Don't Stop Believing

While our emotions and thoughts influence our posture, it also works in reverse. You can alter your body language to improve your mood and state of mind. Stay here for 5 seconds. Now, sit upright with your back straight, shoulders down and back, arms at your sides, legs comfortably open. Lift your chin and tilt your head up slightly, looking straight ahead. Stay here for 5 seconds. How do you feel now? Communication is much easier when you feel good and you’re in the right state of mind. When you’re feeling down, you might prefer to square off against a pack of rabid wolves than talk to another human. And if you’re an introvert, interacting with other people can be challenging at the best of times, let alone when you aren’t feeling it. But how do you change your mood? Motion creates emotion, he says. For example, it’s difficult to stay upset if you stand up, put your arms up in the air, and start laughing. Even if you’re not feeling it at first, these motions will eventually cause the positive feeling to become real again. How often do you hunch forward and stare at your phone? Have you ever pretended to look down at your phone in a social setting because it felt awkward to look up? I used to do this a lot more. This closed posture was one way I tried to hide from the world. It was my version of the camouflage abilities a chameleon possesses. Blending into the background works well for chameleons in nature, but it doesn’t work in the business world. Well, not if you want to get ahead. And especially not if you want massive amounts of success. When you’re standing, make sure your back is straight, push your shoulders down and back, open up your chest, and keep your head up.