Project power with body language

- [Woman] Some of the basics that can make a big difference, is first of all, make an eye connection. Too often people make what I call eye contact, which is short and fleeting. But when you make an eye connection, you're looking at one person at a time for about a sentence or two, or for about three to five seconds, as if you were having a real conversation, so in a large group, or even a small meeting, when you take the time to really look at someone, it connects with them, and it builds the relationship and it builds trust. So that's the first thing. Another thing is how you use your gestures, your hands. Whether you're seated or standing, you want your hands above the waist and you want to keep them in the box, the gesture box. And that is, that your power space is from your face to your waist. So get your hands waist-high as soon as possible. If you're sitting at a meeting table, put your hands on the table, they should be visible. Because hands that are below the waist make you look tentative, or not looking confident. - Or like you have a weapon, (chuckles) and that's threatening to us humans. - [Woman] Yes, but as soon as you bring them up, (both chuckle) you look much more confident. So that's one thing. And then gesture. You want to have gestures, but you don't want to be in perpetual motion. So have a rest position that you can come back to. - [Man] Certainly. And that's interesting, so the waist is quite common, I think, for hands to fall below the waist, they're sort of just there, if you're standing on stage, or if you're standing, it's common for hands to just be at the sides, but you're saying that's not so much a powerful place to be. - [Woman] No, it's not powerful. If you're there, get your hands off as soon as possible. Because when we're speaking naturally in a conversation, our hands move, we don't stand stiffly with our hands by our sides. And we don't talk with our hands folded in front of us, draping down. When we're animated, when we're passionate, our hands are moving. So, in American culture, gestures are a good thing, you want to use them. But, if you're in a small space, your hands are going to be closer to your chest. But you don't want to be flailing or going beyond the gesture box that I described. - [Man] And so, is it acceptable for the hands to occasionally fall down below the waist, in a natural kind of a way, or is your recommendation to be above the waist the whole time? - [Woman] If you can be above the waist the whole time, that's even better. But if they drop, just bring them up, that's all.