The Art of Body Language

The best ways for introverts to look and feel confident in social settings

If you’re more introverted, engaging in social situations can often feel like a daunting task. You may be worried that you’ll come off as awkward or uninterested in the conversation. Lucky for you, the key to making a great impression doesn’t actually include talking–it’s all about body language. These are some of the best tips and tricks for appearing confident and engaged with nonverbal cues:

Look directly at the speaker at the beginning and the end of the conversation, and from time to time in-between
- In a group of people, you can also comfortably look around at the other people for their reactions, helping to look engaged without feeling pressure to look at the speaker the whole time
Don’t look down, look out!
- Looking down can convey that you are bored or uninterested. Look slightly to the speaker’s left or right, their shirt, their hair, their facial features, etc.
- You’re still facing them and appear engaged without needing to look them directly in the eyes
Use hand gestures
- This opens up your body and expresses interest
- Movement conveys you aren’t bored, and that you are listening
- Not idle movement, don’t play with hair or phone
Widen your stance
- You appear more awkward if you try to look small and closed in
- Keep your legs hip-distance, about as wide as your shoulders
- Take up space! This communicates that you have confidence and feel comfortable being in the conversation/group