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Body Language for a Seated Meeting

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About this lesson

How to best present yourself at a seated meeting to appear confident and relaxed.

  • 00:05 So you're meeting someone for a business meeting.
  • 00:08 You've introduced yourself, you're sitting down.
  • 00:10 It's either a one on one or small group meeting.
  • 00:13 How do you come across?
  • 00:16 A lot of people go too far and one extreme or the other.
  • 00:19 On the one hand, they're too casual.
  • 00:22 They're slumped over.
  • 00:23 They're leaning back like the kid in school where the teacher has to say don't
  • 00:27 you break that chair.
  • 00:29 In one famous case, a former Chief of Staff of the United States President
  • 00:34 put his feet on the table in front of a United States Senator and offended him.
  • 00:40 And here we are telling you about it 20 years later.
  • 00:42 So you don't wanna be too casual, too relaxed.
  • 00:46 You're not in your home with your three best friends from high school having
  • 00:50 a beer and watching a soccer game or a football game.
  • 00:54 It's not that casual.
  • 00:57 On the other hand, you don't want to be sitting up with perfect posture, on edge,
  • 01:01 as if you're about to be electrocuted.
  • 01:04 That's not going to work either.
  • 01:06 What I recommend is sitting In the chair your feet flat.
  • 01:10 Now personally I'm a lot more comfortable knee over knee, legs crossed sitting way
  • 01:16 back and really just getting comfortable but it's just a little too casual.
  • 01:21 And as you already have a strong relationship with that person,
  • 01:25 and you're already really comfortable with each other so I recommend you sit down,
  • 01:31 if there's a table it's okay for your hands to be on the table but
  • 01:34 don't lean on the table, don't slump on the table.
  • 01:38 It makes you look lazy, sloppy and like you'd like to have a nap.
  • 01:43 That's not the impression you want to send.
  • 01:46 You don't want your body sending that message.
  • 01:50 You want to be comfortable but not too comfortable.
  • 01:53 I recommend when you're sitting in a chair for
  • 01:54 a meeting, don't sit all the way back and lounge on the arm rest.
  • 02:00 Hold yourself up high, lean forward, hands on the table, fine.
  • 02:05 There's no table, they can just be on your lap.
  • 02:07 But when you're talking move your hands.
  • 02:11 You'll come across more comfortable, more confident,
  • 02:14 cuz that's what people do in real life.
  • 02:17 I'll tell you a little secret.
  • 02:18 When I do body language training and
  • 02:21 public speaking training with clients all over the world, early in the day
  • 02:25 I always video record them secretly when they think they don't know.
  • 02:31 I just turn off the light off the camera,
  • 02:33 I drop the mic on the floor, I sit back and how did that feel.
  • 02:38 And every single time people move their hands,
  • 02:41 they saw oh that was awful, I didn't like that at all.
  • 02:45 I thought it was kinda boring.
  • 02:46 They're moving their hands.
  • 02:48 They're moving their body.
  • 02:50 And that's what is key.
  • 02:51 You need to move your hands, you need to move your body.
  • 02:54 Now, what a lot of people do in business meetings They're fidgeting with a pen.
  • 03:00 Now, if you need to write notes based on the what the person you're meeting with,
  • 03:04 that's fine.
  • 03:05 When you're not writing notes, put the pen down.
  • 03:09 If you're talking, put the pen down.
  • 03:13 Don't fidget with your glasses.
  • 03:15 Don't fidget on, with things that are around or on the table.
  • 03:20 Don't fidget at all.
  • 03:22 Instead When you're listening have your hands still.
  • 03:26 When you're talking, gesture in a normal way.
  • 03:30 And that will make you come across much, much better.
  • 03:34 So just remember lean in to listen to people,
  • 03:38 don't be too comfortable, don't be too stiff,
  • 03:42 focus on the person you're meeting with, and act interested.
  • 03:48 And certainly don't put your feet on the table,
  • 03:50 although I doubt you were going to do that.
  • 03:52 Keep your feet flat on the floor.
  • 03:55 Unless the person you're meeting with is really comfortable in sitting back and
  • 03:58 crossing legs, then keep your feet on the floor.
  • 04:02 Now, some neuro-linguistic programmer people will say mirror them completely.
  • 04:09 I'm not saying it's always a bad idea, but I don't want to overwhelm you and
  • 04:13 burden you with in these meetings.
  • 04:15 I want to make life simple, and
  • 04:18 you need to be focusing on what the person in front of you is saying.
  • 04:22 So instead, just come across comfortable,
  • 04:26 confident, move and you should be in good shape.

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Meeting People in Person
02m:52s
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05m:34s
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