• Sample pages
• Page 1
  • Move
  • Close

  Introduction

  Understanding the impact of first impressions and body language is a critical skill that can enhance your life and success. Since up to 93 percent of communication can be nonverbal, mastering the skills, principles and habits you need to influence someone without speaking a word will give you the edge.

  This SkillBites guide gives you a jump-start to create a powerful, lasting impression. You will learn tips for conveying the right message through body language, clothing and manners. You also will learn how to read the body language and subconscious messages of others.

  Start by thinking about the impression you have of yourself. It all begins here. Having a winning impression of yourself energizes you and bolsters your self-confidence so you can be your best.

  Step One: Body Language Communicates

  It is important to understand what your body language is saying before you speak a word. Conversely, it is important for you to be able to read the body language of others to know what they are thinking, but may not be communicating with words.

  Impact of Body Language

  When you first meet someone, It takes about seven seconds for each of you to make decisions about the other’s level of:

  • Trustworthiness
  • Dependability
  • Intelligence
  • Self-confidence
  • Personality
  • Work ethic
• Page 2
  • Move
  • Close

  We all have met someone and instantly responded with, “I really like that person,” or “There is something about him/her that bugs me.” These impressions are solely based on what is not being said!

  Body language communicates volumes about a person. It is a subconscious, nonverbal form of communication comprised of many elements, such as posture, eye contact, clothing, etc. Bodily signals, in fact, are the most reliable, nonverbal signs of honesty or deception. For example, unconscious movements, such as hand-to-face gestures and shrugs, are strong signs of deception as are playing with and touching nearby items during conversations.

  Learning to use and read body language will help you more easily understand what someone really means both verbally and nonverbally. With this in mind, let’s discover how to communicate with and read body language.

  Posture and Walk

  • A strong posture immediately conveys confidence and command of the situation.
  • Walking into a room with a brisk, upright stride, keeping your shoulders back and holding up your head communicates confidence, purpose and enthusiasm.
  • Positioning yourself near someone communicates a warm, positive opinion of that person.
  • Moving too close to someone and violating personal space makes them uncomfortable and nervous.
  • When meeting someone, step up to the person with your right foot angled in front of you to respect personal space for a comfortable meeting.
  • Do not hunch your shoulders since this makes you seem dejected.
• About the Author
  • Move
  • Close

  Sara Canuso, president of A Suitable Solution, is the creator of the life-changing program Influence to Income: 90-Day Influence Mastery Program. In this intensive one-on-one coaching system, she works with executives, lawyers, entrepreneurs and others to dramatically increase their income, business results and career satisfaction through the power of influence.

  A certified seminar leader, masterful coach and inspiring speaker, Sara gives her audiences practical tools to inspire confidence, create powerful first impressions and gain the clarity and power they need to achieve their fullest potential. Her talks produce immediate, lasting results. Clients say that their view of their future is forever altered because of working with her.

  Sara also is a witness image consultant who helps attorneys groom witnesses for trial proceedings. Law firms, executives and top companies, including the Philadelphia Main Line and Burlington County Chambers of Commerce, the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Governor’s Conferences, and Hyatt Hotels hire Sara.

  Using warmth and humor, she addresses thousands of people annually at events such as the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Governor’s Conference for Women, the American Bar Association Women’s Rainmaking Conference and Women in Technology, the Philadelphia Business Journal and the National Association of Women Business Owners.

  An innovator and expert in the importance of image in the courtroom and the business arena, Sara has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, NBC, CBS, and KYW radio. She also has written on the impact of image for corporate America and in the Legal Intelligencer, Philadelphia Business Journal, and Westlaw Journal, the Philadelphia Maven, Legal Intelligencer and the Burlington County Straight Work.

  Connect with Sara Canuso:
  sara@asuitablesolution.com
  www.asuitablesolution.com
  (215) 356-2854

$4.95