The messages you send with body language can be just as important as the ones that come out of your mouth, the Inc.com article “8 Powerful Ways to Improve Your Body Language” explains. As a business leader, better body language will ensure that you’re not inadvertently sending the wrong message to customers, and will improve communication with subordinates and other co-workers. Start by following these tips:

1. Prep with a power pose. Practice makes perfect. Harvard professor Amy Cuddy says that practicing a “power pose” – standing like Superman with your hands on your hips – actually improves confidence. Give it a try before entering a situation where you’re nervous or intimidated.
2. Dial up your energy level. Others generally won’t perceive your energy level to be as high as you think it is. So, it’s a good idea to consciously amp up your enthusiasm and passion a little extra during interactions where intensity is needed.
3. When the tough gets going, start smiling. When all else fails, smile! Negative facial expressions will actually make your mood even worse – sending signals to the brain and increasing stress. Smiling will also decrease stress in those with whom you’re interacting.
4. Play supermodel to reduce conflict. The best way to respond to someone getting in your face during a confrontation is to shift your stance slightly so you’re standing at an angle, like models that rarely directly face the camera. Backing away shows weakness, but shifting a bit makes the situation less confrontational without seeming weak. Eventually, try to work your way to the side of your confronter, signaling collaboration and working together to solve the problem.
5. Don’t gesture above your shoulders. This one’s pretty simple – it just looks weird!
6. Talk more with your hands. The right gestures have an immense impact on the words you’re saying, and how they’re comprehended. Think about your gestures in non-professional settings, then put them to work on the job.
7. Use props to engage. Bringing items into play – something as simple as offering and handing someone a bottle of water – acts as a way to open up the other person’s body position and overcome resistance. Think about other ways you can utilize props in your business interactions.
8. Think before you speak. It’s hard to maintain eye contact when you have to think about what you’re trying to say. So, if you’re not sure what you’re going to say, take a second and look thoughtfully away, then recover eye contact before you start to speak.

For more information on body language, check out Smart Tan’s Body Language Mini Training.

Click here to read the article from Inc.com.