Throughout my career, I've always looked for ways to seem more trustworthy, credible, and reliable. Personal brand is a big part of it, but I've learned that body language is almost as important! 

How you hold yourself, your mannerisms, and even how you breathe all count as body language. With a little effort and knowing how to improve body language, you stand a better chance of scoring that job, that date, or simply being seen as the engaging and genuine person that you are! 

Here's how to improve body language:

1) Awareness

Like anything, the first step to body language improvement is awareness. Start to pay attention to everything you do, and when you do it. Just the other day, I noticed I play with my necklace when talking about certain topics! Awareness is half the battle.

2) Mirror the other person

If you are sitting or standing opposite somebody, mirror their body positions, match their tone, and carry the same pace of conversation. Don't do it in an obvious way. Even subtle mirroring can create a feeling of connection, and after a while you'll both be doing it naturally — you won't even know who is following who!

3) Make eye contact

Eyes are windows to the soul, and what you do with them communicates a lot. By maintaining eye contact, the other person feels more involved and understood in the conversation. This one may feel tricky, but it's easy to learn how to maintain eye contact! I personally recommend finding YouTube videos to train yourself to keep eye contact, like this one!

4) Don't slouch

Although sitting completely straight might be an exaggeration, make sure you're not slouching. It makes you seem like you're paying more attention to the conversation and are actually listening. Your back–and social life–will benefit!

5) Lean in

Have you ever had a conversation that you're both really enthusiastic about? You'll probably notice you both are lively, and leaning in towards each other.

6) Relax!

Now that you're aware of everything you do and don't do, take a deep breath and relax! Adjusting your body language might feel unnatural at first, so don't force it too much. With a dose of awareness and applying these techniques gently over time, you'll communicate everything you want to with your words as well as your body! Remember: conversation is supposed to be fun and fulfilling!