Your posture projects volumes for your personal brand (& mind)
Personal branding goes beyond polished profiles, expertise and storytelling. Your visual identity matters. And it’s more than colours and clothes. it’s how you carry yourself.
We so often speak about the power of body language in business and personal branding. Because, according to the Communication Pie, 55% of communication is non-verbal.
We emphasise, for example, the importance of maintaining eye contact. But here are my simplified thoughts on this. Relentless eye contact is intimidating for some. Looking away from time to time gives your observer a break from your burning gaze. Plus, it makes you project that your comments are considered. If you’re trained in neuro-linguistic programming, you’ll also know that your eye movements are the secret to how your mind creates your language patterns.
Then, there’s nodding. We’ve all heard this advice to show you’re paying attention. I think - just actually pay attention.
So, instead of the usual body language go-tos, I'd like to discuss posture. The underrated advantage for your personal brand potential. One that benefits you physically and mentally. All while you’re also using your body to communicate confidence, composure or charisma for you - all valuable outcomes for any professional.
Here are my top tips for adding posture to your personal brand priorities:
1. Pose on purpose
Like all things in personal branding, you can either allow others to make assumptions about you or you can be intentional.
Simply commit to becoming aware and intentional about your posture. With enough conscious minutes of purposeful posture daily, over time it will become more second nature.
‘Embodied cognition’ is the idea that the mind and the body influence each other. Just like smiling is said to make you feel happier.
Amy Cuddy’s viral TED Talk, one of the most viewed TED Talks ever, had the world talking about body language. Especially the power of ‘power posing’ and its ability to set your mind in motion. Within minutes, powerful poses can create confidence. Once your mind is triggered, it doesn’t matter what the trigger was. Meaning, through your body, you can actually fake it till you make it.
For your personal brand, consider the impact your purposeful poses have on others too. Through being intentional about all aspects of your body, you can project poise or champion confidence. You can promote trust, appear powerful, or be relatable. Whatever your personal brand goals, let your body talk for you. So, what do you want it to say?
2. Pin Your Personal Brand Posture Goals
For years, I used Pinterest mostly reactively for research on creative projects. I now use Pinterest proactively in all aspects of my life, carving out a few minutes daily for mood boarding and vision boarding. In its simplest form, the former is about capturing an emotion or an aesthetic, while the latter is more specific about your goals.
Now, whenever I’m geared up for a new goal, I pin away. By revisiting visual cues around your goals every day, your subconscious brain starts to forget what’s real or imagined. So, it starts creating neural pathways related to achieving that goal.
Take the pressure of perfecting your goal today with Pinterest. Start pinning pictures of postures that appeal to you. Photographs of people whose body language resonates with you. Over time, your mirror neurons will start wanting to emulate what you’re seeing. But, that doesn’t mean you don’t have to do the work either. This leads me to my next tip.
3. Practise
There are two key types of posture:
Dynamic - how you carry yourself when you’re moving around, e.g. walking or bending
Static - how you hold yourself when you’re stationary, e.g. sitting, standing and sleeping.
To remember to stay mindful of both, try:
Practise while no one’s watching
Walking with a book on your head is an etiquette school tradition. It’s designed to teach you to keep your shoulders aligned, neck elongated and eyes forward. The idea is that once the weight is removed, you’ll feel more accustomed to what a good gliding posture feels like. Without the book, try practising this posture during your next walk.
Stop slouching over your phone
Your body is conditioned to believe that you slouch when you’re scared and powerless. Research has shown slouchers have lower self-esteem, mood and productivity, and greater fear. Try sitting up straight to spark a more motivating mood.
Meeting mindfully
In your meetings or events, challenge yourself to be conscious of your body. This is your chance to practise your posture in public.
Work consciously
Work at your desk with your posture in mind. Take walking breaks to give yourself and your body a chance to relax and reset.
Observe others
As you go about your day, pay attention to the dynamic and static posture of others. You’ll start to notice things like how looking down while walking conveys low self-esteem. Notice other interpretations you’re making.
Practise yoga
Yoga is said to help improve your posture, especially exercises that promote core strength. They are more likely to keep you straight and tall even when you move off the mat.
Keep your heels at home
High heels put your body in unnatural alignment. It pushes your body forward and puts your shoulders and hips out of alignment. The higher the heel, the higher the impact on your posture. Wherever possible, skip the heels. Walk to work in sneakers, during your lunch break and embrace casual Fridays for your feet. Or, depending on your workplace etiquette, develop a sophisticated sneaker style for your personal brand.
Posture goals
I’m no Doctor, but I’ll share what my personal research has made a priority for my posture:
Sit and stand straight
Align shoulders and hips
Align legs and hips
Look forward
Nose parallel to the floor
Stomach in
Speak to your own health professionals about what’s best for you.
So, the next time you’re thinking about your personal brand, don’t forget how you represent yourself goes much further than you likely think. Have a mindful posture that not only benefits you, but also how others see you.
