What you don’t say is just as important as what you do say. Body language can express dominance or submission. It can convey joy or sorrow, and it can be different between a man and a woman.
Mastering your own body language could mean the difference between being a CEO or someone who never gets in the corner office.
We see men make “power moves” all the time. How they shake hands, how they sit, and how they command attention. But women also have their own silent power moves.
“There are a lot of fun non-verbal hacks that we can do as women to help become more powerful,” said Leilani Carver Madalon, an Associate Professor of Communications at Maryville University.
Madalon said it’s not just about what you say, but what your body is saying.
Her first tip creates likeability within seconds of meeting someone. It’s called the eyebrow flash.
“It’s raising your eyebrows for one-sixth of the second. It’s like this, ‘Hi, so great to meet you.’ ‘Hi, it’s wonderful to meet you.’ You do need to practice it in a mirror because otherwise it can look a little weird, and it’s always fun,” Madalon said.
Also, always be the first to initiate handshakes. According to Madalon, “Offering handshakes or offering a greeting is powerful.”
One of her favorite power moves in a meeting is called the temple.
“I’m in a meeting and I want everyone to listen to me about what I’m going to say, then I’ll lean forward and go, ‘So what I think is,’ and it makes everybody’s eyes go to me. And it also is physical in that people see and this is a power move on a table,” shared Madalon.
There are also some power moves to do for yourself. Madalon said standing in the Wonder Woman pose -- with your hands on your hips -- before speaking events helps her communicate with herself that she is powerful.