Have you ever seen anyone walk with their eyes cast downward, their shoulders slumped - as though they’re carrying all the burdens of the world? If you walked like that, how do you think people would look at you?

The way you walk sends a message to the people walking around you. If you walk like a sad, defeated person, that’s precisely how people are going to perceive you. If you walk like a winner, then people are going to perceive you as someone who knows where they’re going - a confident, dynamic person. (And if you walk like John Cleese in that picture, you’re more than likely going to be seen as a silly person. Except if you’re John Cleese, of course!)

Here are some tips for walking like a winner:

• Imagine there’s a wire connecting your chest to the sky, pulling you up like a puppet: In other words, walk erect with your back straight, and your chest out.
• Lead slightly with your hips, not with your shoulders: If you lean too much forward (your shoulders leading more forward than your hips), you’re going to look like you’re slouching. Instead, imagine your hips moving you forward. Don’t do it so much that you look like you’re hip-thrusting your way to your destination, though!
• Be slightly relaxed as you walk.: Note how tense or relaxed you are when you walk. If you’re too tense, people will detect it. Don’t flop around like a jellyfish either.
• Walk purposefully, instead of hurriedly: Note that I didn’t say “walk quickly” - you can walk purposefully even if you’re walking at a normal pace. Walk like you have a sense of purpose and that you’re going somewhere, instead of wandering around aimlessly - but don’t fix your gaze ahead like a search beam. Look around, catch the eyes of people around you, smile or nod slightly. Of course, if you walk quickly, you can still look confident, but walking too fast with a frown on your face just makes you look stressed.

• Swing your arms naturally:This one’s hard to explain in words, but basically, you want your arms to swing as though you’re not really thinking about them. Don’t lock your elbows and keep your arms by your side like a nutcracker. Don’t also swing wildly like you want to knock someone out. Chances are, you’re already doing this correctly, so just be mindful of extremes.
• Don’t look at the floor!: Looking down while walking may create the impression of dejectedness and also cause you to walk into walls. Look up, and around - there’s a wonderful world around you!

• Emulate somebody else’s confident walk: Find someone who you think walks confidently and learn from him or her.

Try walking confidently until it feels natural to you. Have fun!

It’s generally accepted that good eye contact is a great way of making a first impression work very well for you. This has even been shown scientifically - researchers at Aberdeen University conducted a study showing that people were generally rated as more attractive if they were looking straight at an observer and smiling (New Scientist article).

Your goal is to make the person you’re talking with feel that he or she is comfortable and engaged with you. Look him or her straight in the eye, glancing away once in a while. Smile and nod to show that you’re paying attention.

With that in mind, here are some tips that should make it easier for you to have good eye contact with someone you’re conversing with:

• If you’re shy about looking someone in the eye, look in between their eyes. If you look at somewhere around the bridge of their nose, you should still give the impression that you’re looking right at them.

   

• Don’t STARE. If you’re just giving them a fixed gaze without ever breaking it, it’s creepy. Break your gaze every once in a while by glancing quickly up, or to the side, or by looking at the face somewhere aside from the eyes.

   

• Relax, and focus on what the person is saying.Good eye contact is a way of showing a person that you’re paying attention, but do make sure that you’re actually paying attention. By doing not focusing so much on how good your eye contact is, you’ll relax - and ironically, your eye contact will become more natural!

   

Maintain good eye-contact, smile, and you’ll find that people will warm up to you much more easily.