When you're an ambitious businesswoman or entrepreneur, you're always looking for ways you can stand out from the competition. You might research “how to project executive presence” or learn about developing that alluring personality trait called charisma.
But from my experience, when you want to look successful and achieved in business, what it really comes down to is confidence. And in particular, how to look like a confident businesswoman so you get noticed.
Confidence and how to appear confident to others is something I teach on a regular basis. Through my experience and research, I've found if you focus on 3 areas, your outfit, body language and voice, you can easily create a confident look that helps you stand out from the competition.
In this article, I want to share with you 8 of my most practical and effective tips for your outfit, body language and voice to help you create your own confident businesswoman look, and get noticed.
1) Incorporate a darker colour, such as charcoal, navy, or black into your outfit. Darker colours project more authority. That's why you'll typically see politicians, bankers, lawyers and other high-powered individuals dressed in a charcoal, navy, or black suit.
2) Lift your level of formality, just a little. Formality also projects authority. That's why you'll often have more trust in a banker if he or she is wearing a suit rather than a t-shirt and flip-flops.
3) Avoid clothing that has too much pattern or too many colours. This type of clothing can detract from your image and be distracting to the other person. You want them to listen to what you have to say, and to concentrate on you, don't you?
4) Make sure your posture is tall and strong. Confident body language always starts with your posture. So when you're sitting or standing, make sure your shoulders are pushed back but relaxed, and your stomach is tight.
5) Keep your gaze level high when you're walking and be sure to maintain eye contact when you're talking. In both cases, you're revealing your neck which projects confidence because it's the most vulnerable part of your body.
6) Increase the volume of your voice by drawing lots of air into your lungs. When you breath in deeper you can push more air out of your lungs which will increase the volume of your voice.
7) Lower the tone of your voice just a little to command authority. There's a reason parents use this technique when reprimanding their children – it works.
8) Enunciate your words so you speak with clarity. When your words are clearly understood, your message is, too.
I believe that confidence is something everybody can achieve. It is my sincere hope that these tips will help you become the confident, successful businesswoman, or entrepreneur, that you aspire to be.