Body language secrets of successful leaders

Please read this interesting article written by Hayley Kirton, junior staff writer for 'People Management'.

Leadership ought to be about what you say, not the way you say it. But projecting yourself matters, as Richard Nixon found out to his cost: in a televised 1960 debate, he was deemed to have lost out to John F. Kennedy, who came across as more youthful and energetic. Those who only heard the clash on the radio, however, felt Nixon was the stronger candidate. “Ever since then you won’t find a candidate who hasn’t been working with some sort of communications coach, and usually a body language coach too,” says leadership coach Carol Goman. It’s an idea that has spread from politics to business, as image becomes increasingly important in the corporate sphere. How do you project yourself like a leader?

Work the shoulder

“Patting is patronising,” says Judi James, author of The Body Language Bible. “It’s a gesture we use to congratulate somebody lower down the pecking order.” But German chancellor Angela Merkel has turned this to her advantage. She tends to grip and then pat the shoulder of fellow politicians. James thinks this is because she is often the only woman in a group of men: “She has turned it into a positive power gesture rather than a deliberate put-down.”

Clutch the invisible brick

It might sound like a rejected Saturday Night Fever dance move, but in fact this refers to holding your hands out in front of you, with your palms facing inwards and enough room between them to clutch at a brick. “If it looks natural, as it does with Barack Obama, people just get an overall impression when they’re listening that this person can control the economy and knows what they’re doing,” says James.

Modulate your voice

Leaders tend to speak with a deeper voice, giving them an air of authority. Margaret Thatcher was famous for purposely dropping her tone. “She worked hard to get that schoolma’am-ish voice out of her repertoire,” says Goman.

Don’t sound aloof

Nigel Farage may be an ex-stockbroker from the countryside, but he flattens his accent to sound more ordinary. But James warns that Tony Blair’s infamous “geezer voice” and accompanying walk was taking things too far. More recently, old Etonian George Osborne has been ridiculed for talking about “briddish” people when visiting workplaces.

Stride purposefully

He was almost 70 when he was elected US president, but an energetic walk meant Ronald Reagan projected an air of vitality. Goman says it gave him a “youth, energy and vigour” that belied his age.

Grip powerfully

Bill Clinton, says Goman, has the handshake of a champion: “He has a way of shaking hands and making eye contact as he does, which is so powerful. Eye contact during the handshake just makes this double link. Then he drops the hand. He moves on and then he glances back as if to say ‘I couldn’t ever forget you’. It’s just amazing to watch him work a crowd with that handshake.”

Be authentic

James says it’s crucially important to make sure your gestures match your message. David Cameron, she suggests, is one leader who’s managed to navigate this dilemma. “There were moments when he spoke about Scotland [in the run-up to the vote on independence] when his vocal tone sounded quite emotional, as did his words. But he didn’t overdo the gesticulation.”