YOUR ACTIONS ARE SPEAKING SO LOUDLY 29 his hands. But still he conveys the excitement and confidence that customers and shareholders adore. And the sum of his presence is legendary. When You're Out of Alignment Your Body Knows It In his book Language and the Pursuit of Happiness, author and ex- ecutive coach Chalmers Brothers discusses the power of our inter- nal thoughts and how they manifest themselves in our body language. 3 This is why having a positive intention has such an im- pact on how you embody your outward message. Brothers outlines an interesting exercise to show how your mind actually recognizes when your intention and your body language are out of alignment. I like to use it in this way: Sit in your chair with your worst body language on display. Sit slumped over, head down, frown on your face. Now, say something that you feel genuinely positive about in an upbeat When you pay attention, voice, like, "I can't wait for my vaca- you can sense your body tion to Italy." Notice what happens. language striving for Your body almost fights against the alignment. position. It feels wrong somehow and so inauthentic you may break out laughing. It's almost impossible to believe your own message! Your body language negates your words, and vice versa. (You can also do the reverse. Say something negative while sitting with great posture and a smile on your face.) When you pay attention, you can feel your body language striving for alignment. When you are relaxed, it flows. Unfortu- nately, in high-stress situations, you are anything but relaxed. I speak to large groups as part of my job, and still I have moments when I'm at a conference, ready to speak, and suddenly my heart starts racing. I've learned this about myself, so I make it a habit to practice my speeches out loud and with my full body. I want my muscle memory to kick in, so I can go back to my intention and my body language will follow. A first step to better body language: Know what you want it to look like so you can self-observe and self-correct as needed. American Management Association · www.amanet.org