8 Body Language Tricks That Are Tough To Master But Will Pay Off Forever

As Ursula the sea witch famously said, “Don’t underestimate the importance of body language.”

Some tricks, like remembering to smile, are easy to implement in your everyday life. However, other techniques, while relatively common sense, are somewhat trickier to tackle. Still, they can make a huge difference.

Here are eight body-language hacks that can be tricky to master but will pay off forever once you do:

1. Mirror the person you’re speaking to.

Mirroring — aligning your body to match the position of whoever you’re speaking to — can be a tough skill to master. But doing it shows admiration and agreement, says Rosemary Haefner, the chief human-resources officer at CareerBuilder.

It can be hard to do this subtly, without looking like you’re mimicking or mocking someone, but it’s a good trick to employ if you’re trying to make a good impression.

2. Walk with purpose and energy.

Not everyone walks with confidence. Some of us shuffle through life with a slumping, awkward gait.

And it can be tough to change the way we walk. But if you take some steps to improve it, you can help to ensure that people don’t make snap judgments about your confidence, attractiveness, and trustworthiness, according to Scientific American.