Body language

Strategies that may sabotage your communication — by What is your standard response to stress and how does it affect your communication and your relationships? When under pressure or exposed to conflict, we tend to cope along three dimensions: by moving move toward people (compliance), against them (aggression), or away from them (withdrawal). These are instinctive behaviours […]

Strategies that sabotage your communication

21 Jul, 2017 in Body language / Executive presence tagged centering / communication by Maria Wilhelmsson

by Life isn’t fair. Great ideas don’t automatically win over bad ones. Outstanding individuals don’t necessarily get promoted over mediocre ones. Your talents and contributions aren’t always visible to the rest of the world. Life isn’t fair. But could it also be that we are not always fair on […]

Life isn’t fair. Do yourself justice.

10 Dec, 2015 in Body language / Executive presence / Influencing skills / Public speaking by Maria Wilhelmsson

Your body - a mere brain-taxi or dormant leadership resource? Embodiment. — by If you have ever been around a great leader – be it a boss, a parent, a famous politician – you will have experienced their embodied presence. The way they enter the room, the way they command respect as they speak, and the way they make you feel seen […]

Your body – simple brain-taxi or dormant leadership asset?

9 Jan, 2015 in Body language / Executive presence / Influencing skills tagged body / embodiment / leadership by Maria Wilhelmsson

Be generous to your audience. The courage to be imperfect and its rewards. Take a risk and express your true self. Audiences are not looking for perfection, they yearn to listen to real people who are authentic and sincere. — by A while ago I was coaching a senior manager – let’s call her Karen – to use more expansive body language in delivering her presentation. Karen felt awkward and uncomfortable, but decided to give it a try. The feedback she received from her peers was overwhelmingly positive: they […]

The courage to be generous and imperfect

2 Sep, 2014 in Body language / Executive presence / Influencing skills / Public speaking by Maria Wilhelmsson

The 3 key principles of persuasion. Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. Communication skills. — by Do you want people to remember and to take action on what you propose? Is your preparation before a presentation limited to perfecting your slides? Read on! It’s now more than 2300 years ago that Aristotle formulated his principles of persuasion – and they still hold today. According […]

The 3 Key Elements of Persuasion

15 Jul, 2014 in Body language / Executive presence / Influencing skills / Public speaking tagged audience / communication / credibility / emotions / impact / leadership / persuasion / principles by Maria Wilhelmsson

The art of being an authentic speaker. Publiic speaking, personal presence. Connecting with the audience. — by Authenticity is one of the most important qualities in leadership communications today. We want leaders who look real. We believe that people are authentic when they show us their hearts or are open with us in a way that feels sincere. We think of others as authentic when they […]

The art of being an authentic speaker

9 Dec, 2013 in Body language / Executive presence / Public speaking tagged authenticity / communication / connection / listening / openness / passion by Maria Wilhelmsson

by Are you familiar with the word embodiment? It’s a “tangible, visible form of an idea, quality, or a feeling” – such as your body and body language! At any given moment, your body and your gestures represent, manifest and express your emotions and your views. Mark Walsh at Integration […]

Embodying leadership: The six directions

23 Sep, 2013 in Body language tagged body language / dimensions / gestures / leadership / movement by Maria Wilhelmsson

by Did you ever watch yourself on video? Did you discover gestures, movements and tics that you had no idea you were doing? Most of our body language is an unconscious and automated response to emotional reactions, such as fear, fatigue, excitement, and stress. Whenever your mind perceives a […]

Do you speak body language?

2 Mar, 2013 in Body language / Executive presence / Public speaking tagged body language / gestures / posture / public speaking by Maria Wilhelmsson

by Shirley Bassey, the voice behind the classic James Bond “Goldfinger” song, recently gave an acclaimed performance at the Oscars – still going strong at the age of 76! A living proof that you don’t have to sound like a granny just because of your age. In fact, it’s usually […]

A pitiful, old lady with a trembling voice? Anything but!

3 Dec, 2012 in Body language / Music / Voice tagged breathing / posture / voice by Maria Wilhelmsson