Vanessa Van Edwards breaks down the "launch stance": five body points that signal confidence in first meetings. Point your toes toward the person, keep hands visible and slightly expressive, leave space between arms and torso, pull shoulders down and back, and keep your chin neutral. These small adjustments create a stronger first impression.
Your stance is actually more important than your posture. We talk a lot about posture growing up, but nonverbal power is about more than just that. I call it your launch stance. Your launch stance has these focal points: First, your toes, which should always be pointed towards the person you're meeting. Your hands, which should always be visible and ideally a bit expressive as you speak. Your arms should always be loose so there's space between your torso and arms so you can gesture and easily reach out to shake someone's hand. Your shoulders, which should be down and back so they look nice and relaxed. Your chin, which should be neutral so you're not looking up at someone or sneering down at someone. Your toes, hands, arms, shoulders, and chin probably were not the body parts you were thinking of during a first impression, but they should be.
