Vanessa Van Edwards explains that the worst thing you can do in a conversation is angle your body away, which signals partial disengagement. She demonstrates aligning toes, hips, head and shoulders toward the other person to increase perceived engagement and recommends angling toward speakers in one-on-one, group, boardroom (use a swivel chair) and stage Q&A settings.
Worst thing you can do in conversation is have your body angled away. This signals the other person that part of you isn't all in. We're not fully engaged, research has found is that when we're completely aligned with someone else. So right now, I'm working really hard. My toes are pointed towards you, my hips are pointed towards you. My head and shoulders are pointed towards you. And that should make us feel more engaged. When we're fully engaged this way, our brain feels like we are physically on the same page. So whether you're seated or standing, try to angle your body towards the person speaking. This is especially important in a group. So if I'm in a group conversation, I'll talk to you like this. And. And then when you answer, I'll talk to you like this. So when I'm in a boardroom, I try to always pick a swivel chair so I can easily swivel towards the person speaking. Even when I'm on stage answering Q and A, I'll angle my body towards the person who's speaking.
