mirroring - This technique is used by sales people with great results. But it is also very effective in meetings and interviews. The idea is that you watch the body language of the person you are talking to and copy it. It's actually quite a natural thing that friends and families often do. They will be sitting and chatting and their body language soon becomes synchronised unconsciously. You can see it happening at any restaurant on any night of the week. It can work in a business sense too. It needs to be subtle, but you can turn a client around from defensive to positive. Watch what they are doing and begin to copy it. Copy their energy and their spoken language too. Use words that they use. Then, slowly open your body position up. They will usually follow and become more relaxed and more confident with you. The next time you are at a networking event, have a look around. You may notice people standing in pairs in the same pose. They both have their arms crossed or are using the same gestures. This indicates that they have good rapport. If you are talking with someone and realise the communication is not flowing well, try adopting his or her position. You may be surprised how effective this technique is. Mirroring can also gain you approval from superiors. It's a bit of a nasty trick, but if you want that promotion, why not? Body language has been around an awfully long time. In fact, it's what we used before we had the spoken word to boggle us. It is powerful and revealing. And if used properly, can make a world of difference to the success of our communication.

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