Working with Meyerholm the one thing you’re working the most with is how people perceive you.
The thing is that ”First impressions.” happens within the first 0,3 seconds you meet some-one new, and from there on off, it’s going to be quite a difficult task to change this first impression ever again. At least it is going to take a bit of work.
You of cause create this sub-conscious first impression from a great deal of things, the age and gender of the person, the clothes he or she wears, is she or he very clean and neat or dirty and messy.
Might as well tell now, appear with greased hair on camera is a sure way to repel your audience straight out of the bag. There can may be some-thing appealing about a messy personality, but never ever a greased dirty one.
But even putting all of that aside the status you project with your body language can easily become every-thing.
You always project the image if you are in control or not, you can easily manipulate people to think you are in control or not in control by being aware of your stand.
I do this all the time in my every-day life, even when I don’t know what I am talking about I talk as if I am in control, thus people assume that I am super smart.
What follows here is picture examples of different status’s and descriptions of what status it is and why it is.
This is low status, the person you see on this picture is very insecure and not at all in control.
You don’t really believe that this person knows what she is talking about, if she did surely she would have more confidence.
What is most common with low status positioned is that the person is trying to shield him or herself, which is ironic because by doing so, you are signalling to the world. “I am an easy target.”
The girl is crossing her arms, only allowing an extremely closed off body language, the legs are tight together, which not only closes of the body language, but also gives you very little earth connection, if any-one came and lightly pushed this person, she would fall down on the ground.
The back is slightly hunched over, this is because this person wants to take up as little space as possible, she wants to be invisible and that is what she signals, her head is also bowed over and her eyes looking down, signalling she doesn’t dare to give you eye-contact, she has put herself in a lower status than you.
For all in the world, you do not want to appear like this in front of camera (unless it’s your additional character.)
You may think it’ll make you look humble and thus likeable, but in reality you’ll appear as some-one with very low self confidence with no control begging for just a little attention
Fluttershy may be a cute character, but she is just a part of a larger group, you are the face of a web-show and thus a “show-host.” Avoid ever looking like this, avoid it like the pest.
This is how you may end up like looking if you are really trying to avoid the low status shown above.
But this isn’t the right way to go, this person is extremely tense, nervous and ultimately have no control at all, it seriously looks like she is compensating for some-thing.
And your audience will catch this, whether they do it consciously or sub-consciously. This will ensure that people sees you as an empty show-off and pass over without comment.
Lets see what is wrong with this picture, there is no earth connection here. This person stands tight and straight using every muscle just to stand up, ones again if you push this person ever so slightly, she will just fall down on the ground.
As this is a picture it of cause can’t be seen here, but this person will probably also move around an awful lot, way to much! Chances are this person will be all over the place yet incredible stiff in all of her movements.
These are also often the kind of persons whom don't know what to do with their hands, so they end up fiddling with them, constantly, and this is annoying, some people resolve this problem by simply holding some-thing, like.. a cup, or a cigar.. yeas MikeJTv and Mendo, I caught you red handed.
But it's okay, tons of Stand up comedians need their mic just to have some-thing in their hands to do some-thing with, they are simply lost without it.
Speaking of stand up, To see such a person as this tense all over the place woman in action, all you need to is watch a newbie in stand-up, a person with the attitude. “I am going to do this!” but deep down don’t have the self confidence or basic knowledge of how to appear.
It’s miss placed and broken energy, movements are good, but carefully considered economic movements can be way more powerful than jumping around, especially when you are tense.
If you capture yourself ever doing this, take a breather, sit down and drink some warm milch, then trying again, and look at the picture below, there is your golden ticket.
There we go, in control, high status, pleasant, relaxed.
What am I doing in this picture? I am at home and relaxed in my position, I got heart connection, the legs are firmly planted on the ground, if you pushed me now, I would very easily find new footing and not fall.
My big is relaxed and straight, not hunched and not tense. My arms are on the side of the body which signals how open I am, it’s pleasant and welcoming, now shielding here.
My neck is straight and I look up in confidence.
You automatically believe this is a person worth listening to, she has surplus and confidence, she must know what she is doing (yeah right -_-;)
This is not only how you want to appear in your videos, it’s how you want to appear in public, it’s how you give yourself the best possible chance of being assumed of some-one absolutely worth respecting and listening to.
And you very simply practise at home, become aware of your stand now and then, and then change it on purpose. Practise in front of the mirror and look at yourself, take a step outside and analyze your natural responses when you talk to different people in your every-day life. Do you become “Insecure person.” From pic number one. “Tense person.” Or are you just in control completely?
You can most often feel this inside out. But wait! We still miss an important picture!
What we have grabbed is how you project the lowest status, and how you project that you are “In control.” But.. in control isn’t the highest status, it’s actually merely meeting every-body as their equal, leaving that as an just a little above average status.
Oh shit, the boss is here! I’m sorry sir, what I did I am sorry!
The Boss is the person in control! She has taken demand of the situation and you better listen to her, she decides and just is the boss.
What happened here? Ones again, a firm earth connection is a definite must, you can’t push the boss around.
The Boss stands straight and he or she will look down at your, the boss look you in the eye does he feel like it.
The boss doesn’t need to shield any-thing as he is well, the boss, the body languet is thus open, she takes up as much space as possible and moves very little around.
She is in complete and utter control, she is the one who takes the word and sets the days order.
And still, as along as you are aware if this status parts in real life as well as theatre, you can manipulate them and control them, but I’ll go more into than in the next article.
Next time; Status in relation to each other.
No comments:
Post a Comment