When a person is confident they tend to breathe slower and deeper. They are what are called belly breathers – bigger, deeper, slower breaths. It gives the appearance of calm confidence.

When someone is nervous, they usually breathe shallower and rapidly – fast, short, shallow breaths. This rapid breathing pattern is an automatic signal in the human brain that something is wrong.

Now you may not directly notice how someone is breathing or the rise and fall of their chest, but your peripheral vision automatically picks it up. You may not even know how you know that person is nervous but you get a gut feeling that they are.

On the other hand, when someone is doing the longer, slower, deeper, belly breathing, that will be picked up peripherally by your subconscious mind and you will tend to feel better about that person.

Pay attention to how you are breathing! If you want to have an immediate edge when interacting with others–slower, deeper breaths will send nonverbal signals that you are on top of your game. It quickly signals you are calm and composed–even if you are not.

Your persona shows. When Martin Sheen was portraying President Bartlett on The West Wing television show he was so composed and credible that the audience got swept up in it. That’s why the show won Outstanding Drama Series Award for four of the seven years it was on the air. His credibility, his presence, and the way he presented his persona as president helped other people believe in him – the audience watching and the people who were acting with him.

In reading reviews of people who worked with him they all jokingly said that they could almost believe he was the president, it was that powerful.

Use this simple technique. Your breathing is a powerful nonverbal signal.

Best of Success, Dr. Larry Iverson

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