Dress the Part, Perk up Your Posture

The basic act of dressing for success can instantly improve your confidence. This involves wearing clothes that fit and dressing appropriately for the season. Choose clothes that make you feel smart and or important, which is shown to impact cognitive functioning.

What about posture? Harvard encourages mimicking body language during negotiations. Mimicking the other person’s body language can show that you are trying to connect with common ground.

Overall, people view others who have similar body language and posture to be more persuasive.

Dress the Part, Perk up Your Posture

The basic act of dressing for success can instantly improve your confidence. This involves wearing clothes that fit and dressing appropriately for the season. Choose clothes that make you feel smart and or important, which is shown to impact cognitive functioning.

What about posture? Harvard encourages mimicking body language during negotiations. Mimicking the other person’s body language can show that you are trying to connect with common ground.

Overall, people view others who have similar body language and posture to be more persuasive.

Do Approach with a Powerful Opening Statement

Whether you decide to mimic body language or not, now is not the time to be meek. Walking in the room with a powerful opening statement can make a world of difference in your negotiation efforts.

The goal of your opening statement should help you achieve the best possible outcome. One approach is to get your offer on the table during the first minute or so of the conversation.

Most importantly, make sure that your opening statement and offer are reasonable. If not, it will be difficult for the other party to take you seriously.

Demonstrate that You Have the Least to Lose

According to Forbes, showing that you have the least to lose provides more negotiating power. If you act as if you are prepared to walk away, it can give you an extra bargaining advantage.

How do you achieve this? The ability to seemingly walk away without care can give the impression of power during negotiations.

Don’t Get Caught up in Emotions 

Make sure you don’t fall into the trap of reacting to negative emotions from the other party. This includes aggressive or dismissive behavior. You’ll need to stay calm and look calm for the entire conversation.

You can remain calm by making frequent eye contact. Remember to keep control of your own facial features, which may require some practice.

Build Your Confidence During Negotiations

Building confidence when you negotiate is a skill. It can take time and practice to become a strong negotiator. I help women leaders speak with more confidence while helping them to negotiate for better pay.

Whether you need confidence-building tools or ways to reduce anxiety and self-doubt, I’m available for a confidential 15-minute conversation with you. Please schedule at your earliest convenience to learn how you can walk away with better pay in 2021.