Occupying Space (Territoriality)

The Leader and Physical Space

One of the clearest ways to project confidence and charisma is to occupy your space.

There is a direct correlation between the amount of space a person occupies and his or her perceived level of confidence.

Shy or insecure people try to make themselves as small as possible. Unconsciously, they try to take up as little space as possible so as not to be noticed.

They shrug their shoulders, cross their legs and keep their arms close to their bodies.

On the contrary, leaders and self-confident people are not afraid to occupy territory. They adopt expansive postures.

The idea is to feel comfortable occupying the space that is rightfully theirs.

Expansive Postures and Dominance

Adopting an expansive posture sends a clear signal to your own brain that you feel confident and in control.

What does this look like in practice? It means keeping your elbows and arms slightly away from your body in a natural way.

When speaking, use your hands to communicate your message, extending your arms to illustrate a point. A common confident posture is to put your hands on your hips.

This position allows you to take up more space laterally and also shows that you are ready for action and determined.

When adopting this stance, the legs should be slightly apart, ideally with the feet at shoulder level, to create a solid and stable base.

Hands behind the head (Confidence and arrogance).

An extreme power posture, often seen in positions of responsibility, is to lean back and interlock the hands behind the head.

This posture fully exposes the torso and vital organs, subconsciously indicating that the person feels no danger and is in complete control, showing superiority.

However, this posture is a double-edged sword.

While it projects confidence, it can also be perceived as arrogant, condescending or unprofessional, especially if used in front of people of similar or higher rank.

It is a territorial posture that denotes comfort, but its use should be carefully considered depending on the context.

Hands behind the back (Authority and confidence).

A more formal and widely accepted posture of authority is to stand or walk with hands clasped behind the back.

Like the previous posture, it voluntarily exposes the front of the body (heart, vital organs) as a sign of confidence and absence of fear.

It is a gesture of superiority and control that communicates, "I am so confident that I do not need to protect myself."

This posture is commonly used by authority figures such as teachers, police officers, military leaders and managers when supervising.

However, it can also indicate a lack of interest in social contact, as the hands are not available for greeting or gesturing.

Summary

One of the clearest ways to project confidence and charisma is by taking up your space. There is a direct correlation between the space occupied and the perceived level of confidence.

Expansive postures send a signal of control, such as putting your hands on your hips. Leaning back with hands behind the head exposes the torso.

However, this latter extreme power posture can be perceived as arrogant or condescending. A more formal posture of authority is to stand with hands clasped behind.