Introduction:
“Is my walk so important” a young friend of mine messaged. My answer was Yes Yes Yes…. Don’t you have any doubts about it. If you did the exercise in the last episode you would have developed a mental picture of how the world sees you walk. So join me today, Gp Capt Ranjit Isaac your performance Mentor and Air Force veteran as we dwell deeper on developing Brand You.
You would have seen in movies when the hero is introduced he generally walks on to the screen with a particular gait. It is to tell us the audience I am the hero and ready to take on the world. The Music and slow motion do add to the effect. Cut that out and note his style of walking, it has purposeful long strides, Hand are in a controlled swing, Chest held high, Head steady, a focused gaze and a relaxed facial expression. The hero was projecting an image of a person who is at ease with himself and is oozing confidence. If an actor can generate certain emotions by his acting, we to can do it.
I presume you all too would have critically evaluated the videos you recorded. Some of you would may have been shocked, at seeing your recording and would have said to you self is that the way I walk. The good news you can also develop your own style of walking which need not be like a Mohanlal or Rajinikanth style of walk. But convey the same emotions of poise and confidence. For that. all you need to do is to pay attention and consciously develop some finer traits.
George, our friend who was explaining the importance of body language to Suresh and Vijay said, “I realised the importance of joining the NCC in our college and how they taught us to walk tall. I remember the Army Personnel who were our instructors, how they used to work on us, teaching us how to march. In fact they were teaching us a lesson for life. They were teaching us the right way to carry ourselves, that is to walk with confidence. Yes, said Vijay “you can always recognise an armed force personnel in a crowd. There is something is the way he stands walks and talks”. Yes, said George the Army drill instructors train the cadets to stand and walk that way. You know when we used to march they used to keep reminding us “cadets Stomach in chest out”. They used to remind saying that is how a faugi, walks. They used to make us tighten our belt to such an extent that if we relaxed our stomach muscles strained against the belt.
But then during our body language module in the Brand building training continued George, we were told exactly this. They told us a confident walk is a medium-paced, self-assured stride. Holding your head and chest up and your shoulders back. Ensure your centre of gravity is held in your chest and shoulders, not your hips or knees. Pay attention and engage with the world around you.
Regardless of your walking “type,” carrying yourself with confidence can go a long way in improving the vibe you project to others, and even your own mood. So as I leave you today I give you a task. The task is to make a conscious effort to walk with your stomach in chest out and don’t look down. You will feel a surge of self-confidence. Let me know in the comment section.