Jens Heitland

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409 - The Secret to Showing Confidence is Walking Slow

Confidence isn’t just about words—it’s about presence. In this episode, discover why walking slower in public spaces signals authority and how CEOs can use body language to exude confidence in challenging situations. Learn how subtle shifts in movement can transform leadership impact.

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The Secret to Showing Confidence is Walking Slow

Confidence is often mistaken for speaking boldly or making grand gestures, but true confidence is quieter. It’s in the way you move, the way you carry yourself, and even the speed at which you walk. In this episode of The Daily Hint, we explore a surprising yet powerful technique to exude confidence—walking slow.

It may sound counterintuitive, especially for high-powered CEOs who are used to moving quickly and decisively. But studies in psychology reveal that slowing down your movement in public spaces can shift how others perceive your authority. Walking deliberately signals control, presence, and self-assurance. It’s a subtle but powerful way to command attention without speaking a word.

This is particularly crucial in leadership roles. CEOs and executives often find themselves in high-pressure situations where they must project confidence, even when facing uncertainty. Body language plays a critical role here. A leader who rushes, slouches, or fidgets unintentionally signals doubt. On the other hand, a leader who moves with composure, stands upright, and walks with purpose reassures their team that they are in control.

The key takeaway? Your body language—especially how you walk—sets the tone for your leadership presence. Whether delivering difficult messages or guiding a team through challenges, mastering this small shift can have a significant impact.

Are you ready to refine your leadership presence?

Highlights:

00:00 The Power of Walking Slowly

00:22 Psychology and Confidence

00:54 Body Language in Leadership

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Transcript:

You should be walking the slowest in a public space. And that's counterintuitive, especially for us as CEOs. Think about this. So confidence is something that you show because you're walking and you're going through a space where people are looking at you. and you move slower than everyone else.

It works. I'm just reading a book about this. It's fascinating when you see how psychology is affecting everything. So that's something you as a CEO can utilize for yourself in showing confidence in situations where it's maybe not that confident. You go in and you're truly going in to make it happen.

You're walking slow, You're walking upright and then you're confident sharing the difficult situations and the difficult messages. What I see a lot is a CEO that is kind of explaining something and you see that the CEO [00:01:00] is not on top of everything. So you're showing to your whole organization that you're not in control.

And that's as simple as utilizing your body language in a different way and going into difficult situations. Which every business is facing with confidence that you're going that you as the CEO can lead the organization out of it.