Author:
Monica Porter
Date Of Creation:
21 March 2021
Update Date:
1 July 2024
Content
Threats are behaviors that cause other people to fear, stress or lack confidence in order to gain social status or achieve desired results. Although viewed as a bad personality in many interactive situations, it can be helpful in sports competition, business, and other competitive environments. When you know how to be intimidating, you can even avoid being intimidated by others.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Be intimidating by appearance
Erect. Body language plays an extremely important role when you want to show an attitude. The more you make yourself look tall and confident, the more intimidating you will appear, so you need to have the right posture. You can even lean forward a little while communicating with people.
Occupies space. Every time you sit, stand, or walk, try to take up as much space as possible. This will show that you are in control of the space and that you have confidence in yourself.- As you walk, keep your arms open (swing your arms, arms comfortable on your sides, etc.)
- While sitting, lean back, relax, and extend your arms and legs.
- When standing, stand with your legs and arms apart when possible.
Put your hands on your hips. When standing in front of or next to someone else, place your hands on your hips, arms spread apart from your body. In many situations, this posture shows authority and can be seen as a threat.
Stand in the way of others. If you use your body to occupy a space that someone else is trying to pass through, they'll either have to confront you or step aside. Most people will avoid confronting you directly, they will ask for your permission to pass, or they will slip through without disturbing you. Whatever the case, you can seem intimidating.- Try this when blocking the way in hallways, stairs, entrances, etc.
- If you don't want to be a real threat, you can say something like "Oh, I can't see you here" when the other person asks for your permission to let them pass.
Crossed arms over chest. When standing, sitting or walking, fold your arms across your chest. In many cases, this posture may appear intimidating or aggressive.- Remember to fold your arms up to chest height, and be strong. If you cross your arms low and low, or your arms are loosely interlocked, this can convey more suspense than authority.
Frown. While a smile conveys friendliness and likability, a scowl can be aggressive, angry, or dissatisfied. This expression can make people a little intimidating when talking to you, and this is a good thing if you want to be scary.
Point at. The act of pointing with fingers, especially pointing at others, shows authority and persuasion. In some cases, this gesture can even be viewed as somewhat rough or aggressive. However, when you want to be intimidating, this can help.
Build muscle. There are conflicting conclusions from studies, but many believe that a muscular body usually appears more assertive, and also seems to make people more apprehensive. If a muscular body makes you seem more intimidating, just show it. Try various types of exercise to increase muscle mass.
Don't wiggle. Gestures such as tapping the hand or foot, shifting the center of gravity from side to side, twisting hands and similar movements are indicative of a state of tension. If you are trying to be more dangerous, hold still and move decisively. This type of body language demonstrates assertiveness.
Take care of your appearance. When wearing decent clothes and good personal hygiene, generally maintaining a clean and easy-on-look appearance, you will emit an assertive and confident look. Get in the habit of grooming a bit and see if you seem more respectable.
- If you are a man, consider wearing a beard. Many people believe that the beard brings a manly and stubborn look.
- A suit, a nice dress, a suit with a coat or a well-dressed outfit can give you a look of authority. If you're trying to look dangerous, dress a little better than everyone else. For example, if everyone in the company wears casual office clothes, you might seem wary if you wear a serious suit.
Keep an indifferent face. Many of our emotional states are in our facial expressions - joy through our smiles, discontent from our frowns, awe that can be seen through a gaping gesture, etc. If you keep a cold face and limit your expression of emotions, and others will feel more afraid.
- Practice not smiling, not laughing out loud, not frowning, etc ... in situations where we normally have this expression.
Make eye contact. In many cultures, making eye contact with others is considered a threatening behavior. Practice making eye contact when you talk to them. This will make you feel more intimidating and may find other people responding appropriately to that feeling.
- In some cultures, eye contact with others is an expression of disrespect. If this behavior is considered taboo in the culture you live in or the environment in which you work, you need to exercise extreme caution when breaking this tab. You want to be dangerous, but you don't have to be rude or overly aggressive.
- Staring at people or rolling their eyes is also a threat. Be careful, however, as this behavior can also be seen in many contexts as vulgar.
Method 2 of 2: Be intimidating through social communication
Speak clearly. Confidence or lack of confidence manifests itself in our voice. If you flicker, hesitant, or groan when you speak, people may feel like you are indecisive. On the contrary, with a clear, calm voice at moderate or loud volume, you exude confidence and seem dangerous.- If you find it difficult to speak clearly or evenly, take a few seconds to think before you speak. This will give you time to prepare what you intend to say, and through it others can feel confident enough not to be confused by a bit of silence, and this in and of itself makes people afraid. more cautious.
Be assertive when communicating. You can show your assertiveness in the way you communicate, so that your fear level increases. This also means doing some of the following behaviors:- Don't always agree with others.
- Utterance.
- No avoidance of conflict.
- Use sentences with the subject "I", such as "I agree" instead of saying "You are wrong." This will emphasize your position.
- Agree in principle, but not necessarily agree on details, for example you can say sentences like "It sounds reasonable, but ..."
- Does not take pride in being criticized, and does not criticize for retaliation. Instead, focus on directing your opinion.
- Persistent perseverance. Rephrase your point if necessary and do not waver.
- Be ready to say "no" (or "I am very busy", etc.) to requests or suggestions.
Saying provocative words. Soft words of nagging, or insults, often appear in sports competition as a way to convey confidence and distract the opponent. This behavior can be applied in other contexts (like in political campaigns or in the work environment) to appear intimidating.- In some situations, you can encourage you directly, such as telling a colleague, “I have 13 new accounts in this month's report, Minh. And how much do you get? One zero! ” You can reinforce it with a sarcastic sentence like “You did well this month, Minh. Maybe next time you'll get an account to add to it. ”
- Avoid sexism, racism, and abusive language. Focus on the other person's abilities instead of sticking the nose at them.
Form an entourage group. When you step into a new space with a group of people behind you, you will appear like a powerful and important person. The stronger and more confident your followers appear, the less anxiety and stress you will be. The image of the "entourage" implies that you are a leader and can be restrained in a positive way.- In some places there is even a short group rental service.
- Ideally, your entourage should include your good friends who support you, even admire you.
- Your followers can also act as your supporter by telling others about your successes and outstanding qualities.
- Treat your entourage well and respect them. Remember to listen and support the things they care about.
Show off your achievements. If you have high accomplishments in your studies, have won awards, or are honored and are looking to be formidable in the workplace, don't hesitate to hang your degrees and certificates in the office. When you show your achievements, you will look intimidating in the eyes of the people passing by.- To increase your level of respect, you can also briefly mention your accomplishments in conversations as often as possible.
Mysterious expression. Sometimes silence is more valuable than words. Try to distance yourself from others, don't talk too much, and pretend to be a little bit aloof. If you create a little bit of mystery about yourself, others may feel shy and curious about who you really are.- Don't always speak up. Observe others and be listening, but keep a secret.
- Always be busy or doing something (like reading a book, taking notes or working on a tablet), but don't let others know what you're doing unless they ask.
- Every time someone asks you what you are doing, give a short, vague answer that imply a secretly important thing. For example, if a colleague sees you staring at your tablet and asks what you're doing, just say, “Oh, it's a new project. They probably haven't told you yet. ”
