Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Body Language
• Part 2 of 3: Behavior
• Part 3 of 3: Avoid mistakes
• Tips
• Warnings

From time to time we are faced with such situations when it is necessary to give the impression of a serious person. For example, during negotiations, you are expected to show yourself as a serious person. This behavior will emphasize your professionalism. If you want to look like a serious person, pay attention to your body language and your speech, as well as communicate with others, remembering that you must look serious. In your daily life, make a focused effort to be a focused and serious person. However, remember that everything is fine in moderation. If you are serious all the time, you may seem rude to people.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Body Language

1. 1 Make a serious expression. Pull your eyebrows down a little, but do not bring them close to each other. Otherwise, you will look too angry. You can also wrinkle your forehead a little and squint your eyes slightly. Thanks to this, you will give the impression of a person immersed in thought. By following the above tips, you can create the look of a serious person.
   • To learn how to look like a serious person, you need to exercise. Exercise in front of a mirror.
   • Ask a friend to tell you honestly how you look. Take a photo of yourself with a serious expression and send the photo to a friend. Ask a friend to guess what emotion you are trying to convey.
2. 2 Try not to laugh or smile when you talk. Otherwise, others may think that you are nervous. In addition, by doing so, you can show that you do not take what the other person says seriously.Therefore, do your best to create the look of a serious person during the conversation.
   • If you have a habit of giggling when you're nervous, work on yourself. Focus on the conversation if you feel like you can't help laughing.
   • Note that if you don't laugh or smile at all during the conversation, you may be considered an unfriendly person. If your employee tells a funny story, smile or laugh at their story, but do so in moderation. A funny laugh is unlikely to show that you are a serious person.
   • Practice the deep breathing technique. This will help you calm down. Plus, it's a great opportunity to switch from a nervous laugh to something else.
3. 3 Try to look serious when you are thinking. Serious people tend to be calm and thoughtful. Take the appropriate body position when you are thinking about something.
   • Avoid eye contact with people around you. Cross your arms over your chest and cross your legs.
   • Remain calm and do your best to look serious.
   • Don't worry, you are not required to maintain this body position all the time. Stay in this position until you put your thoughts in order. However, do not overdo it, it is very inconvenient to maintain this position of the body for a long period of time.
4. 4 Stay neutral during the conversation. During a serious discussion, try not to react to what you hear. Watch how you look in this situation. Stay serious even if someone says something that disappoints or upsets you.
   • This is especially important when you are involved in business negotiations. If you appear calm in negotiations, the party proposing to you will understand that you are not easily intimidated.
   • Please note that this method is not always successful. During a business meeting or school event, you can be neutral. However, avoid this in everyday conversation. Otherwise, you may seem rude to people.
5. 5 Lower your tone of voice. This will make your voice sound more authoritative and serious. A high tone of voice usually characterizes a person as nervous and weak. Try to lower your tone of voice, especially in situations where you need to impress others as a serious person.
   • Before you "put on" the image of a serious person, close your lips and say: "mmm ha" several times. This exercise helps to relax your vocal cords, so you can better control your voice.

Part 2 of 3: Behavior

1. 1 Use the language of official communication. This will help others to treat you like a serious person. At work, watch how you talk. Stick to a business-like communication style.
   • Make sure your speech is literate. Remember to keep rules in mind when building sentences. Before you say anything, think about whether you have correctly constructed your proposal.
   • Avoid slang and profanity. Otherwise, you are unlikely to be considered a serious person. Moreover, you may have problems at work.
   • Be polite. By adhering to the rules of etiquette, you will show your best side. During business negotiations, you can say: "Excuse me, Mr. Ivanov, if possible, I would like to express my point of view on the issue under discussion."
2. 2 Focus on one thing at a time. Serious people tend to avoid multitasking as it interferes with their productivity. Before taking on a new task, be sure to complete the previous one.
   • To avoid multitasking, make a schedule and stick to it. For example, from 11 am to noon, you can reply to emails. Work on your talk from noon to 1 pm.
   • Multitasking forces the brain to quickly shift attention from one task to another. Therefore, attention quickly dissipates. This negatively affects your productivity as it can be difficult to focus on completing tasks under these circumstances.
3. 3 Avoid inappropriate reactions. Learn to control your reactions to a given situation. People often laugh when they are in a tense situation. They do this not because they find it funny, but because they don't know how to deal with the stress. If you need to stay serious in a stressful situation, such as during a funeral or a performance, use thinking techniques to help you control yourself. For example, think about something serious (how important this presentation is to you, how your presentation will affect your grades or career progression). You can also try thinking about a complex mathematical equation and trying to solve it. All this will help you to respond correctly to the situation that has arisen. You won't laugh when it's inappropriate. Plus, you can take control of your emotions.
   • You can also try pinching yourself, biting the inside of your cheek, or taking a deep breath to pull yourself together.
4. 4 Decide for yourself where you will not use electronic devices. This behavior will impress your employer or teacher as you will not be distracted by your cell phone, iPad, or other electronic device. Therefore, refuse to use such devices where you need to show that you are a serious person.
   • Unplug your phone when you are at your desk or in a meeting.
   • Do not take your mobile phone out of your bag while you work or study. You can answer all messages and phone calls after work.
5. 5 Complete the tasks set for yourself. Thanks to this, you will be treated like a reliable person. This quality is inherent in serious people. Always finish work by the deadline and be sure to follow through.
   • Make sure you know when you need to complete the task at hand. In this case, a calendar with reminders of when and what work needs to be done can help.
   • Do your best to have a reputation for being reliable. Reliable people are trusted more. This will open up more opportunities for you.
6. 6 Be an organized person. This will keep you focused and collected. These traits are closely intertwined with seriousness. Keep your work area clean and always complete your assigned tasks.
   • Do a general cleaning of your workplace. Purchase folders and files from your local office supply store. Organize your work into categories, due dates, and so on.
   • Make a to-do list. Leave deadline reminders at home and work. Update your to-do list daily and cross out completed tasks.

Part 3 of 3: Avoid mistakes

1. 1 Watch your body language as you speak. Being serious is a big advantage in some situations. However, when dealing with other people, your seriousness can be perceived as excessive tension. If others are uncomfortable with you, it can negatively affect your success.
   • If you are too serious in your interactions, people may think that you are arrogant and indifferent. Over time, they may realize that you are just very focused on the topic of the conversation. However, the first impression will be difficult to correct.
   • Show your conversation partner that you are listening. Don't cross your arms or place your bag on your lap. Otherwise, others will think that you are closed to them. Maintain eye contact. But do your best to make the person you are talking to feel at ease in your presence. Don't fidget while talking.
2. 2 Try to relax during events where there are many people. Don't be serious all the time. Allow yourself to relax from time to time with other people. Try to relax at the activities that are organized for this.
   • Allow people to violate your personal space from time to time. Don't protest casual touching, such as patting on the shoulder or back.
   • Show the people you interact with that you are listening to them. Nod your head or show in other ways that you are listening to the other person. Remarks like "Yes, of course, this is interesting ..." and the like, verbally confirm that you are listening to the interlocutor.
   • Relax your facial muscles. This will make your facial expression less serious. Smile and laugh when needed.
3. 3 Spend time in nature. If you often have to be very focused, walking in the fresh air can help you relax. This is facilitated by the pacification of nature. When you return to school or work, you will have enough energy to complete the tasks.
   • Take a walk in the fresh air during your break. If there is a park or forest near your workplace, go for a walk there.
   • If you have to work in the city, plan out-of-town trips on weekends. You may need to travel by car or train to do this. But the effort is worth it.
4. 4 Take breaks. Nobody can work 24 hours a day. Include breaks in your daily schedule. This allows you to stay focused when needed.
   • Set a reminder on your phone that will ring every 50 minutes. You will know that you need to take a break.
   • The breaks don't have to be long. You can just stand up and do stretching exercises for a few minutes or have a cup of coffee or tea.

Tips

• Don't be overly grumpy or unfriendly. You can be a serious person and still be welcoming.

Warnings

• Note that when you are very serious, people may perceive you as being rude and mean. Therefore, make sure you are still polite and friendly.
• You may appear impolite if you don't laugh at other people's jokes. This is the case when “don't laugh” is not the rule for you.