If there is one movie character who illustrates perfectly the charisma, confidence and downright sexiness of ideal male body language in dating, then it has to be James Bond. The man simply oozes style. But how? What is it about James Bond body language that makes him so damned irresistible to women and so respected among men?
James Bond Body Language Elements
There are many powerful body language gestures James Bond has used through the years to communication his supreme style and sophistication.
Pauses: Timing is one of the most important elements of style and James Bond uses it wonderfully. He doesn’t just say a line, he pauses, makes sure everyone else is silent, makes you wit for him, then coolly mutters “shaken, not stirred.” The pause is everything. It makes it clear that life progresses according to James Bond’s watch. This is a powerful communicator of control and confidence.
Long Gaze Length: When James Bond looks at someone, he melts them. How? Because he holds their gaze just a little longer than normal. If he’s in a bar talking to a woman, he will look at her and no matter what happens he will maintain a lengthy eye contact. If a waiter comes to offer a drink, he won’t turn away, he’ll still stand there, looking in the girl’s eyes. Even when he answers the waiter, he will still maintain eye contact with the girl. This is important as it sets up intimacy between James and his target of seduction. It’s as though he is saying, “Nothing matters but this moment right now between you and I.” It’s a powerful communicator of intimacy and privacy.
Perfect Posture: I’ve stated many times how important posture is to charisma. If you stand correctly you appear in control, healthy and elegant. We are very sensitive to other people’s posture. Get yours right and you’ll gain an instant advantage in all communication.
Rarely Smiles: James Bond’s smile is fairly standard. There’s nothing amazing about it. Yet when he cracks a smile, her still causes the world to look. The reason is simple: he does it rarely. Something which is rare is valuable. If you maintain a neutral facial expression most of the time then suddenly give a confident and genuine smile, it will seem as a diamond that is forever.
Slow and smooth: Slow and smooth movement is a maker or a breaker of charisma. If you jitter around like a little squirrel you’ll appear nervous and inelegant. By slowing down and moving smoothly, you create the impression that there is almost an art to your body, like ballet. James Bond doesn’t move much when he’s not in spy-mode (he stands still much of the time) but when he does move, he is always composed and appearing calm inside.
Perfect diction: James Bond’s voice is very important to his character. He captures that very fine line between speaking properly and being posh. Posh is not generally well received. It seem pompous and arrogant. James Bond avoids this pitfall, but does so while maintaining perfect diction. His consonants are crisp and he maintains a relaxed and fairly low voice. Listen to James bond speaking in any of his movies and you will notice the same characteristics: slow and stead, beautiful pronounced, fairly low and falling just short of pompousness.
James Bond’s body language is an example of just how damn great we can all look once we learn to use good body language. You can learn body language for the cost of a t-shirt with this amazing book by Joe Navarro (who incidentally happens to be a real life James Bond as he’s a former FBI counter-intelligence agent ):