Movements, and their results, may be analyzed under three heads:  Poise, Pose, and Action.

[Sidenote:  Poise]

It is a phenomenon of psychology that the balancing of the body suggests mental balance.  Conversely, if the body is out of balance, there is the suggestion that the mind is no better poised.  That is, if a man cannot keep his balance physically, we have an intuition that he is mentally off his equilibrium.  Correct poise of course involves correct body support, and suggests a rightly supported mind. Hence you can make the impression, merely by the way you stand and walk, that you are a person of well-poised judgment.  You may hurt your chances very much if it seems necessary for you to prop your body with your legs.  The man who stands with his feet wide apart is out of balance, and is easily tipped over.  The impression made by the incorrect poise is that such a man must be unable to stand by himself like normal men.  The law of the association of ideas then immediately suggests that his thoughts are similarly unable to stand unless propped.

Incorrect poise of the body has another bad effect in the sale of ideas.  It makes the impression of abnormality.  Being unusual, it distracts attention from the salesman and his capabilities, and turns it to his lack of balance.  You realize that in order to sell your ideas effectively you need the concentrated attention of your prospect.  It will help you to succeed in life if you perfect yourself in the skillful poising of your body and its members so that you will be able to appear perfectly balanced in any normal position.

If you teeter from side to side, or rock back and forth on your heels when you are talking to a man whom you want to impress with your stability of character, you will undermine everything you say by what you do.  Of course you should not stand stiffly.  Your leg posts are designed to serve as a flexible pedestal for your body.  Your ability to shift your weight from one foot to the other easily without losing your balance suggests associated capability of your mind to keep your judgment in balance.  If you have a correctly poised mind, it can balance your body.

[Sidenote:  Pose]

The poses of your body, too, are suggestive of ideas about your mental make-up.  The quiet pose aids in making impressions of the qualities of solidity of purpose, of calmness, of confidence, etc.  The active pose is suggestive of enthusiasm, force, hustling, and the like.  Your pose should be suited to the vocation you have chosen.  In a bank, for instance, the quiet pose of assured efficiency perfectly suits the atmosphere of safety and security.  In a factory, on the other hand, you are likely to make a better impression with a much more active pose that matches the energy and speed of manufacturing operations.