According to leading body language expert India Ford, 93 percent of all communication is nonverbal. That only leaves 7 percent of a first impression to your mouth, meaning you can come across like a complete charmer or a total ass without even having said a word.

To give a leg up in interviews, first dates and meet-the-parents scenarios, we spoke to Ford to break down what you need to know – from head to toe – about how to read body language and how to turn it to your advantage.

Face Facts

Nodding and smiling while someone is talking shows you’re fully engaged in the conversation. As a general rule, gently nod three times to show full agreement and understanding.

Raising the eyebrows for less than a second and then lowering them as a way of saying ‘hello’ attracts attention by creating movement in the face. If you don’t do this, the recipient will think either you’re hostile or have recently had a round of botox.

Eye Eye Captain

Unsurprisingly, the windows to the soul are a key part of body language, especially when first meeting someone. Eye contact is vital to show you’re both paying attention and interested. However, feel free to glance around when there’s a natural pause in the conversation.

If you find it difficult to make and maintain eye contact, one trick to fake body language confidence is to make a note of someone’s eye color. By forcing yourself to look directly into the eye and mentally process what you’re seeing, you’ll look on the outside as though you’re in control.

Blink And Miss

Blinking is a subconscious movement that increases as nerves do. Before stepping into the lion’s den, note your usual ‘resting’ blink rate, then compare it to when you’re getting tense.

Concentrating on something else during an intense meeting can help calm nerves naturally, so on the outside you’ll look less like you’re fluttering your lashes at a potential father-in-law.