News

6 Body Language Habits That Make You Look Insecure In Meetings

Published

2 weeks ago

September 8, 2026

Walking into a high-stakes meeting takes more than just polished slides and sharp ideas. Long before you open your mouth to make your pitch, the people sitting across the table have already formed an impression of your confidence, authority, and readiness to lead.

In corporate spaces across the globe, silence often speaks louder than spoken words. Communication is heavily driven by non-verbal cues, with tone and physical posture shaping over 90 percent of how our emotional intent is received. Even if you hold an impressive title or carry decades of technical experience, small physical twitches can quietly communicate doubt.

In this article, Tribune Online examines six subtle physical tells that reveal insecurity during corporate discussions, alongside direct steps to correct them so you can command the room with ease.

Hiding your hands beneath the table

Placing your hands in your lap, sitting on them, or tucking them into your pockets makes you look guarded. Human brains are naturally wired to look at hands for cues of trust and honesty. When your hands remain hidden from sight during an executive discussion, people instinctively perceive you as hesitant, secretive, or unengaged.

According to research shared by body language expert Vanessa Van Edwards on Science of People, the most popular TED speakers use almost double the hand gestures of less successful speakers because visible palms trigger trust. Keep your hands resting naturally on the tabletop or close to your notepad to instantly signal openness and confidence.

Touching your face and neck

Rubbing the back of your neck, clearing your collar, or scratching your chin while someone evaluates your proposal are classic pacifying behaviors. When anxiety strikes, the body attempts to calm itself by stimulating sensitive nerve endings around the face and throat.

To overcome this reflex, hold a pen in one hand or rest your forearms calmly against the desk whenever pressure mounts.

Collapsing your shoulders and slouching

Slumping into your chair makes your frame look smaller and signals that you want to disappear from the conversation. When you round your shoulders forward and hollow your chest, your posture immediately projects fatigue, defeat, or intimidation.

Adopting expansive, open postures physically alters how people evaluate authority and competence. Sit right back into your chair, roll your shoulders slightly backward, and let your spine lengthen naturally so you take up your rightful space at the table.

The darting gaze and looking away when speaking

Looking around the room, staring at the floor, or glancing constantly toward the door gives the impression that you cannot handle the scrutiny of your peers. While unbroken staring can feel aggressive, darting your eyes away every few seconds betrays internal nervousness and self-doubt.

Aim for the 60-to-70 percent rule: hold soft, steady eye contact while listening and deliver key points while looking directly at your colleagues before calmly shifting your gaze.

Fidgeting with objects and jiggling feet

Clicking a pen repeatedly, twisting rings, adjusting cuffs, or bouncing your legs beneath the table are physical outlets for nervous energy. These rapid, repetitive movements distract colleagues and scream that your adrenaline is in overdrive.

Unconscious micro-movements draw attention away from the substance of your contribution and toward your anxiety. Before the session begins, plant both feet flat on the floor to anchor your balance, take a steady breath, and leave pens or phone screens untouched unless you are actively taking notes.

Over-nodding in agreement

Nodding rapidly like a bobblehead whenever a senior executive speaks might seem like active listening, but it usually signals an excessive desire for approval. Rather than projecting alignment, rapid-fire nodding makes it look as though you are overly desperate to please the room.

Bobbing your head continuously dilutes your authority, making you appear subordinate rather than like a strategic peer. Acknowledge valuable points with one or two slow, deliberate nods, then hold your head upright and still to demonstrate thoughtful engagement.

(TRIBUNE)

News

Six Corps Members Receive N10m Grants To Boost Agribusiness

Published

2 days ago

September 22, 2026

Editor

Six members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have received a total of N10 million in grants to expand their agribusiness ventures under the Farmers for the Future Programme.

The programme was organised on Monday by the British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) in collaboration with the NYSC to encourage young Nigerians to embrace agriculture and develop sustainable businesses.

Presenting the cheques to the beneficiaries in Abuja, the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, urged Corps members to maximise the opportunities provided by the service year by venturing into commodity marketing and other viable businesses.

Nafiu said agribusiness remained a viable avenue for young people to build sustainable enterprises, create employment and generate wealth.

He also stressed the importance of value addition to the success and sustainability of business ventures, while commending BATNF for placing Nigerian youths at the centre of its entrepreneurship initiatives through value-chain development, employment creation and its partnership with the NYSC.

“I charge you to spread the news around. We have seen the outcome, and it is a good idea,” he said.

The beneficiaries are Dominic Olufemi (FC/25C/1143), who received N3 million; Temitope Adewole (ED/26A/2251), N2 million; Abdulwaheed Bala (ED/25B/1402), N2 million; Olanike Mayungbe (OG/26B/1037), N1 million; Kingsley Udoeyen (KG/26A/1735), N1 million; and Lorember Lorsue (JG/25B/1742), N1 million.

Speaking on the selection process, the Acting Director, Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED), Mrs Winifred Shopeka, said the programme began with an online registration portal through which Corps Members engaged in agribusiness submitted their business plans.

She said nearly 3,000 Corps members applied and underwent a rigorous selection process that produced 20 finalists.

According to her, the finalists participated in a boot camp and a final pitching session, which produced the 10 best presenters before the six ultimate winners were selected.

Shopeka said the beneficiaries had also been mentored and attached to established market operators to assist them in marketing their products.

She added that Corps Members who did not make the final stage of the competition were also trained by BATNF.

The BATNF Team Lead, Mr Oludare Odusanya, congratulated the beneficiaries and urged Corps Members engaged in agribusiness to master the fundamentals and acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed.

“We are happy with our collaboration with the NYSC, and it will continue,” he said.

Odusanya explained that BATNF was an independent organisation established to contribute to poverty reduction in Nigeria through sustainable agricultural practices and other interventions.

He said the Farmers for the Future Programme was instituted in collaboration with the NYSC to encourage Corps Members to venture into agribusiness and become job creators.

He added that the beneficiaries would be attached to mentors who would guide them towards achieving success in their respective businesses.

According to him, the programme has, since its inception, continued to enhance the entrepreneurial capacity of Corps Members.

News

CBN Reduces Interest Rate To 23%

Published

2 days ago

September 22, 2026

Editor

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Tuesday announced the reduction of the interest rate, also known as Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) to 23 percent.

Briefing the media in Abuja, the Governor of the CBN, Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, said at the 307th MPC meeting held on September 22, 2026 agreed the resetting of the MPR and recaliberation of the monetary policy market.

According to Cardoso, the committe is satisfied with the disinflation progress, adding that members noted stable banking sector following successful recapitalisation.

Meanwhile, according to Nigerian Tribune, reports that that the MPC, at its 306th meeting in July 2026, disclosed its resolution to retain the interets at 26.5 percent.

According to the Governor of the CBN, Olayemi Cardoso, “the Committee’s decision to maintain the current policy stance followed a thorough assessment of the balance of risks. Although headline inflation moderated marginally in June 2026, global uncertainties have heightened, due mainly to the renewed hostilities in the Middle East.

“In view of the evolving developments, maintaining a cautious monetary policy stance remains appropriate. In arriving at its decision, the Committee noted the recent resurgence of hostilities in the Middle East, with particular attention to its spillover effects on global energy prices and the potential pass-through to domestic inflation.”

News

NURTW: KWAM1 Settles Long-time Rift Between MC Oluomo, Tafa Sego

Published

2 days ago

September 22, 2026

Editor

Nigerian Fuji musician, Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, popularly known as KWAM1, has brokered a peace deal between the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) National President, Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, and the Lagos State Chairman of the union, Mustapha Adekunle, aka Tafa Sego.

The reconciliation took place at Ojusagbola in Ijebu, Ogun State, where several NURTW chieftains gathered for the meeting.

The development was announced on Tuesday on KWAM1’s digital media page on Instagram, alongside photographs from the meeting.

According to the post, the two union leaders have resolved their differences after years of strained relations.

“After years of an age-long rift, MC Oluomo and Tafa Sego have finally settled their differences. And from what we know now, this is final,” the post said.

The musician was said to have intervened as the Mayegun of Yorubaland, with the aim of bringing an end to the longstanding disagreement between the two NURTW figures.

“K1 acted in his role as the Mayegun of Yorubaland by seeking an end to the long-standing rift, once and for all,” it said.

The post also described the meeting as a significant step beyond previous public displays of reconciliation.

“This time, it was not just another handshake for the cameras. The two old friends and colleagues came together at Ojusagbola, with King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (K1) playing the peacemaker.”

Both MC Oluomo and Tafa Sego were reported to be pleased with the outcome of the intervention.

“Both parties are delighted about the new development,” the post said.

The two men had previously been allies and prominent figures within the Lagos NURTW before their relationship became strained amid disagreements linked to leadership of the union in the state.