What exactly are fundamentals?
Fundamentals cover basically everything from your body language to your eye contact and voice to the type of clothing you wear and much more.
When we talk about fundamentals we are essentially talking about presentation, about how you present yourself to other people. Your fundamentals create your vibe.
Fundamentals include:
- Facial hair and hairstyle
- Body language
- Voice
- Eye contact
We’ve covered some of these before in our article about confidence and we’ll go in-depth here about other intangible assets that you need to develop in order to have a more impressive presentation, and these are:
- Your mental presence ( confidence and charisma )
- Your mental skills level ( intelligence, vocabulary and mental agility )
- The social calibration you display
1. Your mental presence has a direct effect on your body language.
- Confidence – when you are dressed and groomed properly with your shoulders back, chest puffed out, and breathe deeply and calmly, you will have injected confidence just by assuming a stance like that.
- Charisma –To manage self-doubt, start with small, actionable habits like setting micro-goals and celebrating small wins. Practice self-affirmation and visualize success before entering high-stakes situations, it helps your brain associate confidence with calmness.
To be friendly in different settings, adjust your energy and openness accordingly. In professional environments, smile, maintain eye contact, and use people’s names. In social gatherings, ask light questions about their interests and actively listen. With strangers, simple gestures like holding the door or offering help go a long way toward building warmth and approachability.
It takes time to reach satisfying levels of mental presence. But the more you practice the more these actions are going to move from your conscious mind to your unconscious mind, as a result making them an automated response.
Over time, strong mental presence helps you project warmth and assurance simultaneously. You’ll find that people respond better to someone who’s genuinely confident rather than someone trying to appear powerful. True presence comes from comfort in your own skin, not control over others.
2. The mental skill level is the hardest of the three to master.
- Intelligence – your intelligence plays a large role in your mental skill level. And the good thing is you can increase it by reading a lot of books, articles or magazines. Intelligence is a very attractive quality.It’s universally appealing because it reflects curiosity and the ability to hold meaningful conversations. Smart individuals tend to be open-minded, better problem-solvers, and more empathetic, traits that make interactions richer and more enjoyable.
- Vocabulary – increase your vocabulary and learn interesting words. People will have a quite pleasant surprise when they encounter a man who stands out among the crowd of boring and bland men.To expand your vocabulary effectively, use flashcard apps like Anki or Quizlet to memorize new words daily. Read books across genres, fiction for emotional expression, nonfiction for clarity and precision. Listen to podcasts or TED Talks and note down unfamiliar words. Keep a “word journal” and challenge yourself to use each new term in a real conversation or piece of writing that day.
- Mental agility – try to be more witty. It will make you more flexible and able to think and act quickly. Your mental agility plays a huge role in how socially calibrated you become, which brings us to the latest point, social calibration.To build wit, train your brain to connect ideas faster. Watch clever comedians or improv shows and note how they use timing and observation. Play word association games or join online improv workshops to practice quick thinking. Even reading satire helps you pick up rhythm and tone, two key ingredients of humor.
Mental agility can also be sharpened through strategic hobbies like chess, puzzles, or debates. The more diverse your experiences, the easier it becomes to draw surprising yet relevant connections, which is the essence of wit.
3. Social calibration is defined as an ability to read and react according to the presented social environment.
- You have to learn to know what to expect from other people you are interacting with.
- You need to be able to adjust your words, behavior and actions to various people or environments.
- Observe how others treat you and adapt your communication style accordingly, while maintaining respect. This ensures you remain balanced, not submissive or reactive, in different interactions.
To “read and react” effectively, learn to pick up on social cues:
- If someone maintains open body language and steady eye contact, it’s a sign of engagement, you can match their enthusiasm.
- If they seem distracted or closed off (crossed arms, brief answers), lower your intensity, ask gentle questions, or give them space.
- In group settings, notice who leads conversations and who supports them, adjust your tone to complement, not compete.
The more socially calibrated you become, the more dynamic you will seem to people.
Practicing empathy is key. Pay attention not just to words but tone, posture, and facial expressions. Being socially aware doesn’t mean pretending to be someone else, it means recognizing what’s appropriate and respectful in each situation. Observe confident communicators and notice how they tailor their energy based on who they’re speaking to.
It does seem like a lot of work. But with patience and persistence you can put these skills and traits on display. And you will reap the benefits of having good friends, and meaningful relationships that are built on mutual respect and authentic connection. These fundamentals don’t just help in dating or friendships — they also strengthen your professional image and leadership presence. The better your fundamentals, the more naturally people trust, respect, and listen to you.
There is a huge difference between a good-looking man who is passive, shy and dull and a good-looking man who is self-assured, quick on his feet and knows how to charm anyone and everyone that surrounds him.
Mastering the fundamentals isn’t about changing who you are — it’s about refining how you present yourself. When your inner confidence, communication skills, and awareness align, success follows naturally. Start small: improve posture, maintain eye contact, read daily, and observe how others respond. With consistency, your presence will begin to speak for itself.
Start small: practice posture correction, learn one new word a day, and observe how people respond in conversations. Over time, your awareness will become instinctive, your speech more engaging, and your presence truly magnetic.
Thanks for reading this post! – MyPlugin