Even world leaders are not taken seriously all the time. However, when people are not taking you seriously there are some things you can do to let them know that you are serious and that they should respect that.

Here are some points on how to get people to take you seriously.

1. Stand your ground if you deeply believe in what you are serious about

There will be people who will say that what you are serious about is nothing more than a joke; this will be especially true when those, with that negativity, don't have all the facts. It could actually be that you know better than your doubters.

Nonetheless, you may well find yourself having to make a stand if it means that much to you. So people know you are serious, you must take a stand and hold that ground no matter what if you have a belief in what you want taken seriously.

Often when you hold your ground the other person might eventually see what you are trying to say to them, hopefully. If not, still hold on to how serious you are about whatever you want to be taken seriously.

2. Be assertive in letting people know you are serious

If you are wishy washy about anything you think you are serious about it sends a message that you are not serious about anything, which then of course speaks to your integrity.

So know what you are serious about and assert yourself in those directions of your belief. Think of being yourself and standing on the rock of who you are, and for what you believe in, and you will become assertive.

3. Have passion for what is serious to you and that passion will let people know that you are serious.

For example, if you are serious about helping society in some specific way, have a passion for that and people will see that you are serious about what you want to do.

4. Your behavior will send many signals of how serious you are.

If you are always goofing off and clowning around then it will make it difficult for people to take you seriously. If you think you are a 'player' and behave like that not many people will be able to take you seriously.

If you sacrifice your dignity to be the center of attention you send the message that you have no personal values which you hold dear. A person without personal values is not a serious person. Your behavior speaks loudly and will have a profound effect on how seriously people will take you.

5. What you say and how you say it is another indicator of how serious you are.

Your words and behavior are intimately intertwined. If you say one thing and then do another then there will be a likely chance that no-one will be able to take you seriously.

Be consistent in your word and action if you want people to take you seriously.

How you say things is another sign of how serious you are. If you boisterously walk around saying you are going to this and that, without putting much action in to realise you are saying, not only will you be seen as not being serious, but obnoxious as well.

Serious people don't need to advertise it to know they are serious. They are action oriented.

Getting people to take you seriously is ultimately up to you, especially as to how serious you take yourself. You have now been given a few points how to get people to take you seriously. Use them and you will find more people taking you seriously.

Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a very popular free report: 10 Simple Steps to Developing Communication Confidence. Apply now because it is available for a limited time only at: communication skills http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/blog/