PC06: Body Language

Delivery Skills

Body Language

How you say things is sometimes more important than what you say. Whatever you say and whatever visuals you use, it is still you who should be the focus of the audience's attention. You have the power to either weaken the message or to enhance it. Your job is to use your potential to ensure your audience is interested and inspired rather than bored, uninterested, or distracted.

7 Keys of Body Language

• Appearance
• Eyes and eye contact
• Facial expression
• Posture (how you stand)
• Hands
• Movement
• Voice

Do Clothes Make the Person?

You will be on display. Your audience may not notice if you are well dressed, but they will definitely notice if you are not. They will look at your shoes. Make sure they are clean.

The Eyes Have It

The eyes are the most natural and effective way to convey to the audience your honesty, openness, and confidence.

• Maintain good eye contact with the audience, not only one person or area
• Spread your attention around the room

Smile! You’re on Stage

An audience watches your face first. Your mood, confidence, and energy are reflected in your facial expression.

Posture Is Paramount: Stand Tall

Like your facial expression, your posture and stance say a lot about you. Try to use your whole body as a dynamic tool that supports your energy and confidence.

• Stand tall and have straight back and shoulders; head up
• Put your weight on both legs
• Keep feet pointed towards the audience

Where to Put Those Hands?

A constant problem is what to do with your hands. These must not wave aimlessly, or fiddle with a pen, or juggle change in your pockets.

• Train yourself to control your hands; keep them still
• Find a safe resting place which is comfortable for you

Walk About

Unless you are positioned behind a table and can’t move, you want to comfortably move around your presentation space. Get close to your audience once in a while.

• Get familiar with your space before your presentation
• Become comfortable walking backwards and forwards in the space

II. Using Your Amazing Voice

The two most important aspects of the voice are projection and variation. It is important to realize you can not take your ordinary conversation voice and use it on stage. You need to develop a different way of speaking. A good style is to be slightly louder and slightly slower than a conversation, and mixed with enthusiasm and intonation.

Learn these key techniques for vocal effectiveness:

• Change the pitch (highness and lowness) of your voice
• Speak loudly enough to be heard by everyone in the room
• Vary the volume to maintain interest and emphasize key points
• Stress certain words to add emphasis
• After each section, pause or change tone
• Speak slow to show the importance of an idea
• Speak fast to show excitement or build energy
• Pause after important ideas to let your audience grasp them

A Better Voice is Just a Breath Away

The most powerful speaking voice comes not from your throat, but from you diaphragm. With it, your voice becomes warm, rich, and mature-sounding.

III. Controlling Nervousness

All presenters are a little nervous before a presentation. In fact, a little nervous energy can enhance presentation. It is important to control this nervous energy, however, so that it is a positive force rather than a negative force.

What are some of your concern about making a presentation?

Before the Presentation:

“The single most important thing you can do for sweaty palms is rehearse. The second most important thing you can do for sweaty palms is rehearse. Guess what the third thing is?” -David Peoples

• Visualize yourself giving a great presentation; use the power of mind
• Get familiar with the room; walk around the speaking area and practice
• Know the audience; greet and meet some of the audience as they arrive
• Do some relaxation exercises: take a walk; breath deeply; sit quietly

During the Presentation

• Continue to breathe deeply, and speak from your diaphragm
• Passion eliminates fear. Let the emotion of your subject fill your heart
• Involve the audience. If you can, make the presentation interactive
• Look at the friendliest faces in the audience (but not all the time!)
• Take sips of water