body language in public speaking - Pivotal

Tip: Walking

How you walk during a presentation can be used as a powerful support fro your message.

If you are a passionate speaker who simply cannot stand still, then generally, this will support the passion of your message. Walking can certainly give the impression of enthusiasm and energy. Try to use standing still to give the same sort of impact that a pause in the middle of rapid speech would give.

If you choose to move or change position just to provide relief because you think your speech is boring; be careful. It may be that your movement will have more impact than your message. Timing can help. Change position with a new idea or with a new visual support. Try to make all of your body language work with the movement. If, for example, you want to walk to give the impression of thinking of a new idea, then set your hand up to your face to indicate thoughtfulness, and speak slowly or stop speaking altogether.

Public speaking is really a one to one communication

Ermest writes ...

Public speaking and fear have something in common. For many, one thought of having to go up on stage and speak in front of a crowd of people is enough to bring out the critters of fear – butterflies in the stomach, faster heart rate, unwelcome physiological changes etc.. We have this scary picture inside our head of standing in front of a crowd of strangers, frozen. What we fail to realise is that public speaking is really a one to one communication. Just like when you speak with your friend or family member. The only exception is that you have more ears & eyes to connect with.

What follows in his article, Speak like a pro – what I learnt at a public speaking boot camp, is gold. There are several incredibly useful techniques. The two I enjoyed most were Raise your hand up to engage the crowd and Anchor objects associated to your story, but there is so much more.

body language in public speaking, Public speaking

Tip: Natural gestures

Natural gestures are basically the aim for any public speaker.

If you are not a natural gesturer, it may be that with enough practice, you can develp gestures.

Nevertheless if you speak with passion - for your subject and for your audience's outcomes - your body will support your message. Even if you make no gestures, your stance, your facial expressions and your eye contact, will work powerfully to support that passion and your message.

It is necessary, however, to be aware if you are repeating the same gesture many times. It may add emphasis the first time, but after that it will distract. Watch television journalists and sooner or later you will notice this.

Be aware of your gestures, when you practise your speaking, until you are comfortable that they are natural, and not distracting, and then forget about them. Work instead on your message, your enthusiasm and the outcomes you want.

audience in public speaking, body language in public speaking, Public speaking, speeches

Tip:

When you are making a speech or presentation, you need to be aware that your gestures can support or detract from your message.

Learn to become aware of what your hands are doing while you speak.

If necessary, make yourself hold them still.

Many people have habits that are terribly distracting and yet they aren’t aware of what they are doing. They click or twiddle a pen, play with their hair or their clothes, hold a microphone with fingers unconsciously making a rude gesture, take glasses on and off, put hands in pockets and take them out.

All of these things are not necessarily detrimental in themselves, if the audience is absolutely focused on the speaker and the message. But if there is any reason for the audience’s attention to stray (and we all have short attention spans) then they will become fascinated, at best, and possibly annoyed at whatever it is that the speaker is doing with their hands.

body language in public speaking, Public speaking

Three essential body language tips

People can get obsessed by trying to look convincing or slick, and neglect the content of their presentation. They perform all the textbook hand gestures, and what comes out of their mouths doesn’t match up. ...
Here are the 3 biggest body language presentation pitfalls, and what you can do to avoid them:

http://bit.ly/cTaUCx

body language in public speaking, Public speaking

The single most powerful way to increase your charisma–and audience connection

Nick Morgan writing at his best ...

What is the single most powerful way to increase your persuasive connection with an audience – and your charisma at the same time?

Listening.

When you listen with your whole body, using your intuition or unconscious to read the emotions of those with whom you’re communicating, the result is a connection with the other people in the room that they experience as engaging, fascinating, and indeed charismatic

There is so much more to this amazing post that you'll want to read it all ...

body language in public speaking, Public speaking

Public Speaking – what should I do with my hands?

“What do I do with my hands when I’m speaking?” is a common question that I hear when I’m teaching public speaking. Your hands form an important part of your non-verbal communication, or body language, and can help you convey confidence and communicate more effectively to your audience.

Here are 5 tips for what to do with your hands:

body language in public speaking, Public speaking

7 Key Ways to Gesture Effectively

from "10 Days to More Confident Public Speaking"
(Chapter 5 - pages 107 - 110)
Copyright, 2001 Philip Lief Group Inc & Lenny Laskowski
--------------------------------------------------------

Gestures are reflections of every speaker's individual personality. What's right for one speaker may not be right for another; however, if you apply the following seven rules, you can become a dynamic, confident speaker who uses gestures well.

1. Respond naturally to what you think, feel and see. - It's natural for you to gesture. If you inhibit your impulse to gesture, you'll probably become tense.

2. Create the condition for gesturing, not the gesture. - When you speak, you should be totally involved in communicating - not thinking about your hands. Your gestures should be naturally motivated by the content of your presentation.

3. Suit the action to the word and the occasion. - Your visual and verbal messages must function as partners in communicating the same thought or feeling. Every gesture you make should be purposeful and reflective of your words so the audience will note only the effect, not the gesture itself.

4. Don't overdo the gesturing. - You'll draw the listener away from your message. Young audiences are usually attracted to a speaker who uses vigorous gestures, but older, more conservative groups may feel your physical actions are overwhelming or irritating.

5. Make your gestures convincing. - Your gestures need to be lively and distinct if they are to convey the intended impressions. Effective gestures are vigorous enough to be convincing yet slow enough and broad enough to be clearly visible without being overpowering. For example, if you are conveying excitement about a point or topic in your speech, show it in your face such as with a big smile. If you are excited and don't show it, your body language sends a negative message. Your gestures need to match your words and the mood you are conveying.

6. Make your gestures smooth and well timed. - This rule is the most important but also the hardest. Why? Gestures have to be somewhat planned in advance so you can incorporate them during your speech rehearsal. In addition, practice sessions allow you to get a sense of how early you need to start your gesture so it coincides with the point you are making. Every gesture has three parts:

* The approach-Your body begins to move in anticipation.
* The stroke-The gesture itself.
* The return-This brings your body back to a balanced posture.

The flow of a gesture - the approach, the stroke, the return - must be smoothly executed so that only the stroke is evident to the audience. While it's advisable to practice gesturing, don't try to memorize your every move. This makes your
gesturing stilted and ineffective. For example, you're standing on the left-hand side of the stage (the audience's left) and you need to use the flip chart to illustrate a
point, but the flip chart is on the far right-hand side of the stage (the audience's right). You may say to your audience. "Let's take a look at it on the flip chart."

As you start this statement begin walking toward the flip chart (the approach). Your goal is to start your gesture early enough so you can walk naturally toward the flip
chart. At the word "flip" place your hand on the flip chart. This combined walking and placement of your hand on the flip chart is the gesture or the stroke. After a
brief moment, place your hand on the flip chart and then take your hand and move it to one of your resting positions. This is the return or completion of the gesture.

7. Make natural, spontaneous gesturing a habit. - The first step in becoming adept at gesturing is to determine what, it anything, you are doing now. For example, pay attention to the gestures you use in everyday conversations and try to use these gestures during your presentation. If you prefer, you can videotape your practice speech. The camcorder or video camera is truthful and unforgiving. If you want to
become a more effective speaker, you need to make the camcorder your best friend. Recording yourself is a surefire way to eliminate your distracting mannerisms. Videotape yourself and identify your bad habits. Then work at eliminating them.

All of my private executive coaching sessions and seminars, use a video camera to help the participants "see" what they are doing and what changes they need to make. To improve gestures, practice - but never during a speech. Practice gesturing when speaking informally to friends, family members, and co-workers.

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