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"You guys are gonna love this!" Dan said,
almost out of breath. "I just went down to make an announcement
at the managers' meeting. I started out talking to them like
I usually do: hands in pockets, legs crossed, leaning up
against the wall. Then I remembered what we had just talked
about regarding the power of body language.
"So I straightened up, pulled my hands out
of my pockets and walked toward the conference table where
everyone was sitting. It changed everything. People stopped
what they were doing, put their pens down and actually paid
attention to me!"
It was just as we had discussed in our Presentation
Skills workshop. The power of visual communication - or body
language - has been known for years. In fact, a famous study
done at UCLA showed that when verbal, vocal and visual communication
were compared, it was the visual communication that was the
most powerful. This isn't to say that what we are saying
isn't important. What it does say is that we must pay attention
to how we look when we speak.
Stance
Do this: Stand up wherever you are and plant your weight evenly on
both feet. Be careful about standing on one leg or the other;
subtle changes make a big difference here. With your knees
flexed slightly (we don't want to cut off our circulation
if we intend to remain standing), stand with good, confident
posture with your hands hanging by your sides.
This is your "Ready Position." This is how
you want to stand before you start speaking and return to
over and over. It helps you to ground yourself and take physical
inventory of your body.
If there is a lectern (podiums are the things
you stand on), push it out of the way so you have no barriers
between you and your audience.
Movement
Why bother moving?
- Helps you connect with your listeners
- Puts your nervous energy to work
- Keeps your audience on their toes (i.e. awake)
There are two pitfalls when it comes to movement when speaking.
The first is not doing it at all, though sometimes your setting
isn't conducive to movement. The other is pacing like a caged
tiger. The key is to move with purpose.
Start in the "Power Point," that spot in the front-center
of the room where you feel most in control. Talk to a couple
of people in your immediate area, focusing on each person
for an entire thought. Now find someone on one side of the
room, walk over in her direction, plant yourself and talk
to her. Talk with a couple of others in the same vicinity
and repeat until finished.
Hands
Now what do we do with those pesky hands? For some reason,
the hands pose a particular problem for speakers. We put
them in pockets, in front (the "fig leaf"), behind, crossed,
on our hips, or we fidget with anything in their vicinity.
The rules for the hands are:
- Use a variety of gestures to add to your message (careful
about over-using any)
- Avoid folding them or putting them on your hips (too
closed or aggressive)
- When not gesturing, drop them by your sides
- If you put them in your pockets from time to time, take
out the keys and change
- Don't do things that are going to distract your listeners
(fidgeting, playing with markers, knuckle-cracking…)
- No obscene gestures
Remember that you only have one chance to make a first impression.
Be aware of what you are doing with your body when you speak,
practice the rules above and make sure you do a zipper-check.
Robert Graham
Robert Graham is the Principal of GrahamComm (www.grahamcomm.net), a consulting and training company that helps clients increase their sales and deliver outstanding presentations. He can be reached at 415-652-0763 or Robert@grahamcomm.net.
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We offer this article on a nonexclusive basis. You may reprint or repost this material as long as Robert Graham’s name and contact information is included. Robert@grahamcomm.net, 415-652-0763, www.grahamcomm.net.
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