Use
Body Language to add hidden power to the Message of Your Presentation.
“In an orator … we demand the acuteness of a
logician, the profundity of a philosopher, the diction virtually of a poet, the
memory of a lawyer, the voice of a performer in tragic drama, the gestures, you
might almost say, of an actor at the very top of his profession. Here, then, are
some of the reasons why a first-class orator is one of the rarest things in the
world.”
-- Cicero
In any speech or presentation, your body language adds
power to the message. It either supports or detracts from what your words are
saying. The operative word here that we want to look at is "support".
Body language must be in tune with the message. And the corollary is that body
language must also not distract or detract from the message you are giving. If
they are denying each other, then your presentation will fail.
Confidence and sincerity are the absolute basis
for this process. If your body is declaring that you are not sincere in what you
are saying then your credibility decreases and there is no way your message will
have the impact it should have. Think about the tone of your message.
Is it relaxed, conversational? Then make your body language relaxed. Is it
passionate, strong and powerful? Then create body language that conveys that
passion. Is it alert and enthusiastic? Then your body language needs to be
reflecting that enthusiasm.
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 (if you know what
I mean), take glasses on and off, put hands in pockets only to take them out
seconds later and repeat the process continuously. 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.
If, on the other hand, (pardon the pun), those hands
are working to support the speech, they will bring the attention back to the
message. They will also give power to the impact of the message.
Natural looking gestures are basically the aim.
If you are not a natural gesturer, your body will support your message. It is
necessary to be aware that you are not repeating the same gesture many times. It
may add emphasis the first time, but after that it will distract as much as the
others mentioned earlier. Watch television journalists and sooner or later you
will notice this.
You can also practice gestures. Join a public speaking
club where you can practice in a supportive environment until you are
comfortable, and confident that your gestures are not detracting from your
message.
Of course, there are many books and websites with
information about body language and gestures. Basically:
- Gestures above shoulder level support messages about things that are
spiritual or uplifting (a church minister will raise his hands in blessing).
- Ordinary messages are supported by gestures at the middle level of
your body.
- Things that are despicable or degrading or debilitating are
supported by gestures below the waist.
-
You can use your palms. Held out, palm upwards,
they support supplication, requesting a response, or openness. They can be used
to indicate division if held vertically with the little finger down. Using
a fist is a very powerful gesture. It indicates strong power and passion, and
may also be used as a threat. Be careful with that. Take care, too, with
pointing with a finger. People don't respond well to accusation or to being
singled out, so be sure your gesture supports your message.
Your clothes, too, can distract attention from your
message. If you have a very bright or unusual item of clothing, if your scarf or
tie flaps in a breeze, if your earrings dangle or click, or your necklace or tie
pin clicks on a microphone, the audience will be distracted from your message.
Again, unless your message is absolutely riveting, your clothes will become the
centre of attention just as gestures can, and your message will lose its impact.
How you stand and walk works in just the same
way. If you are a passionate speaker who simply cannot stand still, then
hopefully you will support the passion of your message. 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 massage. Timing can help so that you
change position with a new idea or with a new visual support. Try to make all of
your body language work with the movement. So, for example, if 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.
Facial expression, too, must be in harmony with your
message, or it will work against it, just as your body language does.
Everything - body language, image and message must
work together to create the impact you have chosen.
Power
Question:
OK,
I have gotten an equal amount of positive and negative feedback about ending
with power questions, so my question to you now is, should I keep adding them in
at the end of posts, or would you prefer a Power Quote? Or nothing at all? Let
me know your feedback.
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