Body language for public speaking

Only 7% of how we communicate comes from what we say. That’s a whole 93% coming from our tone of voice and body language.

Non-verbal communication is an essential skill that should not be ignored. It can be a game changer for both giving you confidence and portraying that confidence to your audience.

There are steps you can take to improve your body language that will directly improve your public speaking ability.

Optimize your posture

Good posture not only makes you feel comfortable and confident but it gives the audience confidence in you. It shows everybody that you know exactly what you are talking about. And on the flip side, bad posture can give the opposite impression — making you look uncomfortable and unsure in what you are saying. Even if this is not the case, the impression you give is always important as audience perception is their reality.

What your posture should look like:

• Standing tall

• Shoulders back

• Arms by your side

• Keeping your back straight

• Feet facing forward

This will show you are comfortable speaking and confident in what you are saying.

What you should avoid doing:

• Slouching

• Crossing your arms

• Hands in pockets

• Head forward

• Fidgeting

Good posture in the opening minutes of your presentation will help give the audience a positive first impression of you. And when you have them on side from the beginning, it becomes much easier to land your messages.

Body language for public speaking

Limit your fidget

When you get nervous the chances are you fidget. This is natural. It is a coping mechanism and acts as a distraction from the fact you are nervous. You should get comfortable being uncomfortable in the early stages of being a speaker and actively not fidget. Nerves can be interpreted in different ways by the audience and it could damage the message you are trying to land with them.

You should aim to be still in your movements as a speaker. Not swaying while you are speaking, not crossing your arms over or touching your face. Being still signals you are confident, as if you are saying to the audience, ‘I am comfortable here and I am not going anywhere.’ You are essentially letting them know how comfortable you are on the topic.

Still, however, does not mean rooted to the spot. If you have seen many speakers, you will know some move around. The key is to remain still and look directly at your audience when you are making your main points. You might move around in transition between points. But if you are comfortable being still in one position, stick to it.

So, you have still, you have standing tall, and you should add being open and inviting to the list. Again, using the principles of power posing, make yourself big. It’s not about holding your arms above your head during the speech — that would be odd — but use your hand movements to invite the audience in. Keep your arms by your side, elbows bent and hands facing the ceiling — this shows you are inviting the audience in. If you cross your arms, you close that invitation. This can be a lot to think about as a beginner speaker, so focus on one piece of your posture at a time:

1. Stand tall

2. Be still

3. Invite the audience in

It is not something you will master in one go, but with conscious effort, this can be the factor that helps enable your speaking potential.

Keep your hands still

If you have heard anybody speak about body language before, you will know that fiddling with your hair, jewelry or your tie is a tell that signals you are uncomfortable, being deceptive or are unsure of what you are saying. Now that might not always be the case… reading body language is only one part of the puzzle, the context of the environment and what is being said is important information which should form the other parts of the puzzle. When one interpretation of touching your face is deception, it is worth removing that perception from your audience when speaking in public.

So, what should you do with your hands?

• Make them seen — if you are standing behind a podium or are sat at a table during a meeting, always show your hands. Covering them makes it seem as though you are hiding something. Being able to see someone’s hands makes them easier to trust as you can see what they are doing.

• Keep them still — movement of your hands signals boredom, being nervous, or uncomfortable. Not only does it show your audience you are unsure, but it becomes a distraction for them — they end up watching your hands and looking at what you are doing rather than what you are saying.

• Keep them face up while talking — this is inviting and signals being open to the audience. Having your hands facing down signals you are closed to any other ideas, opinions and shows the audience you are simply interested in what you have to say, rather than their experience.

Now all of these explanations are interpretations. You may not think about it, but you may be more suspicious of someone whose hands you cannot see. It is the feeling you get that you can’t quite explain…

This is why body language plays such a big role in public speaking — make sure your hand actions back up what you are saying.