Your body speaks

YOUR BODY

SPEAKS

Is your body dead when you speak, or does your constant

motion give your audience headaches?

Does your face signal fear or does it signal excitement for your topic?

Do your hands vibrate, or do they punctuate your words?

Your must complement your message with your body during delivery. Specifically, be aware of your:

posture

Body movement

Facial expressions

Eye contact

Tips and Techniques:

1. Remove “Noisy” Movements.

For many people, there is as much to be gained from removing nervous and distracting movements as there is from

adding conscious gestures. It may seem counter-intuitive, but this is

“addition by subtraction.”

2. Avoid “Forcing” Gestures into Your Speech

The best way to avoid forcing hand and arms gestures is to try to strike an even

balance between the other forms of physical gestures — eye contact, facial expressions,

posture, or whole body movements. For example, if you convey an important

emotion with your facial expression, your arms can relax to your sides because they

“aren’t needed.”

3. Record Video of Yourself Speaking

The best way to discover any distracting movements is to watch yourself delivering a speech

with the volume turned off.

Reference:

Six Minutes Speaking and Presentation Skills

• Toastmasters Speech 5: Your Body Speaks• by Andrew Dlugan