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[Quick public speaking tip] Movement on the public speaking stage

Pivotal Public Speaking - stage

 

How you stand and walk has to be congruent with your message

and your image.

If you are a passionate speaker who simply cannot stand still, then hopefully you will use that to 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 message.

Timing can help so that you change position

with a new idea or

with a new visual support,

or with a change in your story or its dialogue.

Where you are

and how you move between spaces

are as much a part of your presentation as your message and your body language.

Orchestrate them as you will the whole presentation to form one complete impact.

And no, that does not mean being anything other than your authentic self. It means being your authentic self at its speaking best.

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[Public speaking tip] Gestures on a level

gesture

Are you a natural gesturer, or do you have to force yourself to gesture?

Or perhaps there is a third question I could ask, and that is … have your modified your gestures to be more appropriate to your speaking?

I basically think that the more natural a speaker, the better.

And gestures are not absolutely necessary to communicate.

Sometimes I am annoyed at a television presenter or video presenter who makes the same gesture over and over, or who makes gestures at a level that seems inappropriate to the frame in which he is presenting. But then, I also think that those who evaluate or coach speakers can become too focussed on minor details that most people simply don’t notice, unless they are judging a speech contest. If gestures are inappropriate it is usually a reflection of a deeper level of communication.

Nevertheless I have always been intrigued by something I read years and years ago, that 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.

Do you agree?

And would you coach a speaker to create gestures based on this information?

[Image from Stallonezone]

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Quick public speaking tip – This week’s tip … gestures

Basically, when it comes to gestures, you can probably forget them. If you don’t care about your subject, if you don’t connect with your audience, if you don’t have a clear message, then gestures won’t matter one iota. They can’t save a bad speech or a bad speaker. Harsh, isn’t it? But true in the majority of cases.

And on the other hand (pardon the intentional pun)oftentimes, if you get those three things right, (enthusiasm, connection and message) the gestures will flow naturally and again, you can forget about them.

But … and there’s that pivotal word … but …

there are occasions when – and there are people who

have a distracting gesture.

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.

So you either get a coach to point it out, or you join a public speaking group who will point it out for you.

Or … and there’s another pivotal word, but a much more encouraging one this time

or … you learn to be aware of your gestures.

It’s a skill that can really only be learned and refined by practice.

You need to have the back of your brain sending out little spy satellites on regular intervals as you speak. One will be checking the energy of the audience, their attention. And another will be watching you, as you speak – your face, your body, you hands and your eyes. It will particularly be watching for repetitive gestures, odd gestures, incongruent gestures and gestures that are taking away from your enthusiasm, your audience connection and your message.

It’s a skill worth building through feedback and through practice, because gestures can make or break a great presentation.

Quick public speaking tip … congruent body language

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. So everything that implies relaxed, enthusiastic confidence and sincerity is vital now.

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 power. Is it alert and enthusiastic, then your body language will be upright and reflecting that enthusiasm.

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Quick public speaking tip – Congruence in body language

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. So everything that implies relaxed, enthusiastic confidence and sincerity is vital now.

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 power. Is it alert and enthusiastic, then your body language will be upright and reflecting that enthusiasm.

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Quick public speaking tip – Grounding

Stand with your weight on the balls of your feet, not on your heels.

The grounded balance will give you a firm base for confidence and from which to develop the most effective body language and gestures.

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Use Body Language to add hidden power to the Message of Your Presentation

In any speech or presentation, your body language adds power to the message. It supports what your words are saying. The operative word here is, of course, “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. 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 power. Is it alert and enthusiastic, then your body language will be upright and reflecting that enthusiasm.

You also 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.

If, on the other hand, (my 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 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 (and I recommend POWERtalk), where you can practise 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.

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© Bronwyn Ritchie … If you want to include this article in your publication, please do, but please include the following information with it:
Bronwyn Ritchie helps speakers to be confident and effective. In just 6 months time, you could be well on the way to being admired, rehired as a speaker, confident and sucessful, with the 30 speaking tips. Click here for 30 speaking tips for FREE. Join now or go to http://www.30speakingtips.com

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Public Speaking tip – Your image

Everything the audience sees of you as a speaker needs to reinforce the image you have decided to present in your speech – clothes, facial expression, stance and gesture.

At its most basic this means projecting confidence and sincerity. Unless you decide otherwise, the audience needs to know that you are comfortable with your message and believe in it.
 
If you are also using this presentation to present yourself as the face of your business, or as a candidate for a position, then take that into account as well. You need to be seen as trustworthy, competent, at ease with your material.

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Public Speaking Tip – “What do I want the audience to remember of me?”

Who are you? How will you be remembered after this presentation? Are you professional, poised, articulate? Are you warm, folksy, creative, nurturing? Maybe you want to be seen as ballistic, confronting, no-nonsense, boot camp material. What message will your clothes and your grooming convey? What will your choice of language say about you?
 
You cannot be someone you are not, when you present, unless you are prepared to be a performer for the entire production. Insincerity will detract from your speech as quickly as a joke in bad taste. But you can present a side of yourself as the highlight – the side you want your audience to remember.
 
And the most powerful choice you will make is how you get that image to support your message – how you put the two together.

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How to read body language

How to Read Body Language [Kindle Edition]

Nick Morgan

Every communication is two conversations, content and body language. And body language is often more revealing and truthful than content, especially in divulging what other people are really thinking. But how do you follow that second conversation? If you try to monitor it consciously, you rapidly become overwhelmed with ambiguous information. Did that twitch of the eye mean something significant, or was it just a twitch? In this brief eBook, author Nick Morgan shows you how to keep track of both conversations.

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Putting Your Best Face Forward

Researchers who study how babies acquire language have demonstrated that babies begin learning very early which sounds are relevant to the language that surrounds them. Babies learn so early to categorize sounds, in fact, that infants being raised as bilingual can even differentiate between the sounds of two languages they have never before heard.

One theory of how babies recognize a sound as belonging to one language or another is that they are using not only their ears but their eyes to understand language. They pay attention to visual cues, to the movement of the face, especially the lips, as a person speaks.

The idea that visual information affects speech perception is not new and is probably something you’ve noticed. Watching a dubbed film, for example, presents a problem to most viewers at first because they cannot reconcile the sounds they are hearing with the shapes of the mouths speaking the film’s original language. Such incongruity makes words hard to understand. About 35 years ago, in fact, researchers Harry McGurk and John McDonald demonstrated that humans use both visual and auditory information in speech perception. For most of us, vision triumphs; what we see can alter what we hear.

It’s called the McGurk effect.

SPEAKING UP
What does the McGurk effect mean to you as a presenter? => http://bit.ly/kTRboF

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Public Speaking tip – Define your image

When you first begin to prepare your presentation, you defined an image that you wanted to present. “What do I want them to remember of me?”

Who are you? How will you be remembered after this presentation?

Everything the audience sees needs to reinforce that image – clothes, facial expression, stance and gesture.

At its most basic this means projecting confidence and sincerity. Unless you decide otherwise, the audience needs to know that you are comfortable with your message and that you believe in it.

If you are also using this presentation to present yourself as the face of your business, or as a candidate for a position, then take that into account as well. You need to be seen as trustworthy, competent, at ease with your material.

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Eye contact

From some old notes of mine – old yes, but still very relevant!!

From Barksblog

I caught part of C-SPAN’s Washington Journal this morning while on the exercise bike at the gym. As usual, the sound was muted and the closed caption was on.
As a result, I couldn’t hear the guests, one of whom was Rich Lowry, editor of the National Review. Watching video with no sound is a great way to assess body language. I ask myself, is this someone I would listen to? In Lowry’s case, the answer was yes.
He appeared engaged and engaging. And there was one particular eye movement he has evidently mastered that takes much practice for most people (TV news anchors included). When he referenced his notes, he did not lower his head. Rather, he cast only his eyes down, and then only briefly. This gives the illusion of not breaking eye contact since the full face is still visible to viewers.
Try it, It is a subtle move, but nonetheless not easy to execute. But if you spend any amount of time on television, it is a tactic worth placing in your arsenal.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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 …

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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:

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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.

Simply Speaking…Selling Yourself & Your Ideas E-Zine

Published by Lenny Laskowski
Copyright LJL Seminars(tm), 2003
All Rights Reserved

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Top Ten Rules for Effective Presentations

I am of the belief that the majority of people can improve their presentations dramatically by focusing on eliminating bad habits and presentation skills more than seeking to add anything on. How often have you come out of a seminar and overheard someone say, “Wow, she was great! Did you see how effectively she used her hand gestures?” That said, here are some ideas to help you become a better speaker. >>>

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10 Public Speaking Delivery Tools That Will Keep Your Audience Hooked


Here are 10 speech delivery tips you can use to have a deep impact on your audience.

http://adjix.com/2pfg

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The Public Speakers Law of Attraction

If you are speaking as a professional business, or you are just involved in public speaking, using the law of attraction will get into the speaking frame of mind and will put you into the position where you will have created the mindset you need to become a successful public speaker. But remember one point here. It doesn’t matter how many leads you have, or how easy leads are provided to you. It doesn’t matter how many people sign up to hear your speech you are about to give. Without the proper mindset to guide your thinking, you won’t be successful and may just flop as a speaker.

(more …)

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Confident Public Speaking: Check This “Avoid At All Costs” List

In the pursuit of confident public speaking skills, it is important to accept that nervousness may never be completely eliminated in some public speakers. This is not necessarily bad. A certain amount of nervousness can be positively channeled to enhance performance.

Nevertheless, confident public speaking does involve learning not to betray one’s nervousness through obvious body signals

Familiarize yourself with the items in the list below and either check yourself through a video playback of your next presentation or have a close friend or colleague critique your presentation by looking out for these indicators that betray a lack of confidence in public speaking.

http://mitm-la.blogspot.com/2008/07/confident-public-speaking-check-this.html

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Presentation Technique

This is a great video – Energy is certainly a vital presentation technique. I just couldn’t help wondering how much more power this presenter would have had, if he had stood still occasionally!
Click on the picture to click through to the video.

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How not to make a powerpoint

This is remarkably true!! “How not to make a PowerPoint”
http://www.consultpivotal.com/videos.htm#powerpoint_not
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Engage your audience when you speak

How do you make your presentation more interesting to your audience?

Perhaps the most important technique is to include them when you speak.

You can choose your words to engage your listeners — or leave them out. If you leave them out, boredom is the probable result.

In this article, I’ll give you some specific techniques for crafting your content in a way that grabs the attention of your audience.

Read on

More on writing great speeches

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Public Speaking Success Tip – Creating a confident first impression

Before you open your mouth to say the first word of your speech, you are communicating with the audience. Your stance, facial expression and body language are a picture that paints a thousand words. Make it calm, confident and pleasant, and you start “on the right foot!” So plant both of your feet, stand up straight and smile at them. You’ll feel confident, sincere and professional and the audience will know. Then you can play with them.