Public Speaking - Body Language Mistakes: Gestures, Movement, Posture & Facial Expressions

Non - uttered communication, or body language, is an important part of public speaking. Your body language includes your posture, movement, gestures, facial expressions, eye contact and voice. At the very primitive, your body language should not distract the audience and with a little practice, it can help you convey confidence and help the audience eye your message more decidedly.

Here are the most common gesture, movement, posture and facial expression mistakes:

Gesticulate MISTAKES

• Not using gestures at all. If you keep your hands locked at your sides, you will look nervous and your presentation will deficiency the visual element to join and enhance your words.

• Keeping your hand in your pockets. This position leads down the slippery acclivity to slouching and a sloppier posture. And you also may unconsciously start playing with the keys or change in your pocket ( undoubtedly, I ' ve empitic – and heard – it happen! ).

• Fidgeting with your hands. Be aware of what your hands are doing, such as " washing " each other, grasping each other tightly, fiddling with your ticker or jewelry, etc. One of my public speaking coaching clients rolled and unrolled his shirt sleeves while he presented ( we solved that problem by having him wear short sleeves ). If you must dominion something, such as your notes or the PowerPoint remote, be conscious of how you are catching it. Too oftentimes the item becomes something for you to play with unconsciously, or in the cause of notes, a crutch that prevents you from looking at the audience.

• Revenue your hands behind your back. This indicate often resembles that of a child reciting a poem at a advise assembly. When not gesturing, your hands should be in the " neutral position, " uncertain loosely at your sides.

• Pointing at the audience. Exactly, your brobdingnagian was right – it ' s not polite to point. Try an unlatched - handed gesture instead.

• Folding your arms across your chest. Even if you are only doing this through you feel cold, this signal will most likely be interpreted as your closing yourself off from the audience.

• Gripping the podium. This gesture is recurrently accompanied by the " deer in the headlights " look. If you ' re using a podium, place your hands lightly on the top of it or in a relaxed grasp on the edges.

• Using mannered gestures. Your gestures should be natural and flow smoothly moderately than looking forced or robotic.

• Using acutely rehearsed gestures.

I once maxim a speaker fall to his knees during his speech, which was lavish and struck the audience as rip-roaring and insincere.

MOVEMENT MISTAKES

• Moving without intendment. Most of the time you should stand confidently in one place somewhat than pacing back and forth or motile aimlessly. If you do need to move, it should have a calculation. For illustration, legwork confidently to the front of the room before you do speaking and pace with design to the flipchart or to the computer.

• Shifting from your weight from one foot to the other. Many people do this unconsciously and sometimes for their feet hurt ( hint: wear swimming shoes! ). Instead, stand with your feet firmly planted on the macadamize, with your weight equally distributed on both feet.

• Hiding behind a desk, podium or flipchart. If the probability cast is set up so you are partially forfeit behind big-league, then you have to rely more heavily on your voice and facial expressions to guide meaning. If you are nervous and feel exposed when there ' s shutout between you and the audience, practice, practice, practice – in display of the mirror, on video, in ostentation of a favorable trust of colleagues. If you must posture behind great, do so with expectation and not as if you are dearth from the audience.

POSTURE MISTAKES

• Standing too stiffly. Yep, you should temperament up virtuous but it should be natural, not like you are frozen at attention. Keep your shoulders back and clasp your head up so you can make eye contact. This posture conveys confidence and helps you breathe more fully.

• Slouching and keeping your head down. Not only does it prevent you from looking at the audience, but it also conveys nervousness and makes it harder for the audience to hear you.

FACIAL EXPRESSION MISTAKES

• Not smiling, ever. Unless you are delivering fairy message, it is deserved for you to smile, even in a business setting. Smiling will relax you and, in turn, relax the audience.

• Smiling too much, especially when delivering bad message. You may be smiling or even giggling considering you are very nervous, but it undermines the gravity of your message and your sincerity. If you smile broadly or giggle while announcing mass layoffs, for part, your audience will interpret it as a sign of your lack of concern.

If you eliminate these body language mistakes from your presentation, you ' ll come across as more confident and sincere and you ' ll be able to communicate more effectively. Your body language will aggrandize your message to the audience fairly than distract from it.