Five Tips to Be a Confident Speaker
Research conducted by Albert Mehrabian in 1971 concluded that 55% of how you rate someone when you first see them is based on how they look, 38% on how they sound and only 7% on what they actually say. So when you speak in public, how you look and how you sound are the most important aspects of your speech. Of course the content is important, but your posture and voice establish your credibility and help to build trust with the audience.
Posture – you need to stand tall, but look relaxed. Roll your shoulders back, raise your head and rise slightly onto your toes as you start.
Stance – as a speaker your body is in two halves. The bottom half from the waist down should be still and you use your top half to show passion and enthusiasm.
Take your hands out of your pockets and try not to move your feet or shuffle from one leg to the other. In particular don’t do the little dance that’s called the speaker’s samba, or trainer’s trek up and down in front of the audience. But at key moments in your speech you can move closer to your audience so you’re more intimate with the group.
Gestures – you should use your arms, hands and face to show passion and enthusiasm. Use them to emphasis specific points, but don’t overdo it. You’re not a conductor of an orchestra. The bigger the audience, the bigger your gestures have to be so the people at the back can see them. But try not to point at them as it’s an aggressive move
Eye Contact – look at each person in the room for a couple of seconds as you talk. Move your head as you look around the room so they see you engaging with them.
Pace – make sure that you talk slowly. When we’re nervous we speak fast and the audience can’t keep up with the content of the speech. Slow down and emphasise your key points with pauses. Try and vary the pace of your talk to slow down in the most important parts.
Posture – you need to stand tall, but look relaxed. Roll your shoulders back, raise your head and rise slightly onto your toes as you start.
Stance – as a speaker your body is in two halves. The bottom half from the waist down should be still and you use your top half to show passion and enthusiasm.
Take your hands out of your pockets and try not to move your feet or shuffle from one leg to the other. In particular don’t do the little dance that’s called the speaker’s samba, or trainer’s trek up and down in front of the audience. But at key moments in your speech you can move closer to your audience so you’re more intimate with the group.
Gestures – you should use your arms, hands and face to show passion and enthusiasm. Use them to emphasis specific points, but don’t overdo it. You’re not a conductor of an orchestra. The bigger the audience, the bigger your gestures have to be so the people at the back can see them. But try not to point at them as it’s an aggressive move
Eye Contact – look at each person in the room for a couple of seconds as you talk. Move your head as you look around the room so they see you engaging with them.
Pace – make sure that you talk slowly. When we’re nervous we speak fast and the audience can’t keep up with the content of the speech. Slow down and emphasise your key points with pauses. Try and vary the pace of your talk to slow down in the most important parts.
Labels: body language, presentations, public speaking
posted by Peter Spalton at 11:53 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home