This week’s guest blog post is provided by Mark Bowden, business presentation skills trainer and body language expert, President of TruthPlane, a communication and presentation training company used by Fortune 50 companies, CEOs, Celebrities and G8 leaders. His bestselling book, Winning Body Language, is out now.
As a leader, there is no getting around it: your job calls for presenting and public speaking under extreme pressure. What your listeners think of your ideas, plans, and your entire organization is affected by how they react to you as a leader when you communicate. Never underestimate the crucial role your presentation skills and style play in your success.
Studies show that close to four out of five leaders fail to present effectively because public speaking is a source of huge anxiety. How do you rise to the challenge and take the opportunity to speak with confidence? Do you project your leadership strengths and the strengths of your company to get the reactions you need?
Expert Mark Bowden offers ten tips on how to use body language to your advantage in public speaking
1. PUT YOUR BODY ON DISPLAY
When speaking, step away from the podium. If sitting, pull your chair back from the table — in short, display more of your body. Your audience’s instinctual ‘reptilian’ brain and emotional ‘limbic’ brain need to see your body to decide what they think your intentions and feelings are towards them. The less you show, the more they make those feelings and intentions up, and tend to default towards the negative.
2. SPEAK FROM YOUR BELLY
Place your hands in what is called the TruthPlane, the horizontal plane that extends 180 degrees out of your navel area, to display a sense that you can be trusted. Bringing the audience’s unconscious attention to this vulnerable area of your body makes them feel that you are very confident. By assuming this physicality, you will feel confident too.
3. SHOW YOUR HANDS
Show your palms open with nothing in your hands to let others know that you mean no harm and are speaking for their benefit. This is a universally recognised ‘friendly’ gesture.
4. INVITE THE AUDIENCE IN
When someone else is speaking, keep your hands in the TruthPlane to show you are open to what they say. By making small “inviting” gestures in towards you, you convey the feeling that you want to know more from them. This gesture makes presenter and audience alike feel good about what is being said, producing the stress-relieving chemical oxytocin in the brain.
5. RAISE THE BAR ON ENERGY
Show your audience you are excited by your subject matter by raising your hands to chest level, aka the PassionPlane. This sends your own heart rate up, and your audience will mirror this physical reaction by getting excited with you.
6. HANG OUT… CHECK OUT
Avoid dangling your hands by your side when giving important messages. When you are still, your brain gets messages to slow down breathing and heart rates, and your voice will take on a depressing or sleepy downward intonation. Again, your audience will mirror this action – and that’s how to put them to sleep!
7. ATTRACT THE RIGHT PEOPLE
Keep your gestures symmetrical. The brain understands symmetry in the body more easily than asymmetry, and we find it more attractive. In nature, symmetry is seen as an indicator of a healthy gene pool.
8. REVEAL, NOT CONCEAL
Avoid having your hands at mouth level when speaking, for example when sitting at a table with your chin in your hands. We lip read more than we think, and when the picture of the words is taken away it becomes harder to verify the language. The audience will perceive or create negative feelings about the speaker’s intentions — in the absence of information, we ‘make it up’ and always lean towards the negative to prepare for the worst.
9. MOVE COMPLEX TO CLEAR
When giving a complex message, avoid complex movement, so no fiddling with your pen! It is hard for the brain to decode complex verbal language when it is concentrating on complex nonverbal behaviour. Your audience will stop listening while they try to understand what you are doing and what it means.
10. STOP READING AND START LEADING
Don’t try to read other people’s body language consciously. Generally, most of us stand little more than a 50/50 chance of getting it right. Instead, concentrate on influencing your audience to mirror your simple and positive nonverbal behaviour, and they will be extremely likely to trust and engage with you every time you communicate.
You can contact Mark for speaking engagements or consulting services at 416 880 9965 or mark@truthplane.com
Tags: behaviour, body language, communicate, company, Jim Stewart, leader, leadership strengths, Mark Bowden, presentation skills, presenting, ProfitPATH, public speaking, speaking, TruthPlane
Great advice as always.
Cindy, thanks for the comment. Jim