Body Language in Presentations
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The words you use during your talk certainly matter, but the body language presentation cues that you project are as important – if not more so – in getting your message to land as you intended.
The gestures you use, the eye contact you make, the expressions you convey, and your very movement through a room offer a multitude of nonverbal signals to your audience.
It’s through these body language presentation cues that an audience will make assessments about your credibility, your expertise, and your passion for the subject, as well as whether you are qualified to seek followers for the cause you are advocating, to suggest the changes you are recommending, or to pitch the product you are selling.
Even something as seemingly small as the number of seconds you maintain eye contact with your audience or the decisions you make about what to do with your hands when presenting can make a difference. It boils down to the impression your words and your actions are making. And as researchers have discovered, first impressions are formed in mere seconds and are often quite accurate and long-lasting. In a well-known study led by the late Nalina Ambady, a professor of psychology at Boston’s Tufts University, students who watched two-second video clips (with the sound muted!) of a group of professors formed similar impressions to the ones drawn by students during a full semester.
So how do you exhibit the right body language for presentation success?
Effectively using body language in presentations takes skill and practice. But before we get into the tips and strategies for how to achieve the right look and tone, let’s look at the basics of body language in professional presentations, as well as why it is important to be aware of your body language while giving a presentation.
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What is the Importance of Body Language in a Presentation?
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The proper body language in a presentation helps to convey that you have confidence in yourself and your message. A speaker who knows the importance of body language in an oral presentation can instill trust in the audience, which, among other things, helps to forge a connection. Further, a presenter who knows how to effectively employ body language presentation skills can help to emphasize the ideas that matter most.
If you are genuinely passionate about your subject, show it. A lackluster delivery not only belies your enthusiasm, but also does nothing to enhance the meaning and effectiveness of your words. What should your audience believe? The words you use to share how excited you are to be there, or the flat tone with which you delivered them? Typically, they’ll assume your monotone delivery is more indicative of your true feelings than your words.
Great physical communicators learn how to successfully align their facial expressions, gestures, movements, posture, and other nonverbal elements with their message.
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Presentation Body Language Basics
If you were delivering sad news, would you do it with a smile, a bright voice, and a bounce in your step? Or would you deliver it with a serious expression, a somber tone, and less pep? Any incongruity between your actions and your message is going to make it difficult for your audience to process, understand, and retain your message. You want your audience to be concentrated on your message and not the misalignment between your nonverbal movements and verbal delivery.
Your physical presence reveals your mental and emotional state to your audience – and everything about that presence should project that you feel comfortable, are in control of the room, and know your stuff. When it comes down to how to use body language to improve your presentation, it’s a matter of focusing on several key areas of your physical movements, including your eye contact, your gestures during presentation , and your presentation posture. (You can learn more about vocal cues here .)
When we work with our clients during our public speaking training sessions , we focus on how even small adjustments can make a difference in their delivery – such as a subtle shift of the shoulders, a more open stance, increased eye contact with their audience, and more natural and authentic gestures.
All these adjustments in your body language in a presentation can help to encourage audience participation, provide greater emphasis to your words, help you to appear and feel more natural, and increase your connection with the audience.
Eye Contact in Presentations: Why It’s Important
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Given there is a large body of research that reveals just how influential eye contact is when it comes to the assumptions, judgments, and perceptions people make about one another, it’s important to give more than, shall we say, a passing glance to how you plan to move your eyes about the room.
Authors, researchers, seasoned speakers, consultants, and trainers vary slightly on the exact amount of time to maintain eye contact with someone in your audience. It appears that a few seconds is the going rate. Or, to translate that into words – a sentence or two. We tend to approach it differently. We’ve found most speakers naturally strike a reasonable balance of how long to maintain eye contact with one person before moving on. If they focus too much brainpower on counting the seconds or tracking their sentences, it can trip them up.
So, instead, here’s a simple rule:
When looking at your notes, your slides, or any other place than your audience, you should not be talking. Any time you are communicating information, you should be looking at an audience member.
And you don’t want to be looking at just one person all the time. It’s important to have effective eye contact in your presentation skills toolbox. In this post , we dive more deeply into effective ways to lock eyes with multiple members of your audience, depending on the type of presentation and venue.
How to Use Facial Expressions in a Presentation
Animated and dynamic speakers know they have a fuller palette of expression to help tell their story when they enlist the more than 40 muscles in their face to move their eyes, nose, brows, and mouth. It is through facial expression that we convey emotions, including seven universal emotions identified by psychologist Paul Ekman through his decades of work. Researchers have found that your audience is likely to make assumptions about you, such as how intelligent, trustworthy, or confident you are, based on your expressions.
Here are some tips on how to better communicate through facial expressions:
Smile. Unless the material requires a more serious expression, smiling while presenting tends to convey warmth and competence, which can help you to connect with your audience. Be expressive. This is not a license to be a mime, but rather, to use your expressions to relay your enthusiasm, your excitement, and to reinforce and support your key points and ideas. Just as presenters are encouraged to expand their vocal range to avoid a monotone presentation, so too is it important to avoid a static expression throughout your entire talk. Observe your audience. Do they look confused? Disinterested? Just as your audience picks up cues through your facial expressions, you too may be able to make perceptions about your audience. (Just be mindful that not every neutral expression indicates boredom or disinterest.) Hone your talent. As with any language, using and practicing it leads to mastery. Nonverbal language is no different. As you practice and rehearse your talk, think about what your facial expressions are conveying and if they are effective. Do they align with your words? Do you appear natural and authentic? Do they support and reinforce your key ideas?
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Correct Body Posture During a Presentation
It’s hard to think of a single situation where slouching would be advised – and a presentation is no exception. The correct presentation posture if you are standing is to …
- Square your shoulders with the audience
- Relax your stance. You are not standing at attention!
- Face them directly instead of tilting your body away from them. (The exception to this rule is when you are soliciting feedback from your audience. In that case, turning your body at a slight angle can encourage engagement.)
The correct presentation posture if you are sitting is to …
- Lean forward slightly
- Plant your feet firmly on the floor (avoid crossing your legs)
- Avoid slouching into the chair
Beyond the confidence this posture projects to your audience, researchers have found when you throw those shoulders back or sit upright in your chair, that feeds into your self-confidence , too.
How to Improve Body Language for Presentations
The best way to project body language in a presentation is to be natural. And while it may sound counterintuitive, one of the ways you can appear and feel more natural in your movements is to practice them. This is why it’s important to save some time for rehearsals or practice runs.
Some of the best ways to test your material and your delivery are to record yourself, offer a practice run to an audience of colleagues or friends, and recreate the run-through so that it is as close to the live event as possible.
And, please, this is not the time for harsh criticism. Use this opportunity to see where you did well, such as projecting a confident smile, standing tall, and maintaining meaningful eye contact. Also, look for the areas where you can improve. Did you employ effective body language with your PowerPoint presentation slides? (Here’s are some specific ways to improve your PowerPoint presentation through body language and gestures.)
If you were on a panel, did it appear as if you were slouching? Did you appear nervous or ill at ease? (Here are some ways to counter your fear of public speaking . ) Use this time to hone your skills. Every presentation – whether practice or “live” – is a chance to improve.
Success occurs with preparation, and growth occurs with practice, whether you are a novice or seasoned pro. Here are some specific ways to make the most out of that preparation.
Practice in Front of a Mirror
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Record Yourself
There are several reasons that video recording a practice run-through – either with a camera or smartphone – will help your presentation run a whole lot smoother. In addition to tracking such things as your timing, your pace, and the overall flow of your presentation (For example, do you vary the time for each main point? Do you have a mix of message supports, including statistics, stories, and slides?), you also can analyze your body language. Here are some of the things you want to look and listen for:
- The pace, pitch, and tone of your voice and how effective those elements were in conveying your main points.
- How well you maintained eye contact with your “audience.”
- Your gestures and whether they add emphasis to your talk and reinforce key ideas.
- Any mannerisms that are creating distractions, such as pacing in a predictable pattern, fidgeting with your tie or jewelry, or constantly brushing your hair back.
Watch the tape, identify the two or three things you want to improve upon, and do another practice run. If you improve, add another element, and then do another practice run if you have the time.
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Rehearse in Front of Team Members
While a video recording can be an effective way to assess your presentation skills, rehearsing in front of an audience of colleagues is key to getting a feel for the “real” thing. It gives you a chance to assess the nonverbal communication of your audience in real-time, and make the body language presentation fixes that will help you to increase your chances that you are connecting with your audience and helping your messages stick. You can make these sessions more effective in several ways. They include:
Treating your practice like the real thing. Avoid caveats or skimming through sections ( “When I really give my talk, I’ll tell a funny story here.” ) Asking for honest reactions. Your team may be rooting for you, but they need to react honestly if your words are falling flat, your energy is low, or you are spending too much time looking and reading from your notes. Embracing slip-ups, technical difficulties, and distractions. You may be tempted to start over, but plow through any hiccups so you gain the confidence and experience in dealing with difficulties before your talk goes “live.”
( Here are 20 questions you can ask your practice audience. )
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Additional Presentation Body Language Tips
Your facial expressions, your posture, and your eye contact are all important elements in your nonverbal delivery. But you have other body language presentation cues that you also can use to make your presentation more effective. Remember, your hands can do some “talking” and your feet can do some walking in the service of your speech.
Hand gestures during a presentation can be used to do many things, including:
- Adding emphasis to a word or point
- Pointing something out on a slide or other visual support
- Reinforcing a concept
In practice, this means you might hold your fingers up for each point you want to make ( “No. 1 is this …” ). Or, with an outstretched hand – palm open – you direct your audience’s attention to a point of data on your chart. Finally, if you are comparing two recommendations perhaps you pantomime a scale with your hands, indicating that one side should win out over the other.
As for movement, unless you must stay tethered to the lectern, make the most of your space. Movement is one way to keep your audience alert and its attention on you. This leads to a more dynamic presentation and better connection with the audience.
When done with intention and confidence, your gestures and your movement – really, your overall body language in a presentation – will help to solidify your credibility, reveal your control of your material and the room, and help you to emphasize your key points.
Here are some specific tips on how to incorporate these additional body language presentation techniques into your talk.
What To Do With Your Hands During a Presentation
You may have been told it’s best not to gesture when speaking, but in our work with clients we have found that speakers become less anxious, appear more natural, and remember and retrieve their words far more effectively when they gesture during their presentations.
And the research backs that up. Gesturing not only adds emphasis and verve to your words but also can help you to better remember what you want to say.
However, there is a difference between gesturing and fidgeting. For instance, when you hold out your hand with the palm facing up when calling on someone during your Q&A, it is an effective and open gesture. It encourages engagement and connection. But, if you are hands are in constant motion, such as clasping and unclasping your fingers, twirling the ring on your finger, picking at your nails, or touching your face or hair, then your gestures can become a distraction.
When gesturing, remember to:
Be authentic. Start with what comes naturally and work from there. Forced movement will be seen for what it is – forced. Be purposeful. Trade fast, undisciplined hand movements during the presentation for gestures with intent. Be open. Avoid gestures such as pointing at your audience, gesturing toward them with your palm down, or crossing your arms – all of which can have a negative connotation or make you appear “closed” off and inaccessible. Be aware of cultural differences. Although certain presentation hand gestures and expressions fall under a universal language, gestures do not necessarily mean the same thing in every culture. For instance, your OK sign may mean just that, but to a person from another country, it might just be highly offensive. (Here’s a look at some of the more common nonverbal faux pas.)
What if My Hands Won’t Stop Shaking?
Anxiety has a way of hijacking whatever veneer of calm you, as a speaker, may have managed to induce before your talk. One of the ways your nervousness manifests itself is through your trembling hands. You may notice the shakiness as you organize your notes or take a sip of water. Most of the time, what you see as full-on earthquakes more typically come across as small-time tremors – if they are noticed at all by your audience. For most people, once the initial jitters ease, those tiny tremors fade. However, if that trembling never eases and you are wondering how to stop shaking hands during a presentation, it’s best to think beyond the symptoms and get to the core of the issue – anxiety. To do that, you must identify the cause of your fear – here are eight causes of public speaking fear – before you can find the techniques that will help you to reduce and manage it .
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Moving Around During a Presentation: Is That OK?
Movement is one way to keep your audience alert and its attention on you. Make the most of your space and your body language presentation skills so that you can create a more dynamic presentation and a better connection with your audience. What you don’t want to do is pace or create a predictable pattern in how you move around the room. That said, there are several ways you can utilize your space more effectively while walking during your presentation.
Here are several:
Use your movement to emphasize your points . You can begin on one side of the room and share your first, before moving to the other side for Point No. 2. Make your way to the center for your last point. Approach your audience. When answering questions or seeking participation, walk toward your audience. Avoid swaying. If you are standing still, try to avoid rocking from side to side. You can counter this by placing one foot about two to three inches in front of the other.
How You Dress is Important, Too
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Here are a few tips:
Choose the outfit that best supports your message, which means knowing the tone you want to set about your topic and who you are. Purchase an iron or get your clothes pressed. You can certainly present in casual clothes, but wrinkles are a no-go in nearly any situation. Consider your accessories carefully. Ostentatious jewelry or lapel pins will probably attract more attention than you want them to. They also could interfere with your microphone. Be wary of fabrics that rustle or shoes that make noises when you move. Not only will that distract you, but your audience will notice it, too.
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17 Body Language Presentation Cues to Use in Your Next Speech
I used to shake, stutter, and simmer during presentations. Now, I confidently own my speeches. Here are my top 17 body language tips for any presentation.
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- Why Body Language is Important
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- Presentation Cues
- Interview Cues
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- Business Cues
- Aggressive Cues
- Confident Cues
- Condescending Cues
- Presidential Cues
- Resting Bitch Face
- Advertising Cues
- AI and Body Language
- Facial Microexpressions
- Torso Cu e s
- Shoulder Cues
- Hand Gestures
- Female Cues
- Rules of Attraction
- How to Flirt
Some people may go into a presentation like they’re going into battle.
I was one of those people. But after years of public-speaking experience, dozens of experiments, and hundreds of talks, I can finally say I’ve conquered my presentation fears. And now I want to teach my tactics to you!
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Can You Read Body Language?
How good are your body language skills? Take our free body language quiz to find out!
Here is my ultimate guide on what body language to use to give the most captivating presentations . In this guide, you will learn:
- the first thing you should always do when giving an online presentation
- the best way to turn your audience into your friend
- how to use space to captivate your audience
- why Nixon won the heart of voters through the radio, but not on TV (hint: it was his appearance)
- how to use a podium to your advantage
- … and more!
I have been fortunate enough to speak to hundreds of companies , from Google to Intel to Frito-Lay. I’ve also been lucky enough to speak on stages at SxSW, at MIT, and the World Domination summit .
But all of those successes were hard earned. And I started out knowing nothing…
My Presentation Fail
OK, I have a really embarrassing story to admit.
Back in fifth grade, I wasn’t just bad at giving presentations. I was a train wreck : my legs shook, my palms sweated, and I had this really bad condition where my face would just dye itself red from embarrassment.
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Fast forward to the most important presentation of the year: I spent an entire month preparing (and even working after school!) for this fleshed-out speech on Columbus’s journey to America. It was full of amazing, captivating content… but unfortunately lacking in delivery.
On the big day, I couldn’t help but feel the sea of stares burning deep into me.
My face reddened like a beet, and I did the only thing my logical brain told me to do… I made a run for it. I literally stopped 5 minutes into my presentation, ran out the door, and hid in the nearest bathroom stall.
That day scarred me forever. I remember wiping tears from my face, wondering how the heck I’d ever get through any presentation again.
Fast forward to today…
- I have talked on stage at well over 100 different events.
- I regularly give training sessions at big corporations like Amazon and Microsoft.
- I even have my very own TED Ttalk!
So yeah, I can say now with a sigh of relief I have (somewhat) conquered my stage fright . Here are my best body language tips I’ve learned from my years of struggle. My aim for you in this article is to give you a boost of confidence the next time you’re giving a presentation!
They might sound small, but they matter.
Signal “Friend!”
So what’s one of the best ways to signal, “Hey, I’m your friend”? Is it:
- show your palms
- give an eyebrow flash
- all of the above
The answer is d) all of the above!
Here’s why these nonverbal cues are so powerful while presenting:
Right when I start a presentation, I like to immediately show my palms. This is absolutely essential to do in video calls since it’s even harder to build rapport than with in-person presentations.
Here’s me, where I show my palms in my TED Talk:
Showing your palms is a great way to signal to others that you have no weapons in your hands. This works because our primitive brains kick into overdrive, worrying that someone may brandish a hidden weapon.
You can even try it! The next time you’re in a conversation, bury your palms deep in your pockets or keep them behind your back. You may notice the other person seems a little unsettled or nervous.
A great way to show your palms during a presentation is to open with a personal story. Personal stories are full of truth and honesty, so you might find your hand gestures naturally opening up (you may not even have to consciously think about opening your palms!).
Give the Eyebrow Flash
The eyebrow flash.
It’s a commonly used gesture in greetings, especially when two people recognize each other. In essence, a quick up-down of the eyebrows shows someone that you’re happy to see them.
Research even shows that it’s used by monkeys and apes, meaning this is likely an inborn gesture.
So here’s the golden rule for presentations: always eyebrow flash when you walk onto stage. Just a quick, up-down of recognition. Couple it with a genuine smile (coming next!), and you’ve got a killer combo that shows you’re trustworthy and friendly.
But be careful of overdoing it—move your eyebrows up -and -down too many times and you’re inviting a different kind of attention!
Use a Genuine Smile
Did you know a real smile includes what is known as the “Duchenne marker,” or wrinkles around the corners of the eyes? Without this key indicator, a person might be faking their smile.
Check out more mouth cues, including licking lips, lip biting, and pursed lips here: 39 Mouth Body Language Gestures
Take Up Space
When we’re nervous on stage, we often go into “deer in the headlights” mode.
We bring our arms in close, keep our feet in the smallest space possible, and bring our shoulders in like a turtle. To give effective presentations, you’ve got to learn how to master your space.
Don’t forget there is space around you! Widen your stance, walk around, use big gestures, and power pose.
- Widen Your Stance. Ask a body language expert what’s the most important body part to pay attention to and chances are, they’ll say the feet. People know what kind of face they’re making. Or what their hands are doing. But they rarely pay attention to their feet during presentations. Avoid standing with your feet awkwardly close. Make sure your feet are at least shoulder-width apart and don’t be afraid to go even wider.
- Walk the Stage. Don’t plant yourself in the room if there’s room available to move around. People pay attention to what’s in motion, so keep moving during your speech to grab attention. One clever way to remember movement is to move with your points—if you have 3 main points, when you switch from one point to another, move to the other side of the room to signal a shift.
- Use Your Arms. Generally, you don’t want huge gestures all the time. But there’s also no need to keep your arms to yourself—use those puppies for emphasis! When you are exaggerating a point, showing a large measurement or data, or talking about something grand, spread your arms and take up space.
- Power Pose. Do you know the power of posing? In a TED Talk, Amy Cuddy explains that power posing can actually increase our confidence. Do this before a presentation to boost your confidence, or do it during a presentation to command attention and feel powerful.
Other than taking up space, another body language presentation trick you can use is to minimize space between you and the audience.
Bridging the distance between you and the audience is a powerful cue to use sparingly.
In the 1992 debate between Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush, Clinton is asked a question from the audience.
But rather than answering it immediately, he stands up and tries to get as close to the speaker as possible. This little difference allowed the crowd to resonate with Clinton more than Bush, who stood answering questions at a distance.
It was a small change, but it made a world of impact.
Save this for points that really matter to you. When you want your audience to lean in and listen up, move close.
I also do this during question and answer sessions.
Generally speaking, pointing is considered rude… except when you’re presenting with a big screen or projector. If you don’t have a laser pointer or long stick, pointing HELPS the audience by directing their eye gaze at what they should be paying attention to.
Make sure to point at the screen if you think your audience needs a bit more engagement, or during really lengthy and explanatory parts of your slides with text, so they can visualize better.
Raise Your Hand
Remember those times in class when the teacher asked us to raise our hands? Teachers do it for a reason: it increases audience engagement! Whenever you ask a question to the audience, try to spin it in a way to get the audience to participate:
- Instead of asking your audience, “Did you think the Christmas event was amazing?” try asking, “Raise your hand if you think the Christmas event was amazing.”
- You can even spin a statement into a question. If you are stating an exciting fact like “McDonald’s once made bubblegum-flavored broccoli” (totally true, btw!), you can ask your audience, “Which product did McDonald’s once come out with?” and ask for a show of hands for each potential answer.
Since raising our hands is still likely a learned body language that is ingrained in our brains, utilizing this body language cue is a no-brainer to keep the audience hooked.
Read Between the Eyes
Here’s a quick way to boost your perceived intelligence during a presentation: increase your eye contact! Make sure to sweep across the room as you make eye contact with others. Maintaining eye contact is great if you want to build rapport with others. It’s even been found to increase feelings of love and affection!
And forget about the “imagine your audience naked” advice that somehow got popular.… Instead, imagine your audience members are your closest friends.
Imagine your audience are your closest friends. They are there to root for you!
Even if it’s one close friend, imagine you are talking to them. You’ll naturally make more eye contact, your body language will open up, and you’ll be more authentic and honest. No wonder the eyes are the window to the soul.
Side Note: Don’t forget those in the back! Always make contact with every single person in the room, if you can. If it’s a bigger audience, you might want to mentally section-off the crowd in blocks to make sure you make eye contact with most of the crowd.
Laugh It Off
Humor is one of the best ways to turn a dull presentation into a lively one. Who doesn’t love to laugh?
Chances are, you’re not laughing enough.
Research shows that adults only laugh an average of 15 times a day, while preschoolers laugh 400 times 1 https://www.amazon.com/Definitive-Book-Body-Language-attitudes/dp/1409168506 !
It’s not only about feeling good, either. Laughing is actually more about building relationships than reacting to jokes.
That’s why laughter is 30 times more likely to occur in social situations than by yourself!
Laugh more if you want to become more likable.
Verbal back channels, cadence, mumbling, and stuttering—learn more body language tips to give you a boost in your people skills arsenal!
Forward Lean
Sure, everybody knows not to be a slouch: chest up, shoulders back, and head raised.
But did you know adding a slight forward lean to your presentation can increase engagement? Just imagine the last time you were super hooked in a conversation.
Chances are, you were leaning slightly forward:
Body leaning is our body’s natural way of saying, “Wow, this is interesting!” If you see it in your audience? That’s great! And if you do it yourself? You are sub communicating that you’re interested in both the audience AND what you’re saying.
Add a slight forward lean to increase audience engagement.
Use Hand Gestures
Here’s the deal: Research 2 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234115692_Gesture_use_in_social_interaction_how_speakers’_gestures_can_reflect_listeners’_thinking shows that using hand gestures increases the value of your message by a whopping 60%!
And we confirmed it using science.
In our human behavior research lab, we analyzed thousands of hours of TED Talks and found one striking pattern: the most viral TED Talkers spoke with their words AND their hands.
Want to dive into our research and see which hand gestures to use to WOW a crowd? Click below to find out: 60 Hand Gestures You Should Be Using And Their Meaning
Here’s a self-test you can try out right now: cross your arms.
Which arm appears on top?
Science says that 7 out of 10 people cross their left arm over their right one 1 https://www.amazon.com/Definitive-Book-Body-Language-attitudes/dp/1409168506 .
Crossing arms over your torso is not only a way of defending your most vital organs, but also a form of “self-hug.”
People normally cross arms when they feel defeated or defensive. In presentations, you might find yourself manifesting the arm cross in subtler ways—reaching across the body to fiddle with a watch, adjusting a shirt cuff link, or even adjusting a tie knot.
To counter crossed arms, always default to having your arms relaxed and to the sides when you’re not gesturing. Having your arms to your sides is the most natural position and one that shows you’re confident enough to be relaxed.
Want more cues to arm yourself? Head on over to our guide: Crossed Arms and 17 More Cues to Know
Have you ever been in a presentation where the person giving the speech stands behind the podium the whole time? Podiums are a huge presentation faux pas and effectively block presenters from the audience.
If there’s a podium in the room with you, a personal tip I try to use is to never use the podium for more than a quarter of my presentation. Not only do podiums plant you in place, they also block off half your body.
Here’s a hilarious example of giving a presentation behind a big table… notice how nobody knows what could be going on down there!
Podiums and tables are great as a bounce-back point (if you need to check your notes, change slides, take a sip of water, etc.), but shouldn’t be a nest you coop up in all day.
Keep Cool as a Cucumber
It was September 26, 1960. The entire nation was tuned in to see the first- ever televised presidential debate, featuring John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon.
Except there was one glaring problem for the Republicans.
The millions of Americans who tuned in could see Nixon sweating under the hot studio lights, while Kennedy remained as cool as a cucumber. Nixon also displayed other signs of anxiety, like lip licking and fast blinking.
So who won the presidential debate ?
It turns out, most people who listened to the debate on the radio voted for Nixon, due to his deep, rich voice.
But those who saw it on the big screen? Hands down, the majority of them sided with Kennedy. During a presentation, people will be able to read a lot from your face. Are you a nervous lip biter? Do you sweat when you’re under pressure? Do you blink too much—or not enough?
Try these tips to master your facial expressions :
- Record Yourself. One of the ways I became much better at public speaking than I was before is that I constantly do YouTube videos . In my early days, I always looked away from the camera and bit my upper lip, until I rewatched my videos and corrected the problems. If you have any glaring issues, video will find it.
- Take a Deep Breath. It’s totally OK to pause and take a deep breath. Make sure to constantly breathe deeply. It’s super easy to get nervous and start shallow breathing. I find a session of quick meditation actually helps me to calm my nerves.
And remember, it can’t be all that bad. Have a look at Colin Robertson’s hilarious TED Talk , where things seem to go awry.
Hide Your Notes
I generally don’t recommend having notes with you if you can help it. Using notes is great to keep you on -pace, but relying on them could be a crutch.
Physically holding them in your hands could take up valuable palm space for gesturing and can make your movements more awkward. You can also forget to make eye contact at critical moments.
I recommend keeping your notes to a bare minimum (i.e., don’t write your college thesis on them) and leaving them at the podium or by your side. Refer to them as needed, but you should be at a place where you only need to look at a few key words to remember what you’re going to say next.
Many presenters already know they should move and take up space. But sometimes it can be easy to over-do it. One powerful, advanced body language trick is to actually keep still and silent during the important parts of your presentation.
Steve Jobs was a master at movement. Watch as he moves to emphasize his points, but during the very important points, he tends to stay still and command attention:
Color Psychology
What colors you wear can drastically affect the perception of you on camera. Just take a look at these 2 different outfits, but with their colors switched:
![body language in presentation Vanessa in black dress vs Vanessa in pink dress](https://www.scienceofpeople.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/933835_PresBodyLanguage_010621.jpg)
See how different I look?
One image portrays power, confidence, and authority. The other is perfect for spring picnics and tea time.
OK, those images are a bit on the extreme side. But for normal colors, choose your color to match the mood you want to give off:
- Blue gives off feelings of stability, tranquility, and trust.
- Red primes emotions of intensity, aggression, and passion.
- Yellow indicates emotions of happiness, vibrance, and youth.
Check out this article: Color Psychology: What Colors Should You Wear and Why
News Reporter vs. Preacher
One way to speak is like a monotone news reporter:
On the other end of the spectrum, you’ve got an enthusiastic preacher:
In most presentations, you want to be somewhere in the middle (leaning toward enthusiastic).
Vocal variety is a huge body language cue that you can easily change to spice up your presentations. If you’re not naturally vocally gifted like Freddie Mercury, no worries! Try a vocal warm-up .
One of my favorite vocal warm-ups I do almost every time before a video or presentation is to simply hum:
- Do one long “hmmmmmmmmm,” and try to hold it for as long as you can.
- Now, loosen up your lips and mouth. Hum again, but now more relaxed. Try to keep your jaw and cheeks nice and loose as well.
- Inflect! Go up and down with your hum. Alternate between descending and ascending hums.
Do this five times and be amazed at how magical your newly – prepped voice is.
Remember, your goal as a captivating presenter isn’t just to relay information. You’ve also got a second job as an entertainer. Remember to engage the audience and have fun on stage! Your audience will appreciate it, and you’ll feel more free, too.
Presentation Body Language Mini-FAQ:
How much of a presentation depends on your body language.
You may have heard that communication is 93% nonverbal, and only 7% verbal. These percentages are actually false. We may not know the exact percentage, but nonverbal communication plays a huge role in presentations (with the right body language, you can turn any old, boring content into the most exciting presentation ever!).
Why is body language important in presentation?
Open, confident body language allows you to clearly express your message during a presentation, without disengaging your audience. Great body language during presentations builds your credibility, draws the audience’s attention to your points, and helps you connect with your listeners and build rapport.
Bonus: Give Captivating Presentations
You might not realize it, but you are presenting ALL the time. Whether it’s:
- speaking up in a meeting
- giving an introduction on a video call or joining a conference call
- or even talking on stage
… we are constantly presenting. So I want to help you achieve your presentation goals. Whether you’re looking to find the best openers and closers, use visuals in your presentations, tell amazing stories, or even present online, I’ve got you covered: Master Your Presentations With Powerful Presentation Skills
Are there any other presentation body language tips you have? Or can you relate to my embarrassing story? Leave a comment below!
Side Note: As much as possible we tried to use academic research or expert opinion for this master body language guide. Occasionally, when we could not find research we include anecdotes that are helpful. As more research comes out on nonverbal behavior we will be sure to add it!
Crack The Code on Facial Expressions
The human face is constantly sending signals, and we use it to understand the person’s intentions when we speak to them. In Decode, we dive deep into these microexpressions to teach you how to instantly pick up on them and understand the meaning behind what is said to you. Don’t spend another day living in the dark.
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- Presentations
- Public Speaking
Importance of Body Language in Presentations: +How to Use It Effectively
![body language in presentation Brenda Barron](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=40/uploads/users/1223/profiles/19734/profileImage/192887389_10226422225921366_1386554784344850241_n.jpg)
To create a great presentation, you need more than an interesting topic or the perfect PowerPoint template. While those things are important, there is one more element that you need to pay attention to— your body language.
![body language in presentation body language importance](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/988/posts/33171/image/Body-language-important.jpg)
While the presentation template you use is important, effective body language can make all the difference. Learning how to speak body language sometimes increases the chances of a successful presentation.
So, do you know how to stand during a presentation? Or even speak body language as a communication tool? It might feel like magic, but it doesn't have to be a mystery. In this guide, we’ll explain what body language. You'll also learn different types of body language and share body language speech tips that you can use right away.
What Is Body Language?
Body language is the way your body communicates without the use of words. It includes hand gestures, posture, facial expressions, and movements that send messages of their own. Body language can happen consciously and unconsciously.
For example, the way you’re sitting right now paired with your facial expression can tell others a lot about you. Based on your body language, they can tell whether you’re amused or concentrating hard. They can tell whether you’re approachable or if you’re having a bad day.
![body language in presentation Work how to speak body language](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/40736/image-upload/work_how_to_speak_body_language.jpg)
If you’re in a discussion with someone and verbally agree with them, your body language will likely reveal your thinking. It may either confirm that you indeed agree with what is being said or betray you and tell others you don’t feel the same way.
In other words, your body language reveals the true story behind your words. But you can choose and control your body language with practice.
What Is the Importance of Body Language in Effective Presentations?
Using body language in presentations the right way can help you close more sales or win that pitch. Your body language can help you engage your audience and be confident and relaxed during your presentation. When you make eye contact and maintain a confident posture, your presentation is more likely to connect.
Bad body language can break your presentation. If you aren't aware of it, bad habits like slouching, no eye contact or arms on your hips can stunt your connection to the audience. The bottom line is: don't forget about the importance of body language in presentations.
12 Quick Tips Body Language Tips For Better Public Speaking
Now that we’ve covered what body language is and why it matters while giving a presentation, here are 12 tips that'll show you how to use body language:
Believe it or not, a smile is the most powerful tool you've got in your body language toolbox. A UC Berkeley study from 2011 found
“that smiling can be as stimulating as receiving up to 16,000 Pounds Sterling in cash.”
What’s more, a smile can instantly change the perception we have about someone, not to mention it leads people to smile back at us.
![body language in presentation Body Language Smile](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/988/posts/40736/image-upload/2_body_language_smile.jpg)
While it’s true that smiling can be hard when you’re nervous, but keep in mind that a University of Kansas study found that smiling reduces stress .
So, the next time you're up there giving a presentation, don’t forget to smile every so often. Not only will you seem more approachable to your audience, but you'll relieve that stress you’re feeling as well.
2. Assume a Power Pose
Professional speaker Amy Cuddy shows that a power pose can help you establish authority. It's a great reminder that body language helps you come across as confident in your content. Check out the pose in action in the video below.
![body language in presentation body language in presentation](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/phcDQ0H_LnY/sddefault.jpg)
An example of a power pose is standing with your feet a shoulder-width apart, with hands on your hips, and chin lifted up.
3. Move Towards the Audience
As you think of how to stand during a presentation, focus on a positive connection with your audience. As you speak, you’ll likely have one or more key points that you want to emphasize.
As you stand and present, take a step towards your audience when you reach one of these ideas.
![body language in presentation Body language PPT](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/40736/image-upload/body_language_ppt.jpg)
Effective body language public speaking tips often share this idea. To be effective, you must connect with your audience. You want each person to feel as though you’re talking directly to them. Take a literal step forward to achieve this goal!
4. Don’t Slouch
Slouching makes you appear less confident and like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. If you're physically able to stand straight, then be sure to do so the next time you’re giving a presentation.
Stand tall with your shoulders pulled back and your stomach tucked in—you'll appear more confident and get a quick jolt of energy to boot.
5. Make Use of the Space
Another quick tip is to make use of the stage. Instead of standing still, move around the stage. By doing so, you'll send a message to your audience that you’re comfortable in your skin and confident about your topic matter. It'll also help you avoid fidgeting.
![body language in presentation Body Language Use Available Space](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/988/posts/33171/image/body-language-use-space.jpg)
Step out from behind the podium and let your audience see you. Move from one spot to another by taking a couple of steps, stopping, and then taking a few more steps.
Be natural as you move about though and avoid pacing. This will achieve the opposite effect and make you look nervous, not to mention you'll run out of breath.
6. Don’t Be Afraid to Gesture
If you watch other presenters, you’ll notice one thing in common: great presenters use hand gestures as part of their delivery.
Hand gestures will help you stress what's important as well as express feelings and convictions. Your passion for the topic will become more apparent as our gestures are more lively when we're passionate about something.
Watch as speaker Graham Shaw makes effective use of hand gestures and visual aids to explain his ideas.
![body language in presentation body language in presentation](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7TXEZ4tP06c/maxresdefault.jpg)
Hand gestures will show your audience a general sense of enthusiasm for the topic. Don't let them distract but incorporate them to show your engagement.
7. Speak Clearly
It’s not uncommon for nerves to get the better of you during the presentation. This might show up as stutters or mumbles, especially if there are tricky words involved.
Practicing your speech before the presentation is a must! It's a good way to make sure you feel comfortable delivering it and that your audience will be able to understand you.
Another tip that'll help you speak clearly and confidently is to imagine you’re delivering your presentation to your friends.
8. Minimize Nervous Habits
Arms crossed. Feet shuffling. Hands in your pockets. All these are visual tells that you’re nervous. Being nervous is natural! But it can lead to body language that distracts from your presentation. As you practice how to speak body language, work to cut these gestures.
![body language in presentation Body language speech](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/151/posts/40736/image-upload/body_language_speech.jpg)
You’ll find that acting confident makes you more confident. Closing yourself off only enhances your feelings of shyness and worry. Effective body language means opening yourself up to engage with your audience.
9. Maintain Eye Contact
As you give your presentation, be sure to maintain eye contact with your audience and face them. Doing so will make them feel like you’re talking directly to them and will help keep them interested in your presentation.
Avoiding eye contact or turning your back to them will come off as rude and break the connection with the audience.
10. Don’t Forget Facial Expressions
Facial expressions can do wonders for keeping your audience interested and convincing them to believe in your cause. Your presentation isn't the time nor the place to bring on your poker face as you'll come off as a robot.
By letting your passion for your topic shine through with your facial expressions, your audience will be able to connect with you and trust you.
![body language in presentation Body language for a presentation](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/988/posts/33171/image/body-language-gestures.jpg)
You can practice your facial expressions in front of the mirror while you practice your speech. Or, record yourself with a camera and analyze your facial expressions later on.
11. Learn From Other Presenters
The last tip is to learn from other great presenters. You can study their body language and see how they use facial expressions, movement, and gestures to help them convey their ideas. A good place to start is to check out various TED Talks.
12. Remember to Breathe
While you’re on the stage, it can be all too easy to get caught up in your presentation and start to speak fast. But if you speak too fast, your audience will tune out because it'll be hard to follow you and you’ll run out of breath.
As you'll see in the Duke University commencement speech below, Apple CEO Tim Cook uses effective pauses. It helps him to build a steady, comfortable cadence when speaking.
![body language in presentation body language in presentation](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Jr4LC1q1N_g/maxresdefault.jpg)
That’s why it’s important to take a pause and remember to breathe. Breathing properly will also help you with your voice pitch and tone so you don’t sound strained and nervous.
Different Types of Body Language
By following the previous presentation body language tips, you'll deliver more effective presentations. But if you want to use those tips successfully, you need to be aware of different body language types.
1. Eye Contact
We mentioned earlier how important it is to maintain eye contact with your audience. Eye contact helps you establish a personal connection with your audience. Keep in mind that you don’t have to look each person in the eye as this can prove to be difficult with large audiences.
![body language in presentation Body Language Eye Contact](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/988/posts/33171/image/body-language-eye-contact.jpg)
Instead, focus your eye contact on a few people in different parts of the room will help you establish and maintain that contact. If they look at you, hold their gaze for a few seconds but avoid staring as long eye contact can make people feel uncomfortable.
Eye contact can also help you get a feel for how the audience is receiving your presentation. If you catch them yawning or trying to stifle a yawn or if they're looking around, it’s a sign they're losing interest in the presentation. Eye contact can help bring their attention back and re-engage them with the topic.
2. Head Movements
The way you move your head can signal a lot of different things. For example, when you lower your head, you send signals such as being tired or waiting for the right moment to speak.
Looking up at the ceiling or away may signal you’re bored or that you’re hiding something from your audience as you’re avoiding eye contact. Nodding signals agreeing with someone.
With the right head body language , you can engage your audience and convince them to agree with your idea.
3. Facial Expressions
![body language in presentation Body Language Facial Expressions](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/988/posts/33171/image/body-language-expression.jpg)
Facial expressions help us convey our emotions to others or mask them when we feel uncertain about the person we’re talking to. That’s why using facial expressions during a presentation is crucial.
When it comes to facial expressions, keep in mind that anyone can recognize the seven universal emotions described by Dr. Paul Ekman. One of those emotion is fear, and it can certainly pop up as a presenter. It's important to rehearse to help tame that fear.
Practice your speech and practice giving your presentation in front of a familiar audience first. Once you feel confident about your speech and performance, it’s less likely that fear will show up on presentation day.
4. Hand Gestures
According to a study by Vanessa Van Edwards , hand gestures are one of the five key patterns of all successful TED talks. In other words, the more you gesture with your hands, the better the likelihood of your presentation being a stellar success.
Use your hands to communicate different points in your presentation. The most effective way to do this is to use your fingers to count the points you’re explaining.
5. Body Posture
![body language in presentation Body language good posture](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=850/uploads/users/988/posts/33171/image/body-language-good%20posture.jpg)
The way you hold yourself matters. You already know that poor posture such as slouching will give your audience the impression that you’re not confident in your topic or yourself. If your back is tense, they'll sense your tension and wonder what’s causing it.
Remind yourself to relax throughout your presentation and to straighten up if your start to slouch. Not only will this give you the chance to improve your posture, but it'll also allow your audience to take in the points you’ve just covered.
Learn More About Great Presentations
Now that you know more about how to stand during a presentation confidently, you can continue to level up your PowerPoint skills. We've built out a helpful resource, How to Use PowerPoint (Ultimate Tutorial Guide.) This has everything you need to master must-have presentation skills.
Check out these top tutorials from our guide below:
![body language in presentation](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=400/uploads/users/151/posts/28734/preview_image/presentations-icon.jpg)
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You can join and begin downloading in moments. Using expertly-crafted assets helps you give the most effective presentation possible. You’ll save time building your presentation. That gives you more time to practice and build confidence. Plus, you’ll have ready visual aids that will wow any audience.
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Make Use of Your Body Language to Ace Your Presentation
Delivering a great presentation is more than a good topic and strong slide deck. Using effective body language public speaking techniques can really make the difference.
Once you’ve nailed down your topic, make sure you've got a well-designed slide deck. You can save a lot of time by using a professionally designed PowerPoint templates. Choose from one found on Envato Elements or GraphicRiver to speed up your work.
Lastly, don’t underestimate the importance of body language in a professional presentation. Your body language says a lot about you, not to mention it's got the power to help you deliver an engaging presentation. Put your body language to good use with the tips we've shared. Step into space, maintain eye contact, and speak clearly with confidence.
Editorial Note: This content was originally published on May 1st of 2019. It's been updated by Andrew Childress to include new tips and examples to help teach you how to speak body language.
![body language in presentation Brenda Barron](https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=64/uploads/users/1223/profiles/19734/profileImage/192887389_10226422225921366_1386554784344850241_n.jpg)
- Delivery Techniques →
Body Language in Public Speaking: How to Master It
![Body Language in Public Speaking: How to Master It body language in public speaking](https://icebreakerspeech.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/body-language-in-public-speaking.jpg)
Public speaking can be daunting. Even seasoned speakers can sometimes lack confidence and poise in front of a crowd. Your words may be carefully constructed, but what about your body language? Are you making the best use of everything from your head tilt to your hand gestures to create the most impressionable, powerful performance? It can be hard to know where to start when it comes to improving your body language for public speaking. After all, there’s so much to take into account. Which can make you even more anxious! But never fear – in this blog post we’ll show you how to master your body language and make your public speaking more impactful. We’ll cover basics, like posture and facial expressions, to finer details, like microphone technique, to ensure you make the right impression every time. So let’s get started on taking your public speaking to the next level – the only way is up!
Quick Answer
Using body language when giving a speech or presentation can help to convey your message more effectively and engage the audience. Make sure to avoid any nervous habits such as fidgeting and maintain good posture. Use hand gestures and facial expressions sparingly and intentionally for maximum effect.
Understanding Body Language
Understanding body language is key for any public speaker to be successful in creating an impact. On one hand, researchers suggest that body language can provide insight into a person’s true feelings, intentions and thoughts.
Whether it be positive reinforcement like a thumbs-up or negative reinforcement like facial expressions of frustration - body language always plays an important role in the understanding of communication.
Additionally, during the speaking portion of a presentation, a speaker’s posture will affect their delivery, giving off strong signals of confidence and power when done correctly. On the other hand, many people have studied nonverbal communication and report mixed findings on its accuracy.
![distracted-speaker distracted-speaker](https://icebreakerspeech.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/distracted-speaker.jpg)
Our own biases as individuals tend to influence our interpretation of what we observe in another’s body language. Context can also play a big role in how we interpret cues - something that someone may consider as confident body language could easily be considered intimidating or aggressive depending on the scenario and the audience it is being given to. Overall, understanding the basics of both verbal and nonverbal communication is essential for any successful public speaker to make an impactful statement. By understanding these essential differences between each form of speaking, a speaker can craft their presentation accurately and congruently in order to achieve their desired outcome. Now that an understanding of body language has been discussed, the following section will discuss "What is Body Language" in further detail.
Must-Know Summary Points
Body language, both positive and negative, plays an important role in communication. Body language can influence how successful a public speaker is, as their posture not only affects delivery but also signals confidence and power.
The interpretation of nonverbal communication, however, can be affected by the individual's biases and context-dependent cues. To make a successful impact through speaking publicly, one must understand both verbal and nonverbal forms of communication.
What is Body Language?
Body language is a form of communication that uses nonverbal cues, such as posture, gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact to convey messages. It is defined as “ the behavior that one displays during communication through body movements, posture, and gestures .”
![president president](https://icebreakerspeech.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/president.jpg)
Body language can be used to express a variety of emotions, including happiness, anger, sadness, confusion, or surprise. It is also an effective way to make a point or emphasize something important when delivering a speech. Body language can be both beneficial and detrimental depending on the context in which it is used. For instance, standing up straight with your arms crossed applied can make you appear more authoritative or confident. On the other hand, this gesture may come off as aggressive and intimidating if the tone of your message isn't aligned with the assertive body language. By being mindful of our body posture and movements before and during a presentation we can ensure that the message we are trying to convey is accurately interpreted by our audience. With a better understanding of how body language affects public speaking, we can use it to our advantage and create meaningful connections that foster trust and respect with our audience. In the next section we will explore how to use body language to make your public speaking more impactful.
The Impact of Body Language
When it comes to public speaking, what we say matters, but the way we say it matters even more. Body language is a universal language and can have an immense impact on how your message is received by an audience. Often times, before you have even said your first word, your body language has already spoken thousands of words to the audience. The lines of your face, curve of your throat, folds in your clothing and the look in your eye all speak volumes about how you are feeling and what kind of attitude you bring to the podium. For example, if a speaker appears tense or closed-off, it may cause some audience members to become defensive or uncomfortable. But if a speaker comes across as open and confident, it helps put the audience at ease and encourages them to respond positively to what they hear. Body language can also have numerous other nonverbal communication benefits during public speaking . For example, well-timed pauses , emphasis on certain points through gestures, and capturing attention with eye contact can all help take an average speech and turn it into something that really resonates with the listener. On the other hand, there’s no denying that people’s perception of body language can be highly subjective. While certain body language cues such as crossed arms may be indicative of being closed off to ideas that don't align with one’s own beliefs for some people, for others crossed arms may simply mean deep concentration.
![why why](https://icebreakerspeech.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/why.jpg)
So its important to keep in mind that how we interpret someone else’s body language largely reflects our own preconceived notions rather than calling out any specific trait of another person. The impact of body language when giving a public presentation should not be underestimated - it can turn a mediocre performance into something extraordinary by creating a connection with listeners and keeping them engaged throughout. Now let's take a closer look at how you can use body language effectively during public speaking to maximize this impact.
Body Language During Public Speaking
Body language during public speaking can have a huge influence on the delivery of your speech, as well as your overall success. The way you move and use your body to convey your message is one of the most important elements of delivering an effective presentation . Your body language can reveal how confident or hesitant you are about the material you’re conveying and how engaged or disinterested your audience is. When speaking in front of people, maintaining an open body language can demonstrate your confidence and help put them at ease. Some people tend to cross their arms when they become nervous , which can come off as confrontational or even hostile.
![How-to-Become-a-Motivational-Speaker How-to-Become-a-Motivational-Speaker](https://icebreakerspeech.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/How-to-Become-a-Motivational-Speaker.jpg)
Your posture should be relaxed but upright—avoid slouching or hunching over, as this comes off as unprofessional and may signal a lack of confidence in yourself and your message. On the other hand, standing too straight and rigid can also be intimidating. Standing with your feet slightly apart in an open stance conveys openness and comfort with yourself and your message. Your facial expressions should also match what you’re saying—a grimace when telling a funny story, for example, is confusing for the audience. It’s important to stay aware of flinching or winking too much, which can make it seem like you’re not paying attention to what you’re saying or are uncomfortable with the content. Make sure to look out for any unintentional visual cues that might distract or confuse your audience. Keeping good posture and making sure your movements coincide with the flow of your speech will enable you to project confidence and enthusiasm that will keep your audience engaged throughout the duration of your presentation.
Your facial expressions play an equally vital role in helping you get your point across efficiently so it’s important to become aware of them while speaking. With greater awareness and practice, mastering nonverbal communication during public speaking will become easier and more natural. Next we will discuss how facial expressions and posture play key roles in how impactful a speaker is during public presentations.
Facial Expressions and Posture
The way we use facial expressions and posture when speaking publicly has a huge influence on how people perceive us. Our eyes, forehead, mouth, and chin all send organic cues to others about our feelings and thoughts.
It’s important to pay attention to the signals our faces are sending, making sure they are intentional rather than merely fleeting. Additionally, our posture speaks volumes when it comes to communicating with an audience. One of the most important gestures that can help you connect with your audience is smiling. A charming smile can boost credibility, increase positive reactions, and help keep the atmosphere light-hearted.
![facial-expressions facial-expressions](https://icebreakerspeech.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/facial-expressions.jpg)
On the other hand, the opposite can also be true: frowning and furrowing your eyebrows may distract or upset a room of listeners. So practice your presentation with a big smile and choose wisely when changing expressions during your speech. In addition to facial expression, posture is essential in public speaking. Standing up straight and tall projects strength and authority while slouching signals weakness and uncertainty. By standing up with proper posture while speaking publicly you give off an impression of capability and confidence, which will make people better listen to what you have to say.
For example, when talking to an audience try planting your feet hip-width apart; this will ground yourself in your message. Slumping or swaying back-and-forth sends a negative message about self-belief that your audience can sense subconsciously; so pay attention to subtle adjustments that express dedication and seriousness for your speech topic . Overall, facial expressions and posture play an integral role in public speaking as they set up tangible associations with the message one is trying to communicate as a speaker or presenter. Next up in this article we will discuss practical tips for utilizing body language during public speaking.
Tips for Using Body Language in Public Speaking
When preparing to give a public speech , body language plays an essential role in connecting with and impressing your audience. It can be used to emphasize key points and create the kind of lasting impression you want to make. Here are some tips for using body language effectively: 1. Stand Confidently – A confident posture expresses power, passion, and conviction. Keep your hands at your sides instead of crossed over your chest as this has been shown to make people appear more defensive and tense. Make sure your body weight is well-distributed by standing with both feet firmly planted on the ground. 2. Don’t Fidget – People tend to fidget when nervous and this can be distracting or even annoying to an audience. To combat this, practice presenting in front of a mirror so that you can become familiar with how you move and where you may need to adjust. 3. Use Intentional Gestures – If done properly, gestures can help add energy and excitement to an otherwise dull presentation. Avoid robotic gestures that don’t mean anything; practice deliberate gestures that connect with the topic or point you are making in meaningful ways for maximum impact. 4. Make Eye Contact – People love it when presenters look them directly in the eye because it makes them feel included in the action, connected to their speakers, and more likely to remember what was spoken about. Aim for 3-5 seconds of direct eye contact with each person who is listening so that you communicate strong, vibrant energy throughout the room. By taking advantage of these speaking techniques and using meaningful gestures, powerful stances, and confident looks, you will have presented a far more impactful speech than had any of these body language methods been overlooked or neglected. Now, let's talk about common mistakes to avoid when delivering public speeches...
- Research studies show that a speaker's body language accounts for up to 93% of their communication when presenting (although this may not be true).
- Effective body language can help to create rapport between the presenter and the audience, leading to more effective communication
- Studies have shown that positive body language, such as open and inviting gestures, can help increase audience engagement and understanding of the message.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Public speaking is a challenging endeavor, and even seasoned presenters can make mistakes. It can be easy to forget about the need for attentive body language if you get too caught up in your presentation. To mitigate the possibility of ‘faux pas’, it is important to understand some common blunders that can lessen the impact of your performance. It is vital to avoid maintaining an unfavorable facial expression; for instance, scowling or yawning. Such expressions tend to leave negative impressions, making it difficult to maintain attention. Instead, try to adopt a relaxed and pleasant facial expression which will help put people at ease and keep them engaged.
![nervous-speaker nervous-speaker](https://icebreakerspeech.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/nervous-speaker.jpg)
Your posture is another essential aspect of body language. Don’t slouch or hunch your shoulders as this position communicates a lack of confidence or enthusiasm and disengages the audience. Aim to stand with even proportions; your feet shoulder-width apart with your chest held up and arms loose by your side. This establishes a stance that suggests dynamism, engagement, and assurance - words you want associated with yourself and your speech. On the other hand, it is also important not to contort yourself into an over-assertive pose that may distract from the content of your address. Many speakers adopt hyperextended poses such as spreading their arms wide and pacing back-and-forth across the stage setting their audience on edge rather than inspiring them with confidence in the speaker’s message. In conclusion, practice mindful body language when speaking publicly: maintain a friendly expression, appropriate posture, and avoid gestures that detract from what matters most -your presentation content! Building self-confidence to ensure successful public speaking requires both clever content delivery and skillful manipulation of body language – something we will explore further in the following section on building self-confidence while speaking publicly.
Building Your Self-Confidence
Confidence is the cornerstone of public speaking. It is essential for conveying effective messages and connecting with your audience. Building up your self-confidence before a speech or presentation will ensure that you are ready to deliver an impactful performance. Here are some strategic tips for increasing your self-confidence when you take the stage: 1. Practice, practice, practice – Before delivering a speech, engaging in multiple rehearsals helps individuals become more familiar and comfortable with their material. Rehearsing enables speakers to focus on specific points of their speech and practice the flow and delivery of their words with precision.
Additionally, rehearsing also provides an opportunity to perfect and enhance content that can potentially elevate the level of enthusiasm within your audience. 2. Boost your posture – Holding yourself in a “power pose” can be an effective way to channel confidence both onstage and offstage. Highlighting important moments with dramatic gesture indicates a grounded, passionate presence that leaves a lasting impression on viewers.
When people feel as if they can trust and respect who is communicating a message, it increases engagement and creates opportunities to further dialogue or discussion afterwards. 3. Set attainable goals – Curating manageable objectives for yourself is another great way to build self-confidence before going on stage. This includes building out an agenda (also known as ‘ speaker notes ’) that lays out talking points and bullets important sections of your presentation beforehand so that you can confidently navigate transitions between slides or topics during delivery.
Setting clear expectations beforehand not only reminds the speaker what topics are of importance, but it also offers direction so speaking becomes easier when conducting research or writing scripts ahead of time.
![speaking-infront-of-mirror speaking-infront-of-mirror](https://icebreakerspeech.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/speaking-infront-of-mirror.jpg)
4. Visualize success – Visualization is another form of preparation that can have significant effects on one’s self-confidence levels prior to taking the stage. It involves creating vivid mental images related to successful performance while simultaneously reminding oneself that they have successfully conquered other speaking engagements prior preceding this one; this essentially helps make it easier transitioning from anxiousness into preparedness pre-speech day nerves. Confidence can be seen as both an intrinsic quality associated with personality traits such as charisma, charm, poise and eloquence, as well as something environmental or situational like body language, external feedback or attitude surrounding a particular event or task at hand that contributes to overall comfortability levels onstage (or offstage).
Consequently it can be argued that one needs both external factors working in tandem with personality attributes to establish robust personal confidence capable of maximizing success onstage as a public speaker; however where people depict various levels of comfortability with how each contributes towards self-efficacy depends largely upon individual beliefs about their own character and abilities involving communication(s).
Ultimately, developing strategies for harnessing confidence for public speaking requires individuals to assess what works best for them based upon what makes them feel most prepared & competent when under pressure - that’s why it’s important to review all available options prior developing tactical plans designed to elevate public speaking performances; good luck!
Most Common Questions
How does body language emphasize content when public speaking.
Body language is an important factor when it comes to emphasizing content when public speaking. This is because people tend to take in nonverbal cues more than verbal cues. S
tudies have shown that 93% of communication is nonverbal, which means that what you do with your body language can be just as influential as the words you use.
When delivering a presentation or speech, gestures and movements can be used to emphasize key points, draw attention to certain ideas, and add depth and meaning to the content.
For example, making large hand gestures when discussing a significant idea helps communicate a powerful message, while pointing at relevant diagrams or visuals helps guide the audience’s attention toward important information.
Additionally, maintaining strong and confident posture while speaking also sends a signal of authority and helps engage listeners. Ultimately, by deliberately incorporating body language into presentations or speeches, presenters can effectively emphasize the content being presented and increase its impact on audiences.
What are some common mistakes to avoid with body language in public speaking?
One of the most common mistakes to avoid with body language in public speaking is not maintaining good posture. Keeping your head up and shoulders back shows confidence. Avoid slouching, which can make you appear uncomfortable or insecure.
Additionally, avoid excessive movements such as fidgeting, gesturing too much or rocking back and forth. These habits can be distracting to your audience and detract from the message that you are trying to get across. Another mistake to avoid is using negative gestures and facial expressions. Too many negative expressions like frowns or eyerolls can provide a conflicting message to your audience, weakening the impact of your words.
As a speaker, it’s important to project confidence, so negative body language can be counter-productive. Smiling or looking positive while speaking will give off a confident air and help keep the atmosphere positive and engaging. Finally, be aware of how much space you are taking up and remain conscious of what your body is saying. Invading too much personal space makes people in the audience feel uncomfortable.
Be sure to match people’s body language cues so that it doesn’t come off as aggressive or intimidating. By paying attention to these small nuances, you will be able to properly control your body language in public speaking and make a bigger impression on your audience!
What are the most important tips for using body language in public speaking?
The most important tips for using body language in public speaking are: 1. Establish good eye contact - to your audience, look around the room and make sure to engage people with eye contact at different points while you speak. 2. Use open body language - avoid postures that suggest discomfort or lack of confidence such as crossed arms, fidgeting, and avoiding direct eye contact. Instead, strive to use body language that suggests openness and comfort. 3. Use gestures to emphasize points - gestures can help engage your audience, amplify the message you're trying to get across, and give energy to your presentation. Practice beforehand what gestures will help accentuate each point in your presentation and use them appropriately when speaking. 4. Use facial expressions - don't just stand still like a statue! Make sure to smile, frown, use surprise and other subtle expressions as appropriate to convey emotion with your words and make your story come alive for the audience. 5. Vary Your Speech Pace & Volume - vary the speed of your delivery based on the content of your speech and don't forget about pushing up or down on the volume of your voice for multi-syllable words or when emphasizing a point – movement of your hands can be helpful too! Using these tips during public speaking can help make it more impactful and have better results in conveying your message across effectively to any audience.
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Avoid These 4 Body Language Mistakes in Public Speaking
![body language in presentation Body Language and Public Speaking](https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Body-Language-and-Public-Speaking-.png)
Body language in public speaking is the nonverbal cues that your movements make during communication. Presenters often focus on what they are going to say and their visual aids. However, we often overlook an important part of the speech — body language. Non-verbal communication makes a lasting impression and makes a marked difference in your communication skills. And when it comes to public speaking, if you look poised and confident, your audience will believe you are poised and confident.
In this session, we’ll cover a few simple public speaking ideas that will give you good posture and encourage better body movement. First, we show how important the power of body language is during your presentation. Next, I’ll give you a few, simple tips to look more confident and create a good impression (even if you’re nervous). Finally, I’ll share a presentation secret that, once you understand it, will change the way you look at your nervous habits forever (and in turn, help you give a great presentation).
You Body Language in Public Speaking is Important to a Successful Speech.
When presentation coaches reference body language, they often refer to a 1967 study published by Albert Mehrabian. Dr. Mehrabian is a professor at UCLA. His study showed that only 7% of communication comes from the words spoken. He said that 38% of communication comes from the voice and tone. The final 55% of the communication process comes from body language. In reality, this study has nothing to do with public speaking or presenting. So, the reference to the “Mehrabian Formula” as a reason to focus on body language in public speaking is false. However, that doesn’t mean the power of nonverbal communication isn’t important.
![body language in presentation Confidence shows comptence](https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Confidence-shows-comptence-300x300.png)
The better that a speaker carries himself or herself, the more credibility the speaker has with the group. If you look timid or nervous, your audience will question your competence. Confident body language has a profound effect on the unconscious mind of your audience. So much so that, even if they know you’re a new speaker, they won’t help but feel turned off by the small details, like a lack of good eye contact and other aspects of body language.
To cover for nervousness, a lot of speakers will avoid negative body language by hiding behind a lectern. Others will deliver their entire presentation from a seated position and make the slideshow the presentation. When you do these things, though, you are losing your connection to the audience. You are also, likely, inadvertently making your presentation more boring.
A Few Simple Presentation Tips to Improve Body Language
If you want to see your ability as a persuasive public speaker improve, try these simple tips. Just testing out one or two of them will show you the real impact of body language.
1. Set Your Screen to the Side, Not the Front
What? What does the screen’s placement in the room have to do with body language in public speaking? Well, everything. Many presenters will set the projection screen or digital screen in the very center of the room. When you do this, though, your ability to move around the room is significantly limited. You’re forced to work in a smaller “stage” to present from, and you’re now off to the side. Your audience didn’t come to see you click through bullet points. They came to hear you speak.
2. Take a Deep Breath and Drop Your Hands to Your Side.
Please don’t misunderstand this tip. The tip ISN’T to KEEP your hands by your side. It’s just the opposite. When you start your presentation with your hands dropped loosely by your side, your first gesture will be bigger and more powerful. This is a powerful tool you can try from wherever you are right now.
Stand up and clasp your hands together in front of your waist as most presenters do. Now, break the clasp and try to make a gesture with one of your hands. Try it a few times. When you do, you will notice that your elbow will tend to rest around your hip. The gesture will look robotic. If you alternate moving your hands from that clasped position, you will likely look like a t-rex. Fearless Presentations , I mentioned in the book that “People judge our competence by the confidence that we show.” This statement is so true.
![body language in presentation](https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Using-your-hands-naturally--300x300.png)
Now, drop both hands to your side and let them hand loosely. Try to make the same gesture that you did before. When you do, you will, most likely end up moving BOTH hands. This time, the gesture will look more powerful and energetic. Also, when you stop making the gesture, you will probably return your hands to your side so that your next gesture is also powerful. (Your hands will often return to their starting point.)
If you’re having trouble remembering to drop your hands to your side, try one of these 3 tips:
Incorporate Slow Breathing and a Relaxed Stance: Begin your presentation with slow breathing and a relaxed body language, keeping your hands at your sides. This not only calms your nerves but also sets a composed tone for your speech. A relaxed physical presence goes a long way in making your delivery appear confident and effortless. Remember, a calm demeanor and tone of voice can make a big difference in public speech.
Practice Purposeful Gestures and Open Palms: When rehearsing, focus on using your whole body to make purposeful and open gestures. An open palm can signal honesty and active participation from the audience. Treat this as a learned skill, where each movement, including returning your hands to your sides, is a part of your physical expression. This technique enhances audience engagement and ensures your gestures complement the tone of your voice.
Visual Cues and Physical Movements Checklist: Create a checklist of physical movements, including keeping your hands at your sides, which you can refer to as an exhaustive list during practice. This list can act as a reminder that each aspect of your body language, from your gestures to your posture, contributes to a great idea being effectively communicated. Regular practice with these visual cues helps in embedding these actions into your muscle memory, ensuring a more natural and engaging delivery.
3. Tell More Stories
If you want to have great body language when presenting, tell more stories. It is almost impossible to tell a story without using your hands to explain what is happening. For instance, when I start my presentation skills seminars , I will often start with a story. Typically, I tell the class what happened to me the first time I had to speak in front of a room of executives. As I describe how my hands got sweaty, I often naturally rub my palms on my pants. When I tell them how I zoomed through the presentation, I move my hands quickly in small circles. These movements add clarity to my description. No one ever taught me how to do this. These gestures happen naturally as I relive the incident from memory.
These natural gestures add a lot of enthusiasm and fun to your presentations. So, if you want to use more poised body language, tell more stories.
Here are some additional tips on incorporating gestures into your presentation:
Mimic the Action : When narrating an event or action in your story, mimic the movement with your hands or body. For example, if you’re talking about opening a door to a new opportunity, physically mimic the action of turning a door handle and pushing a door open. This not only makes your story more vivid and engaging but also helps the audience visualize the scenario better.
Use Symbolic Gestures : Incorporate gestures that symbolize concepts or emotions in your story. If you’re discussing overcoming obstacles, you might show pushing against an invisible barrier with your hands. For stories involving growth or progression, use upward or forward-moving hand motions. These symbolic gestures can powerfully convey abstract ideas and emotions, enhancing the impact of your story.
Avoid Overuse of Gestures : While gestures can greatly enhance your storytelling, it’s important to use them judiciously. Be mindful not to overcrowd your narrative with excessive or exaggerated gestures, as this can distract or even confuse the audience. The key is to ensure that your gestures feel natural and spontaneous, complementing rather than dominating the story. Let your movements flow organically from the narrative; if a gesture doesn’t feel natural or necessary, it’s often better to omit it. This approach maintains the authenticity and impact of your storytelling.
4. Use Your Visual Aid
One of the things that bug me most is when a speaker stands (or sits) clicking a clicker. If you are going to take the time to create a great slide or visual aid… USE IT! One of the techniques that we cover in our speaking class is to visually touch your slide. I know it sounds weird, but it works like magic.
Have you ever been in a presentation where a speaker puts up a series of bullet points and just starts talking? As he presents, you may think he is on point four, but then he clicks to the next slide. This occurs because the speaker naturally assumes that you can figure out which point he is on. As a result, he doesn’t both to tell you when he moves from one point to the next. In most cases, the points aren’t clearly defined, anyway, so there is a lot of overlap. This makes the entire presentation confusing.
A better way is to physically go to the screen and point to bullet #2 when you move to bullet #2. If you combine this technique with telling a story, your presentation comes alive. This happens because the speaker will move toward the screen to identify the next point. Then, she will jump into an example or story to clarify the point. She will naturally move back toward the audience as she tells the story. Of course, as she tells the story, she will use those natural gestures as well. This combination of techniques adds a lot of enthusiasm and energy to a presentation.
A Presentation Secret that Should Help with Presentation Gestures
![body language in presentation](https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Most-of-your-nervousness-is-not-visible-to-your-audience-300x300.png)
In reality, most speakers feel nervousness. It is just that most of the symptoms they feel aren’t visible either. If you understand this and use a few of the tips we covered earlier, you can look very poised when you speak. (Even if you are nervous!)
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Body Language in PPT Presentations: 8 Tips & Tricks
Gestures and facial expressions play a major role in shaping our communication. This also applies to PPT presentations: A presenter’s body language is a crucial factor in influencing the audience’s response to content and key messages.
So, you’ve got great content, slick PowerPoint slides and the latest presentation technology. Don’t forget one of the most versatile and effective presentation tools at your disposal – your body .
If you hide behind the podium, ignore your posture or use awkward gestures and facial expressions, you’ll have no chance of convincing your audience. In this article, we’ll show you eight effective tips and tricks to use body language to your best advantage.
Why body language is so important in PPT presentations
![Body Language in PPT Presentations: 8 Tips & Tricks 1 body language ppt](https://www.presentationload.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Warum-wichtig-min.jpg)
Admittedly , body language is something we tend to use unconsciously — it’s difficult for us to control. Most of the time, we don’t notice that our body language has an adverse effect on our presentation until it’s too late. Nervousness plays a role in this, especially when presenting in front of a large audience. Our hands get cold and clammy, we gesture too much and too excitedly, or we just hide behind the podium.
The wrong gestures can impact negatively on your presentation. Even the most polished PPT presentation will fall flat if we hide our hands in pockets, gesture too much or slouch. Audiences decide within a few seconds whether the speaker is likeable or competent.
Body language and gestures are just as important for a successful presentation as the content itself. It pays to review your rhetoric skills from time to time and brush up on them.
How can facial expressions enhance a presentation?
Facial expressions show the audience how the speaker feels about the content. The more you connect with your content on an emotional level , the more impact your words will have on your audience. With a little practice, you can find the right facial expressions to set the right tone for your presentation.
Tip : Practice your facial expressions in front of a mirror. How do you feel when you smile? Is your smile genuine? Or give your presentation in front of a familiar audience, such as your family or friends. Get honest feedback on your facial expressions and try to incorporate the critique. You can also find many helpful videos online.
How can the right gestures enhance your presentation?
![Body Language in PPT Presentations: 8 Tips & Tricks 2 body language PPT](https://www.presentationload.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Mimik-min.jpg)
A gesture is a hand or arm movement that expresses or emphasizes an idea. Many presenters know the feeling of not knowing where to put their hands during a presentation. A common awkward reaction is to clasp your hands behind your body or just let your arms hang. This often comes across as insecure, unprofessional and uninspired. Instead, use your hands to punctuate your presentation at specific points and underline key messages . This communicates professionalism and dynamism.
Here’s an example : You present a process in your presentation using a diagram. Leaving your arms hanging down from your body gives the impression that you’re uninterested and unmotivated. Don’t underestimate the power of gestures – use them to your advantage!
With that in mind, let’s go back to the example above . Whenever you explain a new section of the process, point to where you are on the slide. Or punctuate the process itself. If the process went forward, represent this with forward-moving had gesture. If it went backward, make a backward motion with your hands. This shows that you’re involved, energized and professional.
Tip : Again, be sure to practice in front of a mirror beforehand. Which gestures complement your presentation? Do they support your statements? Next, test these gestures in front of family and friends. Make sure to get feedback. You can also find a lot of online resources to help you, for example here .
Here are some helpful tips and tricks for using your body language correctly.
Effective body language during presentations: 8 tips and tricks
The right way to present: sitting or standing.
Are you someone who likes to keep it comfortable and plan to sit during your presentation? Please don’t! When you present, you need to be the literal center of attention . Presenting while sitting will immediately take the focus off you. You’ll appear unmotivated, uninspired and limit how much body language you can use. If you’re sitting behind a table or have your laptop in front of you, you’re basically hiding from your audience.
Stand while presenting. You’ll have freedom to move around and use your body language in a more purposeful way. You’ll appear more animated and motivated. Be aware of distracting objects in front of you, such as tables, and remove them. You want to be fully visible to the audience and not create an unconscious barrier.
Posture: How to stand correctly
![Body Language in PPT Presentations: 8 Tips & Tricks 3 boy language ppt](https://www.presentationload.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Richtiger-Stand-max.jpg)
You now that you should stand while presenting. Standing – sounds simple, right? Even here, you need to pay attention to a few points:
- Don’t stand with your legs too far apart . This can make you look less elegant.
- Don’t stand with your legs too close together. It’s an easy way to lose your footing and maybe even trip.
- Do stand with your legs about shoulder width apart so you have a firm and stable stance.
Also, stand up straight . Make yourself as tall as possible. Avoid slouching or slumping your shoulders forward . Rocking your upper body back and forth or swaying side to side creates an unsettled effect. What has a positive impact on your posture?
The answer is simple: Self-confidence . Know your presentation topic inside and out and rehearse your presentation several times over. The more familiar you are with your topic, the more confident you will appear . Self-confidence straightens the back.
Keep your head as still as possible while speaking . Raising your head and voice at the end of a sentence sounds like you’re asking a question. And this makes you seem less confident. Avoid nervous hair flicking or touching .
Hands & Gestures
![Body Language in PPT Presentations: 8 Tips & Tricks 4 body language ppt](https://www.presentationload.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Gestik-min.jpg)
You’re standing up straight with your head held high. What about your hands? As we described above, hand gestures can be game changers during a presentation.
Avoid the following pitfalls:
- Hands on hips: This quickly comes across as unsympathetic or judgmental.
- Hands in pockets: This makes them look insecure and unprofessional.
- Pen in hand: You may find yourself playing with the pen, either unconsciously or out of nervousness. No one wants to hear click…click…click… This can be incredibly distracting. ..click…click… This can be incredibly distracting.
- Crossed arms: It may be a comfortable position for you, but it expresses resistance and detachment. You’ll subconsciously build a barrier and come off as defensive to your audience.
The solution: Use gestures as often as possible to emphasize statements. Don’t worry about how often you should gesture. Feel free to use your hands whenever you feel it’s necessary. A good neutral position is with bent arms and hands at belly-button level. Leave a space between your elbows and torso when gesturing . This makes you take up more space and appear more confident. You can find more tips here .
Gear the use of gestures to the size of the audience. Smaller groups require “quieter gestures” . Raising your arms will quickly look artificial. The three-joint rule helps to correctly identify which gestures to use:
When speaking to a smaller group, use hand gestures , the so-called “quiet gestures” we mentioned above. With 20 to 30 people, the elbow, the second joint, should move the most . This creates “loud gestures” . Use the shoulder, the third joint, in front of a large audience only . These “louder gestures ” can be used to emphasize a point right to the back of a large room.
Gestures attract attention but don’t go overboard. Use your gestures strategically. The audience will follow your hands and be interested in what you have to say.
Walking around
Everyone who presents has faced the question, ” Can I move around, or should I stay in one spot?”. Here’s the answer: you can do both. But there are some rules to follow in both cases. Here’s one: Avoid walking back and forth all the time – give your movements intention and meaning . For example, move after you’ve made a statement or finished a section. Or when you want to explain something from a different point of view .
Eye contact
![Body Language in PPT Presentations: 8 Tips & Tricks 5 body language ppt](https://www.presentationload.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Blickkontakt-min.jpg)
Eye contact with an audience is key to a good presentation. Maintain eye contact with each audience member, but only one person at a time. Why? Most of us get nervous when we have to speak in front of several people. Our gaze moves from one audience member to the next, we wonder what they’re thinking — and we become insecure.
If you concentrate on only one person at a time, it will feel like you’re having a one-on-one conversation. Much less intimidating than addressing a large crowd at once, right ? In addition, each audience member will feel like you’re speaking to them directly – a positive and personal interaction that guarantees you’ll have their attention.
Keep in mind that if the room is large and at capacity, you’ll probably not be able to make eye contact with everyone present. In this situation, divide your audience into sections : front, center, back, left, right. Fixate on one person from one area and then another from the next area. Once you have made eye contact with one person from each area, start again from the first section.
You can also support your key messages by slightly lowering your chin at the end while maintaining eye contact with your audience. This will add weight to your statement and the audience will find you more credible and competent.
The right facial expressions
![Body Language in PPT Presentations: 8 Tips & Tricks 6 body language ppt](https://www.presentationload.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Mimik-2min.jpg)
We’ve already described how facial expressions a major role in presentations. Here are some additional points to think about:
- A genuine smile always makes a good impression. Particularly when welcoming your audience, it can help you create a friendly, pleasant atmosphere.
- Use a neutral facial expression when presenting facts , such as figures and data. Emotions will seem out of place here.
- Emphasize important points with raised eyebrows and open eyes . A smile can also enhance the effect.
- If you have to present less-than-optimal data or results, pull your eyebrows down and squint your eyes a bit. This clearly signals a negative emotion.
- When you make a rhetorical pause or lose your train of thought, make sure that you keep your mouth closed . This will make you appear calm and confident. Breathe calmly and continue the sentence you have started.
Here’s a fun video about the science behind smiles and how to smile more effectively.
The right outfit
Ever heard the saying, “Clothes make the man (or woman)?”. We all know looking good is important, but did you know that your choice of outfit can directly affect your body language ? Choose something comfortable but at the same time is appropriate for the occasion (no sweatpants!). If you’re not a suit-and-tie guy, don’t decide to become one for your presentation. You’ll be uncomfortable and won’t be able to present confidently.
As for women: Sure, high heels look elegant, chic and businesslike. But make sure that you can walk in them if you want to wear them during your presentation. Nothing is worse than an unsteady gait or even slipping or falling. Think about your footwear!
Avoid wearing clothes that are too colorful or garish . This quickly distracts from your actual presentation and may even make your body language look funny. Coordinate your clothing with your background so that you don’t “disappear”.
Before you start your presentation, check that your clothes fit . Are all buttons closed? Is the zipper of the pants closed? This will allow you to go into the presentation with confidence, which will only benefit your body language.
Finally: Other countries, other body language
![Body Language in PPT Presentations: 8 Tips & Tricks 7 body language ppt](https://www.presentationload.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/International-1024x682.jpg)
If you’re planning an international presentation, remember that your body language must be understandable to everyone . Learn about potential cultural differences between the body language you’re familiar with and what your audience understands.
Score points with the right body language in your PPT presentation!
Body language is a presentation tool which shouldn’t be ignored . Most of the time, body language happens naturally. Nevertheless, it’s important to focus on the right body language , especially during important presentations. Without a bit of forethought and practice, you can quickly come across as boring, awkward, unmotivated or unprofessional.
Use our tips and think about how you can incorporate them into your presentation. Don’t hesitate to practice in front of a familiar audience and ask for feedback. With practice, you’ll be able to perfect your body language and get the best results from your presentation . A good video summary on body language in presentations can be found here .
Extra tip: Here are some tips for online PPT presentations or when you have to present wearing a mask .
We’re happy to help you with and questions about body language, general questions about presenting or PowerPoint presentations themselves. Feel free to contact us at [email protected] .
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How To Use Body Language To Enhance Your Presentation Skills
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How you physically hold and carry yourself makes a huge difference in how your audience receives your words.
Improve Your Presentation Body Language
As a manager, you know that mastering presentation skills is critical for effectively communicating ideas , motivating your team, and projecting leadership presence. But even if your message is compelling, poor body language can undermine your talk’s impact .
How you physically hold and carry yourself makes a huge difference in how your audience receives your words. Simple tweaks like standing with open posture, using natural hand gestures, maintaining eye contact, and having expressive facial reactions can dramatically boost your ability to captivate and connect with any crowd.
But how can you use all the tips to improve your next presentation ?
In this guide, we’ll help you understand all the small tweaks you can do to improve your presentation style . From building a strong stage presence to making sure that your audience doesn’t doze off , you’ll be able to become a speaker who naturally commands attention and gains trust.
So, let’s see how you can become a speaker that not only informs but also inspires.
Key Components of Effective Body Language in Presentations
Posture – conveying confidence and authority.
Proper posture is crucial for projecting confidence and professionalism while presenting. Stand tall with your shoulders comfortably back and down to achieve an open, grounded stance. Distribute your weight evenly on both feet, positioned shoulder-width apart in a power pose. This occupies space and subconsciously signals assurance and leadership capability. Avoid closed-off postures like crossed arms and legs, which telegraph discomfort or aloofness. Train yourself to stand upright often outside of presentations, as posture habits inform body language cues .
Keep your chin parallel to the floor and your head upright. This levels your gaze naturally to readily meet the audience’s eyes and establish an engaging connection . Periodically roll your shoulders back to keep your chest open if needed. Use torso twists to limber up before taking the stage. Stand with authority by clasping hands behind your lower back. Small posture adjustments like these will instantly lend you greater gravitas.
Hand Gestures – Adding Emphasis and Clarity
Hand motions are a powerful tool to punctuate words and underscore meaning, so use them with deliberate purpose. Open palm gestures fluidly direct the audience’s gaze, highlighting key points without unnecessary flourish. Sweeping hand motions also reinforce ideas spatially and describe size and shape. Avoid overuse of gestures which distract. Keep hand motions above the sternum where the audience can readily see them.
Prevent anxious habits like wringing hands or touching your face. Instead, drill smooth motions originating from the core that emphasise ideas. Calibrate hand gestures to your message’s tone using palm orientation, speed, size and range appropriate to each point. Well-executed hand motions timed to accent important content, clarify the presentation and amplify impact . But use sparingly, only when meaning is enhanced.
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Practical Application in Presentations
Integrating body language into presentation preparation.
When preparing your presentation , consciously plan how physical presence will complement the narrative. Script instances to stand tall to convey confidence at key points. Note when expansive gestures could underscore important ideas. Plan for natural eye contact with participants throughout the room. Identify areas where facial expressions might heighten engagement.
Practice fluid transitions between postures and gestures. Appropriately time movements and gestures to sync with speech patterns. Review the video to confirm body language aligns with your intentions. Refine through repetition to eliminate distracting motions and polish physical delivery.
Dynamic Body Language During Live Presentations
While presenting, let body language emerge naturally from the content while adhering to openness, purpose and confidence principles. Avoid remaining static, or you may disengage the audience. Move with an intention to occupy the stage using diagonal crossing patterns. Pivot your torso and stance when transitioning.
Continually scan the room, making eye contact . Use sustained gestures more dynamically when speaking passionately to boost energy and enthusiasm. Allow facial expressions to reflect the speech’s emotion. Respond physically to audience reactions. Adjust pacing, gestures, and proximity as needed to recapture wandering attention. An authentic , dynamic physical presence will keep your audience engaged .
Simple Exercises to Enhance Body Language Skills
Daily routines for better posture.
Building better posture requires daily practice. Set reminders so you periodically stand tall and roll your shoulders back to open your chest. Stretches like overhead reaches target tight muscles that pull shoulders forward. Yoga poses that extend the spine help counteract slouching. Perform exercises like planks to build core strength for a balanced stance.
Use visualisation techniques daily, too – imagine balancing a book atop your head as you walk. Adopt grounded public speaking stances like hands clasped behind your back. The more upright postures become an ingrained habit, the more poised and confident you’ll appear when presenting.
Practice Drills for Effective Hand Gestures
Avoid small, jittery hand motions – instead, drill broad, purposeful gestures that fluidly originate from your core. Rehearse synchronised motions in front of a mirror, timed to match speech patterns. Mark words for emphasis gestures on your script or teleprompter.
Vary gesture size and speed to fit the tone of your message. Watch TED talks and replicate speakers’ effective motions to expand your repertoire. With consistent practice, gestures will become a seamless way to emphasise key points and amplify your presentations.
![body language in presentation Presentation Skills In-House Tailor Made Training](https://www.impactfactory.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/business-presentation-grateful-audience-clapping-2022-12-16-08-04-20-utc-768x432.jpg)
If you are looking for In-House Presentation Skills Training for a group or teams, please see our
Advanced Body Language Strategies for Presentations
Adapting body language for diverse audiences.
Tailor your body language approach based on audience demographics to increase engagement:
- Research cultural norms on gestures and personal space to avoid miscommunicating with international attendees.
- Adjust formality appropriately for executives versus new hires.
- Adjust gestures to be visible and expressions to be exaggerated if presenting to an audience with visual or hearing impairments. Use simplicity, repetition, and descriptive language.
- Make body language inclusive by scanning the full room with eye contact, not just focusing on leadership.
- Naturally pace stance and gestures to resonate across generations.
Responsive, adaptive physical presence fosters audience connection.
Context-Specific Body Language Techniques
Adjust techniques based on the presentation context. Subtle, confined gestures suit lecterns, while expansive motions engage stage audiences. Convey passion facially and physically for motivational speeches. A CEO may feature formal postures, while an engineer can relax formality for tech demos. Conversational gestures engage small groups.
For video conferences, look into the camera when speaking, then pan side-to-side to show attentiveness. Lean slightly forward on intensifying words. Exaggerate nods, smiles and frowns for clarity onscreen. Contextual mastery makes every talk more effective.
Body Language in Digital Presentation Platforms
Challenges and strategies for virtual presentations.
Presenting through video conferencing poses body language challenges:
- Limited mobility due to being seated and on camera can make presentations feel static and disengaged.
- Distance from the camera may mean facial expressions and subtle gestures get lost.
- Lack of audience visual feedback is difficult.
However, some strategic tweaks can help amplify your virtual presence:
- Stand and gesture when possible to emulate live delivery . Incorporate periodic movement.
- Position the camera at eye level and look directly into it to simulate eye contact.
- Use visual aids like slides or images behind you for audience focus.
- Request audience webcams be on for virtual nods, smiles and eye contact.
Effective Use of Body Language in Video Conferencing
When presenting via video chat platforms:
- Properly position the camera at eye level to emulate eye contact.
- Look into the camera when speaking, then pan to side screens to view participants’ faces.
- Project confidence through purposeful posture and avoid distracting fidgets off-screen.
- Convey energy by varying pace, emphasis gestures, and vocal delivery.
- Use exaggerated facial expressions for clarity onscreen.
- Occasionally lean forward subtly on key points for intensified engagement.
- Send “looking to audience” visual cues before asking questions.
Proper use of virtual body language techniques makes online presentations more dynamic and impactful.
![body language in presentation Side view of Caucasian businessman standing and giving presentation in the auditorium](https://www.impactfactory.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/side-view-of-caucasian-businessman-standing-and-gi-2021-08-28-16-43-49-utc-768x512.jpg)
Elevate Your Presentation Skills With Impact Factory
Now armed with evidence-based techniques to amplify your body language impact, it’s time to put these tips into practice. Reflect on your upcoming presentations and identify areas needing improvement. Set goals to integrate one new technique per talk until a powerful physical presence comes naturally. Also, continue observing seasoned speakers to expand your skills repertoire .
For professionals seeking to master presentation skills beyond just body language, our Impact Factory Presentation Skills Training Course offers an intensive learning experience. The program elevates verbal delivery, content structure , audience engagement, and physical presence through hands-on sessions with expert coaches.
The course features modules dedicated to body language mastery, including stance, movement and eye contact for gravitas. However, you’ll also be able to identify your strengths, learn how to become less nervous and make your presentations more engaging.
So, whether you need to pitch ideas within the company, win over new customers, enchant stakeholders in a boardroom or talk to the public and media, you’ll become more confident and learn how to craft a presentation that allows you to reach your goals .
To learn more about our transformative presentation training, browse through our offer of courses or email [email protected]. Our knowledgeable coaches provide personalised guidance to dramatically boost your public speaking capabilities .
Contact us today to amplify your presence and confidence as a presenter.
What are soft skills for body language?
Key soft skills for mastering body language include:
- Self-awareness – recognising your natural gestures
- Empathy – reading others’ nonverbal cues
- Adaptability – adjusting body language by context
- Active listening – paying attention to others’ signals
- Authenticity – using gestures that feel natural
What are the 5 P’s of presentation skills?
The 5 P’s are a framework for excellent presentations:
- Planning – research and outline content
- Preparation – create slides, handouts, notes
- Practice – rehearse delivery out loud
- Presentation – deliver material confidently
- Post-Evaluation – review feedback afterwards
What is the 5/5/5 rule for better presentation?
The 5/5/5 rule suggests:
- 5 key points maximum per slide
- 5 words maximum per bullet point
- 5 text-heavy slides maximum in a row before visuals
This technique improves engagement by simplifying slides and varying content types.
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Here are more resources to help you plan your next steps:
- Presentation Skills Training – Browse through our offer to see what you can gain from the training.
- Presentation With Impact – In this course, you can find your unique presentation style and sharpen your skills to perfection. Explore what our course has to offer.
- Tips To Improve Your Presentation Skills From Industry Insiders – Learn more about small yet impactful tweaks to your next presentation so you can captivate the audience and reach your goals.
- How To Create Impactful Presentation Slides – The days with slides full of barely readable text are long gone. Explore our tips to make your slides more engaging.
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Storytelling in presentations grabs attention and sticks in our minds. It turns boring facts into exciting adventures.
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Bad presentations waste great ideas. Have you ever watched someone stumble through their slides, losing everyone’s attention?
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Seven Top Body Language Tips for Better Presentations [2023]
November 29, 2023
Better Body Language is a Key Presentation Skill
You can use positive body language to enhance your presentations. body language can be a powerful tool to engage your audience, demonstrate gravitas and deliver a more impactful presentation., developing good body language during presentations is a real skill. and it’s a skill you can improve. over the last 15 years our presentation coaching has helped thousands of people to be comfortable and successful. if you need help, do please get in touch. we run in-house and online coaching sessions for business executives. it’s fast and good value., our presentation experts have put together a list of great body language examples you can use to improve your next presentation. and we’ve gathered some videos so you can see these body language tips in action., here is a quick guide to good body language to use it when presenting:.
Improve your presentation body language – top tips Use your body language to show confidence Use your hands to emphasize points Make eye contact Use your facial expressions to show emotion Use your body movement to add energy Beyond body language: use props effectively Practise good body language and stage presence
1. Use your body language to show confidence
Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart, and make sure your body is facing the audience. This will help you project confidence and command attention. Avoid crossing your arms, as this can make you seem closed off or defensive. Keep the bottom half of your body relatively still and put all your movement in the top half of your body.
2. Use your hands to emphasize points
Our clients frequently ask “What should I do with my hands?”.
Hand gestures are best used to emphasise key points. They also add energy to your presentation, particularly when you use them above shoulder-height. Jill Bolte’s TED talk demonstrates this well. Too much movement can be distracting, however.
Lots of tiny movements or flapping your arms around makes you look smaller and unconfident. Go for big, bold, purposeful gestures that you hold for a few seconds. These convey presence, leadership and authority.
![Seven Top Body Language Tips for Better Presentations [2023] 1 YouTube player](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UyyjU8fzEYU/maxresdefault.jpg)
When you aren’t using your hands to emphasise what you’re saying, hold your hands slightly in front of you, with bent elbows. That’s what good body language looks like. You may find this feels odd at first – but watch Ken Robinson to see how effective it can be.
If you are using a lectern, then above-shoulder gestures will be the only ones your audience can see. If you choose to rest your hands on the lectern, keep your hands loose and relaxed. Avoid looking as though you are hanging on for dear life!
![Seven Top Body Language Tips for Better Presentations [2023] 2 YouTube player](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wX78iKhInsc/maxresdefault.jpg)
3. Make eye contact
Making eye contact with your audience helps establish a connection and shows that you are confident and engaged. To use your body language most effectively try to make eye contact with different people throughout the room, rather than just focusing on one person.
What would you think if I didn’t look you in the eye?
Or if I avoided your gaze? Or if I looked down every time I said something? What impression do you get?
You need good eye contact to be a good presenter..
We like people who can make eye contact (remember the last time you were flirting with someone?). We trust people who can “look you in the eye” . We want to see people “ eye-to-eye “.
When presenting or speaking in public you will get a better reaction if you improve your eye contact. Eye contact is a learned skill that takes practice. From extensive work with our clients, here are some easy tips you can apply for powerful eye contact:
- Only talk when you are looking at someone. No more looking into your notes or staring into the middle distance.
- Spend one or two sentences talking to each person. Get some ‘quality time’ with each person.
- Hold your eye contact until the end of the sentence.
- If you are nervous, if you don’t like looking into someone’s eyes, then look at their forehead or nose.
- Practice improving your eye contact. Start with friends. Make them point out each time your eye contact drops.
Just these simple tips for powerful eye contact will make you a more convincing and persuasive public speaker.
This is such a simple body language trick. Many people underestimated how powerful it is. Learn more about our award-winning presentation coaching
4. use your facial expressions to show emotion.
Your facial expressions can convey a lot of emotion and help engage your audience. Good body language means using facial expressions to show enthusiasm, concern, or surprise, depending on the content of your presentation. Check your body language in the mirror or with video to see what your face is saying.
5. Use your body movement to add energy
Adding some movement to your presentation can help keep the audience engaged and add energy to your delivery. Good body language can be as simple as taking a step forward or backward when making a point, or using your hands to gesture.
As with hand gestures , deliberate movements that emphasise your content work well. But too much movement is distracting. Getting the balance right takes practice.
Aim to stand still for the majority of your talk. This will convey confidence and authority. Plan in advance when you will move, combing those movements with breaks in your content. Express a full thought or point in your new position before moving again. Avoid pacing back and forth, which makes a speaker look distressed. Make a point, move to another part of the space and make your next point. Aim to emulate a pleasant countryside walk from viewpoint to viewpoint, rather than a nervous wait outside a labour ward! Discover how you can transform your presentation skills with our intensive executive presentation coaching.
Learn how we can help – schedule a free consultation now
6. Beyond positive body language: use props effectively
Props can be a great way to add interest to your presentation and help illustrate your points. However, be sure to use props sparingly, as too many can be distracting.
7. Practise good body language and stage presence
Your stage presence, or the way you move and present yourself on stage, can greatly impact the effectiveness of your presentation. Practise your executive presence by rehearsing in front of a mirror, or by recording yourself and watching the footage. This will help you avoid any negative body language.
By using body language effectively during your presentations, you will engage your audience and deliver a more impactful message. Remember to pay attention to your posture, hand gestures, eye contact, facial expressions, body movement, and stage presence, and practice using these techniques to enhance your presentations.
As soon as we become conscious of our bodies, they get in our way. When we’re faced with an audience, we become like learner drivers, frozen and unnatural. Advice to ‘act naturally’ isn’t useful, as being watched isn’t natural. Besides, communicating to an audience requires different body language than everyday, one-to-one communication.
Your body language matters when presenting.
We’ve all seen powerful speakers, whether in person or on platforms such as TED.com. We use words like ‘charisma’ and ‘presence’ to describe impressive speakers. But some speakers are uncomfortable to watch. Others use such distracting body language that we cannot focus on what they are saying.
Good body language with strong, positive non-verbal communication can be more powerful. Here, we share our top tips for best use of your hands, eye contact and on-stage movement.
These top tips will help you improve your body language when presenting.
- Start with good content in your presentation
- Ignore ‘Just act natural’ advice
- Get feedback and increase your body language self-awareness
- Establish good eye contact
- Use your hands when presenting
- Command the space where you are speaking
Remember, for Effective Body Language, Take control
Non-verbal communication has three uses , according to David Lambert.
replace speech (e.g. a wink)
Reinforce speech (e.g. nodding while saying ‘yes’) a, give clues about our true feelings (e.g. fidgeting when nervous)..
Successful speakers use open, controlled and strong gestures that reinforce their message . Less successful speakers contradict what they say with their non-verbal behaviour.
For instance, if your body language suggests nervousness when you speak, the audience will interpret this as a lack of confidence in your own message. Equally, if you fold your arms while you speak, you create an implied barrier between you and your audience. That’s why successful leaders learn how to control their posture and gestures to avoid negative or distracting body language.
Better Body Language: Just acting ‘naturally’ doesn’t work
Speaking to large groups of people isn’t a natural situation, so aiming to behave ‘naturally’ is an unhelpful goal. In fact, to transfer energy and enthusiasm to your audience, you need to be ‘more’ than you would normally be in smaller-scale interactions.
For example, to be impressive when presenting you need to be more expressive and more powerful in your command of space.
Positive Body Language: Increase your self awareness
At Benjamin Ball Associates, we film our clients during our coaching sessions. When they watch the footage, they are often surprised to see their body language contradicting their message.
For example, one speaker subtly shook his head in a ‘no’ gesture’ when he was answering ‘yes’ to a question. For a low-tech alternative, try delivering your talk in front of a mirror or recording yourself on a phone. Learning how to watch yourself and improve from self-analysis is key.
A better presentation is the first step to better delivery
If your presentation is weak, even the best body language will leave audiences unmoved. Conversely, the better your presentation, the more confident you’ll feel about delivering it. You’ll find that your body language naturally improves once you feel confident and comfortable about your presentation.
That’s why we focus on getting that right first. In our presentation coaching We:
- Ensure you have a clear message
- Create a subtle structure that gently guides your audience
- Strengthen the language you use, so it is more powerful.
- Refine the start of your talk and end of your presentation until they produce maximum impact.
Then you’ll find polishing your body language much easier.
Get expert support for brilliant business presentations
We can support you with all aspects of your talk. Not just body language, but also the content of your presentation, your voice and everything else that will make you a successful presenter. Read more about our public speaking training .
Over 15+ years our award-winning team has helped hundreds of CEOs and senior executives deliver impressive and persuasive talks, speeches and presentations.
We can transform your presenting skills and your body language in as little as a few hours.
Call Louise on +44 20 7018 0922 or email [email protected] to find out more.
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We can help you present brilliantly. Thousands of people have benefitted from our tailored in-house coaching and advice – and we can help you too .
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For 15+ years we’ve been the trusted choice of leading businesses and executives throughout the UK, Europe and the Middle East to improve corporate presentations through presentation coaching, public speaking training and expert advice on pitching to investors.
Unlock your full potential and take your presentations to the next level with Benjamin Ball Associates.
Speak to Louise on +44 20 7018 0922 or email [email protected] to transform your speeches, pitches and presentations.
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7 Body Language Tips to Ace Your Next Presentation
- By Judhajit Sen
- April 25, 2024
Key Takeaways:
- Body Language Impact : Effective body language is essential to improve your presentation, boosting audience engagement and speaker credibility. Maintain a confident posture to create a connection and convey confidence.
- Presentation Mastery : Mastering presentation skills involves minor adjustments in body language, such as an open posture. These adjustments significantly enhance audience engagement and message delivery.
- Body Language Consistency : Body language for presentations should align with the content of the presentation, emphasizing vital points and fostering clarity and persuasion. Being conscious of body language adds authenticity and impact to the delivery.
- Pre-Speech Preparation : Preparing body language to enhance presentations is as crucial as content preparation. Practicing before a mirror or recording helps refine delivery and ensure alignment between verbal and non-verbal communication.
The importance of body language in great presentations cannot be overstated. Using it effectively can boost your chances of clinching deals or winning over your audience. For example, maintaining eye contact helps create a connection and exudes confidence.
Conversely, bad body language can be a deal-breaker. Fidgeting can give the impression that you’re not confident and relaxed. Remember, your body speaks volumes, so don’t neglect to improve your body language in presentations.
Mastering presentation skills is vital for effective communication. Minor adjustments like expressive facial expressions can significantly enhance your ability to engage any audience.
A good presentation isn’t just about what’s on the PowerPoint slides; it’s also about how you use body language to present yourself. Being conscious of your body language adds clarity and persuasion to your public speaking , pitch or project presentation.
Your body communicates even before you speak. How you stand and hold yourself can engage your audience or leave them uninterested. So, alongside perfecting your content, hone your body language skills.
Positive body language is a powerful tool to enhance presentations, demonstrating confidence and gravitas. It’s a skill you can develop to deliver impactful presentations consistently.
In presentations, your audience not only listens but also observes. Effective body language techniques reinforces your message, while poor body language undermines it. Understanding these non-verbal cues is essential, as they form a significant part of communication, often outweighing verbal communication. Therefore, body language is a powerful tool to engage your audience.
The following are seven body language tips for presentations.
Pose with Confidence
To pose confidently during a professional presentation, adopt a power pose to establish authority, such as standing with feet shoulder-width apart, hands on hips, and chin lifted. However, use these poses sparingly to avoid appearing intimidating.
Maintain a stable stance throughout your talk by planting your feet and refraining from shifting which can convey uncertainty. Purposeful movement, such as walking to another area of the stage, should be deliberate and accompanied by brief stops and eye contact with the audience.
Stand tall with your shoulders and face the audience to project confidence and command attention. Avoid crossing arms, which may signal defensiveness, and focus on keeping the lower body still while allowing movement in the upper body to engage the audience effectively. By adopting these confident poses, speakers can convey assurance and captivate their audience without appearing rigid or closed off.
Maintain Eye Contact
Eye contact is crucial in presentations, aiding in audience engagement and establishing a connection. Maintaining eye contact throughout your presentation makes listeners feel directly addressed and keeps them attentive.
To effectively connect with a large audience, focus on a few individuals across the room instead of attempting to make eye contact with everyone. Holding a person’s stare briefly signals attentiveness without causing discomfort.
However, striking the right balance is essential. Avoid prolonged staring, which can make others uneasy. Instead, shift your gaze every few seconds to convey confidence without appearing overbearing.
Nervousness may lead to avoiding eye contact, while excessive confidence can result in prolonged stares. Aim for a middle ground, making eye contact for about two seconds per person and adjusting as needed.
While speaking, transition your gaze to a new listener, maintaining a steady flow of engagement. Avoid sweeping the room aimlessly, as it may convey uncertainty.
Remember, eye contact is a learned skill that improves with practice. Start by focusing on friends and gradually incorporate these techniques into presentations. These simple tips can enhance your presentation delivery and make you a more persuasive speaker.
Use Hand Gestures
Hand gestures play a pivotal role in presentations, aiding in stressing important points, expressing emotions, and exhibiting passion for the topic. They demonstrate enthusiasm and engagement but should not distract from the message.
Research shows that effective hand motions contribute to successful presentations. Use purposeful gestures while speaking to enhance audience connection and comprehension. Utilize fingers to count points, emphasizing important ideas effectively.
Purposeful hand motions punctuate words and convey meaning. Avoid jittery movements, opting for broad, deliberate gestures originating from the core. Maintain motions above the sternum for visibility and clarity.
Practice synchronized gestures to match speech patterns and vary size and speed according to tone. Incorporate welcoming motions to engage the audience positively. Avoid distracting habits like fidgeting or pointing.
Use your hands to gesture symmetrically on essential words, keeping hands comfortably at your side when not in motion. Balance static posture and exaggerated hand motions to maintain audience interest without appearing unnatural or over-rehearsed while giving a presentation.
Employ gestures to clarify messages, engage the audience, and draw attention to visual aids. Use your hands to emphasize vital points and convey energy and authority. Practice and adjust hand motions based on room size for optimal impact.
Use Facial Expressions to Complement Your Message
![body language in presentation Use Facial Expressions in a Presentation](https://prezentium.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/using-body-language-in-presentation-1024x683.webp)
Facial expressions are crucial in presentations, conveying emotions and building rapport with the audience. Expressing passion and authenticity through facial expressions fosters audience connection and trust.
However, it’s essential to strike a balance. Overly exaggerated expressions may appear insincere, while a blank face can disengage listeners. Stand in front of a mirror and practice facial expressions to refine your delivery.
During presentations, use expressions to complement your message. Expressions can effectively convey enthusiasm, concern, or surprise, enhancing audience engagement.
A smile is particularly powerful. It instantly creates a positive impression and fosters a friendly atmosphere. Incorporating smiles throughout the presentation makes you more approachable and helps alleviate personal stress.
Remember, your expressions play a significant role in communication. Being mindful and aligning them with your message enhances clarity, sincerity, and audience perception of trustworthiness. Adjusting expression size based on audience size ensures visibility and effectiveness.
Improve Your Posture
Posture is pivotal in presentations, influencing audience perception and speaker confidence. Maintaining proper posture projects professionalism and assurance, fostering audience engagement.
Stand tall with shoulders back and down, distributing weight evenly for an open, grounded stance. Avoid closed-off stances like crossed arms, which convey discomfort. Chin parallel to the floor and head upright facilitate eye contact and connection with the audience.
Practice standing upright regularly to cultivate confident body language. Set reminders to roll shoulders back and perform stretches targeting tight muscles. Visualization techniques , such as imagining balancing a book, reinforce good habits.
Avoid slouching or appearing tense during presentations, as these convey a lack of confidence and interest. Relaxation techniques , like deep breathing, help alleviate nervousness. Adapt to suit the audience and setting, maintaining openness and adaptability.
Whether sitting or standing, upright posture sets the tone for the presentation. Avoid slouching or appearing rigid to convey confidence and engagement. Be adaptable to different presentation setups and prioritize an open, communicative posture throughout.
Control Your Breathing and Delivery
When delivering a presentation , it’s easy to get caught up and speak too fast, causing the audience to tune out and leaving you breathless. Staying relaxed during your presentation and stopping to breathe ensures clarity and coherence and helps regulate voice pitch and tone, conveying confidence and calmness.
Feeling nervous or excited before presenting is common, often leading to a fast speech and breathlessness. Remind yourself to relax. Regardless of emotions, maintaining normal breathing rhythms is essential to feel relaxed during a presentation and seizing control of the situation. Controlled breathing allows moments for gathering thoughts and enables the audience to absorb information effectively.
Timing your breathing is crucial. Relax throughout your presentation. Too short, and you may appear flustered; too long, and it disrupts the flow. Incorporating brief silences after delivering a sentence or two establishes a steady rhythm, keeping the presenter and the audience engaged. This rhythmic cadence fosters focus, curiosity, and presenter composure, ensuring a smooth and controlled delivery.
Plan Your Movement
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Incorporating movement into presentations enhances audience engagement and energizes delivery. Simple actions like stepping forward or gesturing with hands can reinforce crucial points effectively. However, excessive movement can be distracting, necessitating a balanced approach.
While it’s important to stand still for the majority of the talk to convey confidence and authority, planned movements strategically interspersed with breaks in content can enhance impact. Each movement should accompany a complete thought or point. Avoid pacing aimlessly and create a sense of purposeful progression.
On larger stages, controlled movement can engage different sections of the audience. Clear, purposeful movement around the stage towards or away from the audience can enhance interaction and demonstrate attentiveness to their involvement.
Strategic use of the stage, stepping out from behind the podium, communicates comfort and confidence in the topic. However, natural movement is key to avoiding the appearance of nervousness or distraction. By moving purposefully, speakers can maintain audience attention and convey confidence without detracting from the message.
Maintain a stable stance throughout your talk by planting your feet and refraining from shifting which can convey uncertainty. Purposeful movement, such as walking to another area of the stage, should be deliberate and accompanied by brief pauses and eye contact with the audience.
Mastering Confident Body Language for Impactful Presentations
Body language speaks volumes in presentations, influencing audience perception and speaker confidence. Every movement conveys a message. Effective body language enhances communication, fostering engagement and trust.
Maintaining eye contact establishes connection and authority. Purposeful hand gestures emphasize key points, while controlled breathing regulates speed and tone, ensuring clarity and composure.
Strategic movement adds energy and visual interest, but excessive footwork can distract. Power poses exude confidence, but moderation is key to avoid intimidation.
In presentations, your body communicates even before you speak. Understanding and mastering body language is crucial for consistently delivering impactful presentations. By honing these skills, you can captivate your audience and convey your message with clarity, sincerity, and authority.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Why is body language important in presentations?
Body language is crucial in presentations as it can significantly impact audience perception and speaker confidence. Maintaining eye contact and confident posture helps establish connection and authority, while purposeful hand gestures emphasize key points. Effective body language enhances communication, fostering engagement and trust.
2. How can I pose confidently during a presentation?
To pose confidently, adopt a power pose sparingly, such as standing with feet shoulder-width apart, hands on hips, and chin lifted. Maintain a stable stance throughout the talk, avoiding shifting or pacing. Purposeful movement, such as walking to another area of the stage, should be deliberate and accompanied by brief pauses and eye contact with the audience.
3. What role does breathing play in presentation delivery?
Breathing is essential for regulating voice pitch and tone, conveying confidence and calmness during presentation delivery. Taking pauses to breathe ensures clarity and coherence, allowing moments for gathering thoughts and enabling the audience to absorb information effectively. Controlled breathing establishes a steady rhythm, fostering focus, curiosity, and presenter composure.
4. How can I effectively incorporate movement into presentations?
Incorporating movement into presentations enhances audience engagement and energizes delivery. Simple actions like stepping forward or gesturing with hands can reinforce key points effectively. However, excessive movement can be distracting, necessitating a balanced approach. Strategic movement towards or away from the audience sustains visual interest and demonstrates attentiveness to their involvement, while natural movement avoids the appearance of nervousness or distraction.
Master Confident Body Language for Impactful Presentations with Prezentium’s Interactive Workshops!
Unlock the power of body language to captivate your audience and deliver impactful presentations. Join our AI-powered business presentation service and interactive communication workshops to refine your posture and gestures.
Learn to establish authority with power poses without intimidating your audience. Discover the art of maintaining a stable stance while strategically incorporating purposeful movements for engagement. Our presentation training programs provide practical tips to enhance eye contact and hand gestures, fostering authenticity and enthusiasm in your delivery.
Don’t let bad body language sabotage your presentations. Invest in mastering confident body language with Prezentium ‘s workshops today, and stand out with confidence in every presentation!
Why wait? Avail a complimentary 1-on-1 session with our presentation expert. See how other enterprise leaders are creating impactful presentations with us.
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Body language cheat sheet: 30 Tips for a successful presentation
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When you give a presentation or talk in front of an audience, your body language will have a major influence on whether or not your message is received. Body language can affect whether the audience believes you are credible, whether your message is valuable and interesting, and whether they should take stock of what you are saying and get on board with your ideas.
Albert Mehrabian , Professor Emeritus of Psychology at UCLA, is a global expert on the importance of verbal and nonverbal messages. His findings confirm that our body language must be congruent with our message because our words convey only 7% of the meaning, our vocal expression 38% and our body language a whopping 55% of what the audience will remember and believe about you as a speaker.
Even if your content is invaluable, the message your body is delivering will be the deciding factor to whether your audience will engage with you.
We’ve narrowed down hundreds of ideas to the top 30 body language tips to use during your next presentation. These tips range from how to draw on your natural charisma to how to get the audience pays attention to your key points. But before we get to all 30 tips, here is a cheat sheet that will make it easy to make a good impression.
Body Language Cheat Sheet
To make this even easier, here is a cheat sheet with all of the best body language tips for impactful presentations .
![Body Language Cheat Sheet for Public Speakers SpeakerHub: cheat sheet with all of the best body language tips for impactful presentations](https://speakerhub.com/sites/default/files/body_language.png)
You may be also interested in The Essential Speaker Checklist
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Where will a "rock on" sign offend your audience? Plus 9 other gestures to avoid internationally.
Top 30 body language tips for great presentations.
You have seven seconds . Studies found that first impressions matter a lot, people will have largely formed their opinion about you based on the first several seconds of watching your talk, so make sure your intro counts.
Tap into your emotions. True engagement requires a level of emotional involvement, and the best way to cultivate this is to focus on your own emotions. Before your get on stage, ask yourself how you feel about your message. What do you want the audience to feel? By focusing intensely on what you are feeling, your body language will automatically convey it to the audience.
Loosen your shoulders . Keep your back straight but not rigid, and shoulders relaxed. When you are nervous or tense, it usually shows up in your shoulders, which will move up, in and forward. Loosen them up by giving them a small shake, and pulling them down and back.
Keep your arms relaxed at your sides . Your arms are a great indicator as to whether you are an open and trustworthy person, or whether you are insecure or hiding something. Keep your arms uncrossed and avoid standing with your hands on your hips, hiding your arms behind your back, or clutching your hands up by your chest: as these actions can subconsciously alarm your audience.
Use your hands to gesture when you speak . Proper gestures improve your credibility with the audience, while improving your thought process. Your hands can be used to describe something or to add weight to a point you are trying to make. Be cautious about going overboard because it might become distracting.
Balance out good eye contact. Eye contact communicates sincerity and credibility. Avoiding eye-contact might make you seem insecure or untrustworthy. Effective speakers engage one person at a time, focusing long enough to complete a sentence, before moving to a different person, or in case of large audiences, sections of the crowd in front of you. This being said, don’t stare, as maintaining too much eye-contact might make people uncomfortable, generally around 4 to 5 seconds is perfect.
Monitor your voice . Keep your voice at an even level, and don’t let your tones spike too high. By taking a deep breath and speaking slowly and clearly, you will give the impression that you are relaxed and confident: things which will keep your audience engaged.
Smile often and laugh occasionally. Smiling and laughter will put your audience at ease: people will be more inclined to listen to you if you seem to be a positive person. There is a fine balance between seeming positive and going overboard, laughing too much will it make you seem nervous and needy, while keeping a smile plastered on your face will make you seem insincere. Keep it simple: relaxed and happy.
Avoid fidgeting. It might make you seem nervous and can be distracting for the listeners. Avoid fidgety movements such as tapping your foot, clicking a marker lid, or drumming your fingers against the podium. You’ll seem nervous and it will distract your audience. Slow down and keep your movements focused.
Keep your eyes on the audience . It can be tempting when you get on stage to keep your eyes trained on the ground or to focus solely on your slides, but this might make you seem like you don’t really know what you are doing. Keep your head up straight, and your eyes towards the audience.
Slow down. Speaking and walking slower not only makes you seem more calm and confident, it will also help you feel less nervous.
Keep your neck straight . While standing with a straight back is part of good posture, it’s important to remember to include your neck- don’t let it stoop forward, as this will block your voice, and make it more challenging to maintain great eye contact with the audience. Keep your whole spine straight and aligned.
Make a great entrance . Even if you’ve received an amazing an introduction, your audience might not be ready to start. Their thoughts are still with the person who introduced you, the message they just recieved on their smartphone, or the remark their colleague sitting next to them just made. To be sure your listeners are receptive by walking to center stage and looking at the audience silently for a moment. Smile and nod slightly. Once you feel the audience's attention building, it is the perfect time to start speaking.
Keep your words and your facial expression consistent. Inconsistency causes people to sense that something isn't quite right. They might even begin to suspect that you're trying to deceive them, or that you have no idea what you are talking about. Be conscious about the consistency between your expressions and words.
Avoid exaggerated body language. Not only will it seem disingenuous, but can be interpreted as neediness. For example, people may perceive very heavy nodding as an attempt to show you agree with or understand something that you actually don't.
Working with objects . Whenever you are dealing with props or technology in a talk, from a remote clicker to a flip chart marker, make sure you know what your are doing and that it works! You can easily derail your talk with a malfunction. When you are done using the object, put it to the side: it will reduce the temptation to continue playing with the object after it has served its use.
Amplifying your most important points with gestures. Make your actions appropriate to what you’re saying. Audiences are drawn to movement and you can easily emphasize a point with the right gestures.
Take center stage. Stand front and center on the stage, where everyone in the audience can see you. That spot should be your main position. However you are not locked there, move away from time to time for emphasis or to change direction in your speech. Remember to go back to center stage so the entire audience can see you the majority of the time.
Command the stage by trusting your content . Whatever the content of your message, your physical presence needs to match your material in terms of impact. Understand why you are up there and the story you want to tell: the beginning, middle and end. Confidence is key.
Move with purpose . If you move when you speak, you’ll keep the audience’s attention. Try moving toward the audience before making a key point, and away when you change subject. You can also use the stage to facilitate the movement of your ideas. For example, if you’re presenting three issues, talk about each of them from a different physical position. Make sure you are front and center stage when you are making your most important points. If the room is smaller and the audience is seated in a U-shape, feel free to walk “inside the bay” even if some participants will see only your back for a few moments - then make sure you walk back before the lack of eye contact becomes uncomfortable for anyone.
Don’t grip the podium or microphone stand. If you're using a podium or microphone stand, place your hands lightly on the top of it or in a relaxed hold, white knuckles will not instill confidence in your listeners and prevent you from using supporting gestures.
Stay steady. Avoid shifting from your weight from one foot to the other. Stand with your feet firmly planted on the floor, with your weight equally distributed on both feet.
Avoid physical blockages. Make sure you are not partially hidden behind a desk, podium or flipchart. If you are obscured behind something, it will be more difficult for the audience to focus on you and your message. If you must stand behind something, do so with assurance and not as if you are shrinking from the audience.
Be mindful of your blinking. Blinking too much is a sign you’re uncomfortable. Try to relax, and if you find yourself blinking excessively, close your eyes for just a second and opening them again slowly.
Dress for success. Adjust your clothing to set the tone. When it comes to sending signals through your body language, the way you dress can instantly send your audience a plethora of messages. If you are not certain of what the tone should be: find out from the organizer - you don’t want to come across as too stiff or too casual by overdressing or underdressing. Dressing is also affected by the genre of your talk: if you’re the keynote at a corporate event, this may require elegant outfit while being a trainer for a 2-day seminar may warrant a business casual dress.
Pay attention to your palms. Gestures with palms exposed show that you are open and expressive, while palms turned down indicate that you are decisive and feel strongly about what you are saying.
Scripts kill your charisma . Speakers who offer more vocal variety are not only more charismatic, but audience believe them to be more credible. When a talk is too scripted and perfected, audiences generally become bored quicker. Interestingly, even if you are delivering a webinar without video, audiences who only hear your voice can still tell if you are reading it from a paper or talk only on the basis of bullet points but adding your own words.
Widen your stance to sound dynamic. Your voice reverberates up from your entire body, not just your mouth. Open up your stance a little wider than hip distance. This will calm your nervous system, allows you to breathe with ease, and amplify your voice.
Facial expression. Expressions can build a connection with your audience, or undermine your every word. Avoid artificial, unfriendly, or deadpan expressions. Include facial expressions that support your stories and actually reflect your emotions.
Stay positive . Most importantly maintain an open and relaxed attitude. How you feel will come through in your body language, which will have the greatest impact on your talk.
![The Do’s and Don’ts When Giving a Presentation The Do’s and Don’ts When Giving a Presentation](https://speakerhub.com/sites/default/files/styles/insert_article/public/lead_image-_the_dos_and_donts_when_giving_a_presentation.png?itok=bg2D1JEa)
The Do’s and Don’ts When Giving a Presentation
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Introducing the Speaking Model Canvas
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What Should l Do With My Hands?
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Where will a "rock on" sign offend your audience? Plus 9 other gestures to avoid internationally
7 Presentations
Delivering your message brilliantly.
Creating a great presentation involves more than coming up with a topic or designing the perfect PowerPoint to go with it. While those things are important, there is one more element that you need to pay attention to—your body language.
While the presentation template you use is important, your body language during a presentation can make all the difference between a successful presentation and a downright disaster.
Because of this, you shouldn’t underestimate the importance of body language in presentations and in this guide, we’ll explain what body language is along with different types of body language and share powerful body language tips that you can use for your next presentation.
What Is Body Language?
Body language is the way your body communicates without the use of words. It combines hand gestures, posture, facial expressions, and movements that tell others what’s going on inside your head. Body language can happen consciously and unconsciously.
For example, the way you’re sitting right now paired with your facial expression can tell others a lot about you. Based on your body language, they can tell whether you’re amused or concentrating hard. They can tell whether you’re approachable or if you’re having a bad day.
If you’re in a discussion with someone and verbally agree with them, your body language will either confirm that you indeed agree with what is being said; or betray you and tell others you don’t feel the same way.
In other words, your body language reveals the true story behind your words.
What Is the Importance of Body Language in Effective Presentations?
Using body language in presentations the right way can help you close more sales or win that pitch. Your body language can help you engage your audience and be confident and relaxed during your presentation. When you make eye contact, maintain a confident posture and eye contact, your presentation will be more dynamic, and you'll be able to connect with your audience.
On the contrary, if you don’t pay attention to it, bad body language during a presentation, such as slouching, no eye contact or arms on hips, will make your presentation appear dull and you'll wind up alienating your audience.
10 Quick Tips Body Language Tips For Better Public Speaking
Now that we’ve covered what body language is and why it matters while giving a presentation, here are 10 tips that'll show you how to use body language to improve your presentation.
Believe it or not, a smile is the most powerful tool you've got in your body language toolbox. A UC Berkeley study from 2011 found “that smiling can be as stimulating as receiving up to 16,000 Pounds Sterling in cash.” What’s more, a smile can instantly change the perception we have about someone, not to mention it leads people to smile back at us.
Smiling makes you seem more approachable. (Image source: Envato Elements )
While it’s true that smiling can be hard when you’re nervous, but keep in mind that a University of Kansas study found that smiling reduces stress . So, the next time you're up there giving a presentation, don’t forget to smile every so often. Not only will you seem more approachable to your audience, but you'll relieve that stress you’re feeling as well.
2. Don’t Slouch
Slouching makes you appear less confident and like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. If you're physically able to stand straight, then be sure to do so the next time you’re giving a presentation. Stand tall with your shoulders pulled back and your stomach tucked in—you'll appear more confident and get a quick jolt of energy to boot.
3. Assume a Power Pose
Professional speaker Amy Cuddy shows that a power pose can help you establish authority when you need to come across as confident and authoritative in your presentation. An example of a power pose is standing with your feet a shoulder-width apart, with hands on your hips, and chin lifted up. However, be careful not to overdo it, unless you want to come off as intimidating. Reserve the power poses for crucial parts of your presentation.
4. Make Use of the Space
Notice how the speaker has moved to the side, making use of the available space, rather than standing stiffly behind the podium. (Image source: Envato Elements )
Another quick tip is to make use of the stage. Instead of standing still, move around the stage. By doing so, you'll send a message to your audience that you’re comfortable in your skin and confident about your topic matter. It'll also help you avoid fidgeting.
Step out from behind the podium and let your audience see you. Move from one spot to another by taking a couple of steps, stopping, and then taking a few more steps.
Be natural as you move about though and avoid pacing as this will achieve the opposite effect and make you look nervous, not to mention you'll run out of breath.
5. Don’t Forget Facial Expressions
Facial expressions can do wonders for keeping your audience interested and convincing them to believe in your cause. Your presentation isn't the time nor the place to bring on your poker face as you'll come off as a robot.
By letting your passion for your topic shine through with your facial expressions, your audience will be able to connect with you and trust you. A word of caution though: don’t purposely go overboard with your facial expressions as this will come off as exaggerating and insincere.
You can practice your facial expressions in front of the mirror while you practice your speech. Alternatively, record yourself with a camera and analyze your facial expressions later on.
6. Speak Clearly
It’s not uncommon for the nerves to get the better of you during the presentation and you stutter or mumble, especially if there are tricky words involved. Practicing your speech before the presentation is a good way to make sure you feel comfortable delivering it and that your audience will be able to understand you.
Another tip that'll help you speak clearly and confidently is to imagine you’re delivering your presentation to your friends.
7. Don’t Be Afraid to Gesture
If you watch other presenters, you’ll notice one thing in common: all great presenters always use hand gestures to help deliver their presentation. Hand gestures will help you stress what's important as well as express feelings and convictions. Your passion for the topic will become more apparent as our gestures are more lively when we're passionate about something.
Gestures can help you express feelings during a presentation. (Image source: Envato Elements )
Hand gestures will show your audience you care about the presentation topic and that you're an effective communicator so don’t be afraid to use them during a presentation.
8. Maintain Eye Contact
As you give your presentation, be sure to maintain eye contact with your audience and face them. Doing so will make them feel like you’re talking directly to them and will help keep them interested in your presentation.
Avoiding eye contact or turning your back to them, on the other hand, will come off as rude and break the connection with the audience.
9. Remember to Breathe
While you’re on the stage, it can be all too easy to get caught up in your presentation and start to speak fast. But if you speak too fast, your audience will tune out because it'll be hard to follow you and you’ll run out of breath. That’s why it’s important to take a pause and remember to breathe. Breathing properly will also help you with your voice pitch and tone so you don’t sound strained and nervous.
10. Learn From Other Presenters
The last tip is to learn from other great presenters. You can study their body language and see how they use facial expressions, movement, and gestures to help them convey their ideas. A good place to start is to check out various TED Talks.
Different Types of Body Language
By following the previous presentation body language tips, you'll be able to deliver more effective presentations. But if you want to implement those tips successfully, you need to be aware of different body language types.
1. Eye Contact
Eye contact is an important part of body language. (Image source: Envato Elements )
We mentioned earlier how important it is to maintain eye contact with your audience. Eye contact helps you establish a personal connection with your audience. Keep in mind that you don’t have to look each person in the eye as this can prove to be difficult with large audiences.
Instead, focus your eye contact on a few people in different parts of the room will help you establish and maintain that contact. If they look at you, hold their gaze for a few seconds but avoid staring as long eye contact can make people feel uncomfortable.
Eye contact can also help you get a feel for how the audience is receiving your presentation. If you catch them yawning or trying to stifle a yawn or if they're looking around, it’s a sign they're losing interest in the presentation. Eye contact can help bring their attention back and re-engage them with the topic.
2. Head Movements
The way you move your head can signal a lot of different things. For example, when you lower your head, you send signals such as being tired or waiting for the right moment to speak. Looking up at the ceiling or away may signal you’re bored or that you’re hiding something from your audience as you’re avoiding eye contact. Nodding, on the other hand, signals agreeing with someone.
With the right head body language , you can engage your audience and convince them to agree with your idea.
3. Facial Expressions
Facial expressions are another important part of body language. As you can see from the man's expression here, he's clearly happy and excited about something. (Image source: Envato Elements )
Facial expressions help us convey our emotions to others or mask them when we feel uncertain about the person we’re talking to. That’s why using facial expressions during a presentation is crucial.
When it comes to facial expressions, keep in mind that anyone can recognize the 7 universal emotions (as described in research into facial expressions from Dr. Paul Ekman ). Given that fear is one of those emotions and also the emotion that can crop up during your presentation, it’s important to conquer your fear instead of letting it get the better of you. Practice your speech and practice giving your presentation in front of a familiar audience first. Once you feel confident about your speech and performance, it’s less likely that fear will show up when the time comes for the official presentation.
4. Hand Gestures
According to a study by Vanessa Van Edwards , lead investigator for Science of People, hand gestures are one of the five key patterns of all successful TED talks. In other words, the more you gesture with your hands, the better the likelihood of your presentation being a stellar success.
Use your hands to communicate different points in your presentation. The most effective way to do this is to use your fingers to count the points you’re explaining.
5. Body Posture
Posture is another important part of body language. It's important not to slouch when you give your presentation. (Image source: Envato Elements )
The way you hold yourself matters. As covered in one of the earlier tips, poor posture such as slouching will give your audience the impression that you’re not confident in your topic or yourself. If your back is tense, they'll sense your tension and wonder what’s causing it.
Remind yourself to relax throughout your presentation and to straighten up if your start to slouch. Not only will this give you the chance to improve your posture, but it'll also allow your audience to take in the points you’ve just covered.
Make Use of Your Body Language to Ace Your Presentation
Delivering a great presentation requires a carefully chosen topic as well as an engaging slide deck and body language that'll help you win over your audience. The topic should be relevant to your audience and help you raise brand awareness as well as generate trust.
Once you’ve nailed down your topic, make sure you've got a well-designed slide deck. You can save a lot of time by using a professionally designed PowerPoint template such as those found on Envato Elements or GraphicRiver so be sure to check them out.
Lastly, don’t underestimate the importance of body language in a professional presentation. Your body language says a lot about you, not to mention it's got the power to help you deliver an engaging presentation. Put your body language to good use by making use of the space, maintaining eye contact, speaking clearly and with confidence, and by standing tall without slouching.
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How to use body language effectively during your presentation
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Your body has something to say
Body language is a powerful form of nonverbal communication. Whether you’re talking with a friend or waiting for a bus, your body is always sending signals out to those around you. During a presentation, when all eyes are on you, the importance of body language is heightened. Here’s some key areas to be aware of:
- Your facial expressions. You can heighten or emphasize your message as you speak or pause with subtle movements such as raised eyebrows or larger expressions such as a smile.
- Your hands. Your hands might be at your sides, in your pockets or gesturing to illustrate a point or your material. Each position conveys something different to observers.
- Your feet. Are you staying in one place, shifting your weight from foot to foot, or walking around? How fast are you walking? Those are potential clues to your feelings in the moment.
- Your position. How close are you standing to others? Are you standing straight or slouched slightly. Are you in front of, next to, or behind your materials and visual aids? During a presentation, position is key—try standing in front of a projector and see if your message gets across.
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Making body language work effectively for you
If you think about the areas above, you can probably think of strengths and challenges you have with each. Maybe you tend to “talk with your hands” or shrink away from your audience because of presentation anxiety . These tips can help you remember what to focus on and help you overcome some of your natural tendencies that might be distracting your audience. You’re the area of focus, so whatever you do will have a disproportionate impact on those watching.
- Smile. Smiling can help you feel more confident in the moment and eventually raise your level of happiness. Plus, you’ll look more approachable and even glad to see your audience, no matter if you’re still a bit nervous. Of course, if your content is more serious or has a moment where the tone changes, make sure your expression is appropriate for what you’re saying. But a slight smile that says, “I know what I’m talking about, and I want to share it with you” is generally a good default face to have.
- Shift your gaze. It’s totally ok if you’re still at the “look above the audience’s head” stage of presenting, and eye contact is less important in virtual presentations , since you need to be focused on the camera. But if you’re in person and you’re able to direct where you look, doing a slow pan glance over the crowd, or finding a few friendly faces to periodically zoom in on, can help provide that important illusion of confidence and strengthen your connection to the audience overall.
- Think about when you want to gesture. Don’t be afraid to gesture but try to choose gestures that will emphasize your language or your topic in any given moment, rather than wildly waving your hands about. Controlled gestures are a very effective tool, as your audience’s eyes will follow your hands—but not if they realize your hands are going nowhere most of the time.
- Be open and try to stand up straight. Have your shoulders tilted toward the audience rather than away to convey your desire to connect with them. Also, avoid slouching, which can also project a lack of confidence in your words or material, and instead try to subtly point your chest toward the crowd, as if you’re leading with your message. And try to be rooted but ready, not shifting from side to side as you speak.
- Control your pace. While you can stand in one spot while you present, it’s sometimes more impactful to be able to move around slightly when illustrating a point or perhaps telling a story. Try to move slowly and with purpose so as not to look too nervous, like you’re pacing, and so you can avoid being a distraction to those who already have trouble focusing. And, it goes without saying that you want to make sure you’re not talking too fast, particularly if you’re committed to moving around.
You can practice your presentation with an eye toward rethinking your body language, or if you’re working on a new one, look for moments to incorporate strategic body language, as if you’re an actor working through a scene. Have a friend or trusted colleague watch you and take notes so they can share feedback later, and if someone else isn’t handy, the mirror is a tried-and-true way to reflect on how you might be coming across as you speak.
Using body language effectively can take your presentations up a notch. So, start thinking about how you can train your body to be just as convincing and as confident as your words, and soon, the audience will be hanging on your every sentence.
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How to use body language during a presentation
- 19 February 2018
- 10 minute read
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It’s easy to spend a long time agonising over what to say when it comes to giving a presentation. However, it’s important to remember that a great presentation is about much more than just content. Elsewhere on the Future Skills Blog we’ve talked about the most important public speaking skills to have in general, but here we’re going to focus on body language.
Body language can make all the difference between a dull, static presentation and a dynamic, engaging one. Of course, body language has many different elements, and so we’ve broken it down into five categories:
- Facial expressions
- Eye contact
- Position and movement
Some of these may seem like small details, but they have a big impact on how your presentation comes across. When your body language is working hand in hand with the other aspects of your presentation, such as content and tone of voice, then you’re sure to win over your audience.
1) Facial expressions
People will travel half-way around the world to meet one another “face-to-face” for a reason – when it comes to interacting with others, what we do with our faces is vital. We may not usually control our facial expressions in any conscious way, but there are times when we have to think about what our face is telling others, such as when giving a presentation. Study-body-language.com has produced a fun guide to facial expressions and why they matter.
The first and most obvious thing to remember is to make sure that you are using your face at all. Giving a presentation with a blank face, without any particular facial expression is like speaking in a monotone – no matter how great your content is, your audience will not be engaged. Even some simple steps from the outset, such as opening your eyes wider, raising your eyebrows a little, and smiling, can make a huge difference in setting the tone for your presentation. You can also “reset” at different points during your presentation to make sure that you haven’t fallen back into a dull resting expression and to re-engage your audience’s attention.
Of course, putting rehearsed facial expressions into your speech mechanically is never going to be effective, and what you do with your face should look natural. The important thing is to be attentive to what you’re saying. If your facial expressions are in line with the tone of your words, then the information you are presenting will come across more clearly, and you will seem more sincere. Remember that the expression you wear tells people a lot about how trustworthy you are. Don’t forget that the size of the room and the audience matters too – a bigger crowd requires bigger facial expressions.
2) Eye contact
Having thought about what your face is doing in general, it’s time to get even more specific and think about eye contact. This is crucial when it comes to communication, as explored in a recent Psychology Today article .
Just as with facial expressions and the other parts of body language we’ll be looking at below, the way in which you use eye contact and look at your audience depends on the size of the room and the audience. However, here are some general tips:
- Make sure you look at everyone – Staring at the same spot throughout a presentation is visually dull and unengaging for your audience. Make sure that by the end of your presentation you have made eye contact with everyone at least once – that might mean every individual if you have a small audience, or every section of a crowd if you have a bigger audience.
- Don’t be afraid of eye contact – Prolonged eye contact can make people nervous, but that’s because it’s so powerful. You may be perceived as aggressive or bullying. A brief glance, however, suggests that you are monitoring their expression as you speak to them, and thus that you care about how your message is being received. While it may be tempting to find a spot to stare at on the back wall, it is always better to try and make a more personal connection with members of your audience. But remember…
- Don’t stare – No one wants to feel uncomfortable or that they are being put on the spot. Keep your gaze moving and engage as many people as possible.
Again, remember that different situations call for different approaches, but as long as you are consciously using eye contact, you’ll be well on the way to making your presentation as involving as possible.
We’ve talked about facial expressions and eye contact, now it’s time to look at the bigger picture: posture. Whether you’re sitting or standing, the way in which you hold yourself is incredibly important and sets the tone for the whole presentation before it’s even begun.
With this in mind, here are a few Do’s and Don’ts when it comes to posture during a presentation:
- DON’T slouch – In almost all presentation situations, your posture should be upright and open. This will make you look and feel more confident, and it will invite your audience in rather than pushing them away. If you are not sitting or standing upright it suggests that what you have to say is not particularly important to you. If you suggest to your audience that what you have to say is not really worthy of your attention they are unlikely to pay much attention either.
- DON’T be tense – It’s important to look and feel relaxed during a presentation. If you’re standing upright but look rigid, it won’t make a good impression. No matter how nervous you may feel, a speaker who seems to be afraid of his audience will not win their trust. Pause and take a deep breath before you begin, and remind yourself to relax at different points throughout the presentation. Pausing and giving your audience time to think about what you have just said is a good thing to do anyway. You can take that time consciously to relax and re-set your expression and posture.
- DO think about your audience – A formal presentation to the board of a company is very different to an interactive talk with schoolchildren. While you still need to be upright, open and relaxed in all situations, remember that different situations require different levels of formality. Do you want to be interrupted if someone has a question for example, or will you only take questions at the end of your presentation? Adapt your posture to be more open or more formal accordingly.
- DO be adaptable – If you are sat down or have a lectern for your presentation, don’t hold onto them for support or let them get in the way. You should have an open and communicative posture no matter what the specific set-up is. Be prepared to adapt to unexpected situations. If you are addressing a large audience or being recorded you may need to use a microphone – this may mean you have to remain at a lectern, or you have to hold a microphone in one hand, which can restrict your gestures. Try to find out beforehand, but if things are not at you expected, adapt quickly to make the best of the facilities provided.
In addition, Ethos3 also gives some very helpful advice on how to improve your posture for a presentation .
4) Gestures
Varied facial expressions, eye contact and a good posture will put you well on the way to presentation success, but if you stand still without moving any other part of your body, it can create a very strange impression. On the other hand, over-rehearsed or exaggerated hand gestures can be off-putting and look unnatural.
A happy medium is needed. Remember that the purpose of using gestures when giving a presentation is to make your message clearer and more interesting. In short, your gestures should mean something. For example, if you are making a contrast between big and small, you can use hand gestures to represent this. If you are giving a numbered list, you can show the numbers with your hand so that both people’s eyes and ears are engaged. Alternatively, if you want to address the audience directly, you can gesture towards them (but try not to point aggressively as though you’re accusing them of something). If you have a PowerPoint slideshow or other visual aids, use gestures to draw people’s attention to them. If you have a particular point which is one of the key messages of your presentation you may want to make your gestures more exaggerated as you work up to that point – in this way you can communicate to the audience which of the things you have to say matter most to you.
The Science of People blog’s article on hand gestures gives some great insight into this aspect of presentation along with some further ideas. Remember that whatever happens, gestures should look relaxed and natural. If you are struggling with this, remember that practice makes perfect – film yourself presenting or ask your friends to give you feedback. Also, as with all the other aspects of body language we’ve been talking about, you’ll need to adjust things depending on the size of the room.
5) Position and movement
This last area is more variable depending on the specific set-up of your presentation. It will be clear straight away whether you have any flexibility over where you position yourself or if movement around the space is even possible, but it’s always worth considering.
For example, if you are giving your presentation on a big stage, a bit of movement around the space can help to create visual interest and keep different parts of the audience engaged. Likewise, if your presentation has interactive elements, you could move closer or slightly further back from the audience depending on whether they’re involved or not. The golden rule is that any movement should be clear and directed – you should never look like you’re just wandering around the stage. You may, for example, want to engage your audience early on in your presentation by moving to the front of the stage and asking them a question – “Who can tell me…”, “Put your hand up if you have ever…” – this not only enables you to make some judgements about how much your audience already knows about what you have to say, it also engages them and suggests that you care about their experiences. Most people are much happier if they feel a speaker is “talking to” them rather than “talking at” them with no concern for their opinions.
The five topics above give an overall sense of how you can use body language to make your presentation clearer, more engaging and more powerful. Remember that body language is not something you apply later to a pre-written script, but a core part of how you present. It should go hand-in-hand with every other aspect of the presentation, such as the content and the tone of your voice, to create a compelling overall experience for your audience. Good luck and happy presenting!
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The mastery of body language for a presentations
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Anete Ezera November 24, 2023
We know that creating a stunning presentation isn’t enough to fully sway your audience. When you take the stage for that all-important Prezi presentation, your words matter—but your body speaks volumes. The subtle tilt of the head, the grounding of your stance, and the assured gesture of your hands; are the unspoken elements of dialogue that can captivate an audience before you even utter a word. Fortunately, with a Prezi presentation, you already set the stage for confident delivery, captivating your audience from the first few seconds and providing the confidence boost you need. However, how you end up delivering your presentation using the tone of your voice, posture, movement, and gestures, is up to you. That’s why in this article, we’ll equip you with the skills to ensure that your actions speak as confidently as your words and Prezi presentation.
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The power of body language in presentation
The silent language of our posture, gestures, and facial expressions speaks volumes about our confidence. In a presentation, the audience is not only listening—they’re also observing. Effective body language for a presentation can reinforce and amplify your spoken message, while poor body language can undermine it. When used adeptly, it serves as a powerful tool to engage your audience, convey authority, and leave a lasting impression.
Studies suggest that communication is only 7% verbal and 93% non-verbal, of which body language is a significant component. This emphasizes the critical role of physical expression in delivering a message. Therefore, understanding the nuances of body language for a presentation is not just beneficial—it’s imperative.
The basics of confident body language for a presentation
Starting with the basics, confident body language is the foundation upon which a successful presentation is built. Here are some tips about body language for a presentation that can set the stage for a powerful performance:
Posture: Stand tall with your shoulders back and chin up. This conveys confidence and helps you breathe better, thus improving your vocal projection.
Eye contact: Maintain a steady gaze with your audience. This builds trust and shows you’re engaged with them.
Gestures: Use your hands to emphasize points but keep them controlled. Avoid fidgeting, which can be distracting.
Movement: Move purposefully around the stage to engage with different parts of your audience but avoid pacing aimlessly.
Facial expressions: Smile where appropriate and match your expressions to your content to show passion and sincerity.
By integrating these body language basics into your presentation, you can start to harness the full potential of your physical presence.
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Advanced techniques for body language
Beyond the fundamentals, there are advanced body language techniques that can help you connect with your audience on a deeper level:
Mirroring: When a speaker mirrors the body language of the audience, it can foster a subconscious bond, making the audience feel understood and connected. This mimicry can make the audience more open and amenable to the speaker’s message. It’s a psychological strategy that, when done subtly, can lead to increased trust and affinity, which is especially beneficial during persuasive speeches or when trying to establish common ground.
Staging: Deliberate use of space, such as moving towards the audience, can signal engagement and invite participation, making the presentation feel more interactive and personal. Conversely, stepping back can signal to the audience that it’s time to ponder a point you’ve made, providing them with a moment to absorb information. Effective staging can thus control the rhythm and emphasis of the presentation, making it more dynamic and memorable.
Variation in gestures: Utilizing a range of gestures can cater to different learning styles within the audience, as some people are more responsive to visual cues. Open gestures are generally perceived as welcoming and honest, which can help to create a positive atmosphere. In contrast, precise gestures, like pointing or enumerating points on fingers, can highlight key information and signal to the audience that something is of particular importance. This variety prevents monotony, keeps the audience’s attention, and underscores the speaker’s message.
Incorporating these techniques requires practice, but when done correctly, they can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your presentation. You can also explore our article on the 9 secrets of confident body language to get even more tips and insights on effective body language for a presentation.
Examples of well-mastered body language for a presentation
Ted presenters.
To illustrate these body language techniques, consider the demeanor of accomplished public speakers like TED presenters. They often begin their talks with a story or anecdote, using expressive hand gestures that match the emotional tone of their story. As the narrative builds, their movements around the stage draw the audience along on the journey. The strategic use of pauses, combined with sustained eye contact, allows the speaker to connect with the audience on a personal level, making the presentation more memorable. Discover more TED Talk presentation skills by watching the following video.
Lecturers and educators
In educational settings, teachers and lecturers use body language for a presentation to emphasize points and show enthusiasm for the topic. They might walk across the room to engage different parts of the audience or use hand gestures that correspond with key points on their Prezi slides. This helps students to connect visual information with physical actions, enhancing memory and understanding.
Salespeople
In sales pitches, effective body language is the silent ally of the salesperson. They use a confident posture to project assurance in the product they’re selling. Strategic use of hand gestures can draw attention to specific benefits or data on the screen, and making eye contact with various members of the audience helps to personalize the pitch and keep potential clients engaged.
Public speakers
Politicians and public speakers are also masters of body language for a presentation. They use their hands to emphasize conviction and make their points more compelling. They might step closer to the audience when sharing a personal story, using proximity to create a sense of intimacy. On the other hand, when they want to appear authoritative on a subject, they might stand tall, with hands behind their back, to command the room.
![body language in presentation Women presenting with a confident body language presentation skill](https://blog.prezi.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1166085538-1024x683.jpg)
Exercises to improve body language during presentation
Before stepping onto the stage, it’s beneficial to engage in exercises that fine-tune your body language for a presentation:
Warm-up: Engaging in a physical warm-up before a presentation can be tremendously beneficial. It helps in reducing physical tension, which can otherwise lead to restrictive body language. A relaxed body allows for more fluid and natural movements, making the speaker appear more confident and at ease. Additionally, warming up can help regulate breathing, leading to better voice control during the speech.
Practice in a mirror: Practicing in front of a mirror allows presenters to become more conscious of their body language, including facial expressions and movements. This self-observation can help in identifying and correcting any behaviors that might be distracting or detracting from the message, such as unnecessary hand fidgeting or lack of eye contact.
Record and review: Recording practice sessions provide the opportunity to review one’s performance from an outsider’s perspective. It allows presenters to notice nuances in their body language that they might not catch in a mirror, such as the timing of gestures or the consistency of eye contact. This can lead to a more polished and professional presentation style.
Feedback loop: Constructive feedback from peers can offer a fresh perspective on a presenter’s body language. Colleagues may notice things the presenter doesn’t and can offer suggestions for improvement. This external input is critical for growth, as it can identify blind spots in a presenter’s self-perception and help refine their non-verbal communication skills.
By regularly performing these exercises, you can become more attuned to your body language for a presentation and gradually improve your non-verbal communication skills. Furthermore, discover other ways to improve your delivery skills according to your unique presentation style by watching the following video.
Body language pitfalls to avoid
Even seasoned speakers can fall into body language traps that detract from their message. Being aware of these pitfalls is the first step to avoiding them:
Over-gesticulating: While hand movements can be engaging, too much can be distracting. Aim for purposeful gestures that complement your words.
Lack of expression: A monotone delivery can bore the audience. Your facial expressions should reflect the passion and intensity of your message.
Closed posture: Crossing arms or legs can appear defensive. Aim for an open posture to seem approachable and confident.
Inconsistency: When your words say one thing but your body says another, it creates dissonance. Strive for consistency between your verbal and non-verbal cues.
Avoiding these common mistakes can help ensure that your body language for a presentation remains an asset, not a liability, during presenting.
The role of body language in audience engagement
The ultimate goal of your presentation is to engage your audience, and your body language is a key factor in achieving this. By leveraging positive body language for a presentation, you can:
When you step onto the stage, your aim is to not just present but to resonate with the audience. Non-verbal cues, like a warm smile or an open stance, can act as a conduit, establishing a rapport that transcends words. It’s this connection that can transform a room of passive listeners into a captivated audience. This silent dialogue fosters a sense of familiarity, making your message not just heard, but felt and experienced.
Your body speaks the language of conviction. When your posture is commanding and your gestures are assured, your words carry weight. Confidence emanates from the way you hold yourself, the assurance with which you move. It’s a subtle but powerful tool in your arsenal, lending credence to your arguments and swaying your audience with the unspoken but clear belief in your message.
Hold attention
In the ebb and flow of a presentation, your body language is the visual rhythm that keeps the narrative alive. Varied and dynamic body language acts as visual punctuation, highlighting key points and maintaining the narrative’s momentum. It breaks the monotony, adds emphasis where needed, and keeps the audience engaged not just with their ears, but with their eyes as well. It’s the difference between a monologue and a performance.
![body language in presentation Young woman sharing her view during team building session at startup office. African woman talking with colleagues sitting in circle at a coworking office.](https://blog.prezi.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/GettyImages-1383549815-1024x683.jpg)
Remember, engaging body language for a presentation is not just about entertaining your audience; it’s about bringing them into your narrative, making them feel involved and invested in your message.
Incorporating technology and body language for a presentation
In today’s digital age, many presentations are enhanced with technological aids. How you interact with these tools can affect your body language:
Remote clickers
Use tools like clickers to advance slides seamlessly without interrupting your flow. When the flow of your presentation is interrupted, it not only wastes time but could also divert your audience’s attention from your message. If you’re a particularly nervous presenter, interrupting your flow could cause anxiety to kick in which is why it’s so important to practice with technology beforehand.
Tablets and screens
Engage with touchscreens naturally without letting them become a barrier between you and the audience. Physical barriers can disrupt the audience’s visual connection to you and your message, which can become a big distraction. Practice using tablets and screens throughout your presentation until it feels like second nature.
Virtual presentations
Even when presenting virtually, maintain an awareness of how your body language translates through the camera. It’s important to make sure you position yourself accordingly for your presentation. You want the audience to be able to see you clearly, with enough space for your hand gestures to be visible on the screen. With Prezi Video functionality, you can easily present your content right next to you on-screen, without needing to hide behind your slides, making your virtual presentations significantly more engaging.
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In all cases, your interaction with technology should be smooth and practiced, ensuring that it supports rather than hinders your body language cues.
Mastering the silent dialogue: the final word on body language for a presentation
To convey your message with the utmost impact, aligning your spoken words with the unspoken power of body language is essential. By mastering confident body language for a presentation, you can transform it into an engaging, persuasive, and memorable experience for your audience. Remember, it’s the harmony of verbal and non-verbal communication that resonates most profoundly with listeners. As you continue to refine your skills, keep in mind that body language is a continuous learning process—every audience and every presentation offers a new opportunity to excel.
Further insights for you to explore
For further exploration of confident body language tips for presentations, explore other Prezi blog articles for invaluable insights, and check out the videos on how to display confident body language:
By studying and applying these principles, you’ll not only improve your presentation skills but also enhance your ability to communicate in every aspect of your professional life. Remember, body language for a presentation is a powerful tool—use it wisely, and it’ll serve you well.
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Body Language in Presentation: Enhancing Communication
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In public speaking and presentations, words only tell part of the story. The true power of your message lies not just in what you say but also in how you say it. Effective communication encompasses not only your verbal content but also your nonverbal cues. This is where the significance of body language in presentation truly shines. Let's discuss the world of body language, exploring how it can enhance your presentations and leave a lasting impression.
Why Do We Use Body Language in Presentations?
Body language is an integral part of human communication. It's how we express emotions, build rapport, and convey confidence. When giving a presentation, your body language can make all the difference. Here's why:
- Creating a Personal Connection: Body language allows you to establish a personal connection with your audience. Maintaining eye contact and using open body language can make your audience feel seen and heard.
- Nonverbal Communication: While your words convey the facts, your body language conveys the emotions and intent behind those words. This dual communication approach ensures your message is well-rounded and easily understood.
How Should Body Language Be in a Presentation?
![body language in presentation Body Language in Presentation](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/62ee76bf1cef28daf219984b/65487a85ac306b486394b19e_miNQ3roQb-fw9NWs68wU2N6LPYvodBJiUrFG2nu6w1uvHV_7AvcSLTqZRLJGl-j8B-7fwj01hm1ziyVY1Gm__vxsAV4MR0bVeOVETej-gj_2yFK5Asub3suK3fIjercXlxr7SI8MJQDAmFfkoIe1bYvy34teQNBW2_WuJwUmamh0Mz2-UVm-3wtTWiS8xA.jpeg)
Effective body language in a presentation is not just a nice-to-have; it's a must-have. It plays a pivotal role in ensuring your message is delivered with impact and clarity. Here are some essential aspects of the right body language in a presentation:
1. Maintain Eye Contact
Maintaining eye contact with your audience is perhaps one of the most crucial aspects of effective body language. It establishes a direct connection between you and your listeners. When you look someone in the eye, it conveys sincerity, confidence, and engagement. You're not just reciting words; you're having a genuine conversation with your audience. This can make your message more relatable and build trust.
2. Facial Expressions
Your face is a canvas for your emotions, and it should reflect the emotions your words convey. A genuine smile can warm the atmosphere and make your audience feel more at ease. A raised eyebrow can pique curiosity and draw attention to a particular point. Likewise, a serious expression can underline the gravity of a situation or message. Effective presenters use their facial expressions as a powerful tool to amplify the impact of their words.
3. Hand Gestures
Hand gestures are another essential component of body language. They are like the punctuation marks of your spoken words. Appropriate gestures can accentuate key points and add dynamism to your presentation. However, a word of caution: overusing hand gestures can become distracting. Balance is the key. Use gestures intentionally and naturally to support your verbal content.
Achieving Positive and Confident Body Language
To achieve the right body language, it's important to exude positivity and confidence. Here's how you can achieve this:
- Positive Body Language: A positive body language conveys enthusiasm, approachability, and optimism. This is achieved through maintaining a pleasant facial expression, using open body language, and smiling genuinely. It's about projecting an attitude that says, "I'm excited to share this with you."
- Confident Body Language: Confidence in your body language is essential to establish authority and trust. It's conveyed through maintaining good posture, making purposeful gestures, and speaking clearly and assertively. When your body language exudes confidence, your audience is more likely to believe in your message and follow your lead.
The Balance in Body Language
![body language in presentation presenting on stage](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/62ee76bf1cef28daf219984b/65487a864c6c5993178660e1_ZWvsujTtWBoy4Qz4NvakXC7_HKWF7Jgzmve36Npf4HXUAwaT5MOHAXlmZxxeQv-B2OQdz217FtB9-XoZ2Dhoqcwf92JTO01hCuQh6ZcIQHFMaztBecXRdag4k4WiD-6Kn_iN0ufSAH7d1LQxv6NbsnCSEDO4CUIhmiCAypnOsumptX5_Gnn3DG_h6aDZUA.jpeg)
Balancing body language in a presentation is a delicate art. It's essential to remember that moderation is the key to success. While body language can significantly augment your message, too much of a good thing can be counterproductive. An overabundance of any nonverbal cue can lead to unintended consequences.
For instance, maintaining excessive eye contact can make your audience feel uncomfortable, as it may come across as overly intense or even confrontational. Similarly, an abundance of smiles may seem insincere and undermine the credibility of your message. Over-the-top gestures can also be distracting, potentially diverting the audience's attention away from your main points.
Striking the right balance in your body language ensures that it harmonizes with your spoken words, enhancing the overall impact of your message rather than detracting from it. It's about finding that sweet spot where your nonverbal cues complement your verbal content, creating a harmonious and compelling presentation.
How to Introduce Body Language in Your Presentation
The first moments of your presentation are crucial. This is when you have the audience's full attention, and it's your opportunity to make a lasting impression. Starting with impact is essential. One effective way to do this is by sharing a funny story or a personal anecdote. Humor can break the ice, making your audience feel more at ease, and personal anecdotes help create a connection.
When you share something relatable or amusing, you immediately engage your audience's emotions, making them more receptive to your message. It's a powerful way to set the tone for your presentation and establish a connection that can carry through the rest of your talk.
Having these elements of body language, you can break the ice, engage your audience on a personal level, and create a welcoming atmosphere. Your audience is more likely to be attentive and open to your message when they feel a connection with you. Starting with an impact not only introduces body language effectively but also ensures that your presentation begins on a strong and memorable note.
How Can I Improve My Body Language and Communication Skills?
Improving your body language and communication skills is an ongoing process. Here are some tips to help you get started:
- Practice: The golden rule of body language is practice. Rehearse your presentation multiple times to ensure your gestures are well-timed and natural.
- Video Recording: Record your presentations and review them. This helps you identify areas where you can improve.
- Avoid Poor Posture: Poor posture can project a lack of confidence. Stand straight and tall, projecting confidence and authority.
Can Body Language Be More Meaningful Than Actual Words?
![body language in presentation thumbs up sign](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/62ee76bf1cef28daf219984b/65487a85a4af66eb19511974_oKc4dyWQ-_caiouE-sjTr_VGBuk0KzTsrm5W5qcfWnjEPpVU7daqyZm-dufWe_5LOZUklebNJBRJmKz8wGhrrREz5j1yzM2Zg5W2X-6ZuJ15Wso1Ah9tuQCHcq1hmOQEnpo21O0A79CZnE_smOFJG3bdvPfdvfPnJe0yqsIZjm3yvB0OJ0FMPsCqDhdtrQ.jpeg)
In many cases, body language can be more powerful than words. Your audience may not remember every word you say, but they will remember how you made them feel. This is where presentation skills, taking a deep breath, and maintaining the right presentation posture come into play.
Here are some examples of how body language can speak louder than words:
Maintaining Eye Contact
Maintaining consistent eye contact is a fundamental aspect of effective presentation skills. It demonstrates that you're not merely reciting a script but are truly engaged with your audience. When you make eye contact, it conveys authenticity, interest, and a personal connection, which words alone may not achieve.
During your presentation, using open palms is a nonverbal cue that signifies honesty and a willingness to communicate openly. It's a gesture that invites trust and openness from your audience. When your words align with your open body language, the message becomes not only sincere but also impactful.
Power Pose and OK Sign
The way you carry yourself is a key aspect of presentation posture. A power pose, characterized by standing tall with your shoulders back, is a nonverbal cue that exudes confidence and positivity. It tells your audience that you are in control and confident about what you're conveying.
The "OK" sign, formed by connecting your thumb and forefinger to create a circle with the remaining three fingers extended, can be a subtle yet powerful gesture. It can reassure your audience that everything is going well, making them feel at ease.
Leveraging Teleprompters for a Polished Presentation
Teleprompters have become an invaluable tool for presenters looking to deliver a smooth and confident speech. By displaying your script or notes in an easily readable way, teleprompters can significantly enhance your presentation skills. This technology enables you to maintain excellent eye contact with your audience while ensuring you don't miss a single point, making it an ideal choice for both experienced speakers and those new to public speaking.
When you use a teleprompter, your delivery remains fluid, and your body language, including maintaining eye contact and an upright presentation posture, remains unaffected. It's a practical solution for keeping your focus on engaging your audience, all while ensuring you convey your message clearly and confidently. As a result, teleprompters are a secret weapon for presenters aiming to balance their content with their nonverbal communication effectively.
Key Points for Effective Body Language in Presentation
To summarize, effective body language in presentations is about creating a connection with your audience, conveying confidence, and supporting your verbal content. By practicing and incorporating these techniques into your presentations, you can leave a positive impression and deliver great presentations.
In the grand scheme of things, words are just a small part of the equation. It's your body language that can make the bigger picture memorable. So, the next time you step forward to present, remember the importance of body language and let it help you deliver a compelling and impactful message. Don't underestimate its power in your journey to becoming a more effective presenter.
By mastering the art of body language in presentation, you can captivate your audience, hold their attention, and ensure your message is not just heard, but truly understood and appreciated.
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Delivering a great presentation involves more than creating an outline and putting together a dynamic PowerPoint. While those certainly play an important role, there is another element that is often overlooked and that’s body language. The most important visual you can show an audience is yourself, and your body language can have a significant impact on the way your audience perceives you and the outcome of your presentation. Therefore, you shouldn’t underestimate the power of body language and its role in your presentation.Â
Body language refers to the way your body communicates without the use of words and it consists of hand gestures, facial expressions, stance, and posture. The way you use your body can demonstrate confidence, nervousness, anger, frustration, or excitement. Though it is often subconscious, our body language is what the audience is seeing so if you want to get the right message across to your audience, you must be mindful of your body language. Before your next presentation, consider the following tips for using body language in order to deliver a more powerful presentation.Â
Make Eye Contact
One mistake presenters often make is staring at the back of the room. The problem is that avoiding eye contact takes away from your authenticity and it prevents the audience from engaging with you. In any presentation, it is important to make eye contact with your audience. Obviously, you can’t look at every single person, but you can scan the audience and may eye contact with individuals throughout your presentation. When you look at someone, be sure to hold the gaze for a few seconds. Good eye contact helps you assess how your audience is perceiving your message and it also makes you look far more credible and trustworthy.Â
Pay Attention to Your Facial Expressions
Your facial expressions are a critical component of becoming an expressive speaker. The movements of your eyes, mouth, and facial muscles can build a connection with your audience. Your facial expressions can convey a variety of emotions and can demonstrate your passion for the subject. Don’t be afraid to smile and use your facial expressions to build a trusting relationship with your audience.Â
Be Mindful of Hand Gestures
Many presenters feel nervous speaking in front of an audience and they feel anxious about what to do with their hands. As a result, they might put their hands in their pockets or behind their back. Unfortunately, this gives off the impression that you are nervous and it can impact your credibility right from the start. You should absolutely use your hands and avoid placing them on your hips or folded across your chest. Rather, your hands should be used to emphasize your points, to express emotion, or to engage your audience. Avoid nervous gestures such as fidgeting with your pockets, glasses, hair, or papers, as this is quite distracting to an audience. Instead, let your hands fall comfortably to the side and use them as necessary to demonstrate your key points.Â
Use the Space Effectively
When you are presenting in front of an audience, don’t be afraid to use the space. Standing in one place behind a podium can get quite boring for an audience. Speakers who walk around and utilize their space are far more engaging. Controlled walking can add to the effectiveness of your message. Be careful not to pace back and forth, but don’t be afraid to claim your space and use it to connect with your audience.Â
Stand Up Straight
Your posture says a lot about your confidence. Good posture gives the impression of authority and confidence, so be sure and stand up straight and tall. Avoid slouching your shoulders and leaning on a podium, and stand with a straight open body with your arms relaxed by your side.
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Body Language During Presentation? Best 14 Tips To Use In 2024
Mattie Drucker • 08 April, 2024 • 12 min read
What your body language during presentation says about you? Do's and Don'ts! Let's learn the best tips with AhaSlides!
So, what is the best presentation posture? Got awkward hands syndrome? You probably don't because I just made that up. But - we all have moments when we don’t know what to do with our hands, legs, or any part of our body.
You may have a fantastic icebreaker , impeccable introduction , and excellent presentation, but the delivery is where it matters most. You don't know what to do with yourself, and it's perfectly normal .
What is the body language of embarrassment? | downward gaze, smile controls, turned-away head movements and face touching |
What are the nonverbal signs of shame | Slumped shoulders, lowering our head, looking down, no eye contact, unconsistent speech |
Can audience tell when presenters are shy? | Yes |
Why was Steve Jobs presentation so good? | He just practied a lots, along with intesting |
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To what extent do you know about a successful presentation? Aside from well-designed PowerPoint templates, it is important to utilize other performance skills, especially Body language.
Now that you know that body language is an irreplaceable part of presentation skills, it is still far from mastering these skills to deliver effective presentations.
This article will give you a holistic view of body language and how to take advantage of these skills for your perfect presentations.
Table of Contents
- Importance of body language during a presentation
Consider Your Appearance
Smile, and smile again, open your palms, make eye contact, hand clasping, touching ear.
- Don't Point Your Finger
Control your Voice
Walking around, frequently asked questions, importance of body language for presentation.
With body language presentations, when it comes to communication, we mention verbal and non-verbal terms. It is crucial to remember that these terms have a relative relationship. Hence, what it is?
Verbal communication is using words to share information with other people, including both spoken and written language. For example, the word “how’s it going” that you choose to let others understand what you are trying to greet them.
Nonverbal communication is the transfer of information through body language, facial expressions, gestures, created space, and more. For example, smiling when you meet someone conveys friendliness, acceptance, and openness.
Whether or not you’re aware of it, when you interact with others, you’re constantly giving and receiving wordless signals besides talking. All of your nonverbal behaviours—your posture, your intonation, the gestures you make, and how much eye contact you make—deliver vital messages.
In particular, they can put people at ease, build trust, and draw attention, or they may offend and bewilder what you are attempting to express. These messages don’t stop when you stop speaking, either. Even when you’re silent, you’re still communicating nonverbally.
Similarly, a presentation is also a way of communicating with your audience; while speaking up about your idea, show body language to emphasize it. Thus, understanding the importance of non-verbal and verbal communication skills simultaneously will help you avoid dull presentations.
To make it much more straightforward, we explore elements of body language, a part of non-verbal communication skills. Body language comprises gestures, stances, and facial expressions. When you are presenting, robust and positive body language becomes a powerful instrument for building credibility, expressing your emotions, and connecting with your listeners. It also helps your listeners to concentrate more intently on you and your speech. Here, we give you 10+ language body examples and tips to leverage your
10 Tips to master Body Language in Presentations
First, it is essential to have a neat look during presentations. Depending on which occasion, you may have to prepare the appropriate outfit and well-groomed hair to show your professionalism and respect to your listeners.
Think about the type and style of the event; they may have a strict dress code. Choose an outfit you’re much more likely to feel poised and confident in front of an audience. Avoid colours, accessories, or jewellery that might distract the audience, make noise, or cause glare under stage lights.
Don’t forget to “smile with your eyes” instead of just your mouth when smiling. It would help to make others feel your warmth and sincerity. Remember to maintain the smile even after an encounter—in fake happiness encounters; you may often see an “on-off” smile that flashes and then vanishes quickly after two people go their separate directions.
When gesturing with your hands, make sure your hands are open most of the time and people can see your open palms. It is also a good idea to keep the palms facing most of the time upward rather than downward.
It is usually a bad idea to make eye contact with individual members of your audience! Finding a sweet spot for “long enough” to look at your listeners without being offensive or creepy is necessary. Give it a try to look at others for about 2 seconds to lessen awkwardness and nervousness. Don’t look at your notes to make more connections with your listeners.
Check out tips on Eye Contact in Communication
You may find these gestures helpful when you want to conclude a meeting or end an interaction with someone. If you want to appear confident, you can use this cue with your thumbs stuck out—this signals confidence instead of stress.
Around close friends and trusted others, it’s lovely to relax your hands in your pockets once in a while. But if you want to make the other feel insecure, sticking your hands deep in your pockets is a surefire way to do it!
Touching the ear or a self-soothing gesture subconsciously takes place when a person is anxious. But do you know it is a good help when encountering difficult questions from audiences? Touching your ear when thinking of solutions may make your overall posture more natural.
Don’t Point Your Finger
Whatever you do, don’t point. Just make sure you never do it. Pointing a finger while talking is taboo in many cultures, not only in presentations. People always find it aggressive and uncomfortable, offensive somehow.
In any presentation, speak slowly and clearly. When you want to underline the main points, you may speak even more slowly and repeat them. Intonation is necessary; let your voice rise up and down to make you sound natural. Sometimes say nothing for a while to have better communication.
Moving around or staying in one spot when you are presenting is fine. Yet, don’t overuse it; avoid walking back and forth all the time. Walk when you intend to engage the audience or while you are telling a funny story, or while the audience is laughing
4 Body Gestures Tips
In this article, we’ll spell out some quick tips on body language and how to develop your presentation skills regarding:
- Eye contact
- Hands & Shoulders
- Back & Head
Your body language is crucial because it not only makes you look more confident, assertive, and collected, but you will also end up feeling these things. You also should avoid looking down while talking.
Eyes - Body Language During Presentation
Don’t avoid eye contact like it’s the plague. Many people don’t know how to make eye contact and are taught to stare at the back wall or someone's forehead. People can tell when you're not looking at them and will perceive you to be nervous and distant. I was one of those presenters because I thought public speaking was the same as acting. When I did theatre productions in high school, they encouraged us to look at the back wall and not engage with the audience because it would take them out of the fantasy world we were creating. I learned the hard way that acting is not the same as public speaking. There are similar aspects, but you don't want to block the audience from your presentation - you want to include them, so why would you pretend they aren't there?
On the other hand, some people are taught to look at just one person who is also a bad habit. Staring at one individual the entire time will make them very uncomfortable and that atmosphere will distract the other audience members as well.
DO connect with people like you would a normal conversation. How do you expect people to want to engage with you if they don't feel seen? One of the most helpful presentation skills I’ve learned from Nicole Dieker is that people love attention! Take time to connect with your audience. When people feel that a presenter cares about them, they feel important and encouraged to share their emotions. Shift your focus to different audience members to foster an inclusive environment. Especially engage with those already looking at you. Nothing is worse than staring down at someone looking at their phone or program.
Use as much eye contact as you would when talking to a friend. Public speaking is the same, just on a larger scale and with more people.
Hands - Body Language During Presentation
Don’t restrict yourself or overthink it. There are so many ways to hold your hands incorrectly, like behind your back (which comes off as aggressive and formal), below your belt (limiting movement), or stiffly by your sides (which feels awkward). Don’t cross your arms; this comes off as defensive and aloof. Most importantly, don’t over-gesture! This will not only become exhausting, but the audience will begin to fixate on how tired you must be rather than the content of your presentation. Make your presentation easy to watch, and, therefore, easy to understand.
DO rest your hands at a neutral position. This will be a bit above your belly button. The most successful looking neutral position is either holding one hand in another or simply just touching them together in whatever way your hands would naturally. Hands, arms, and shoulders are the most important visual cue for the audience. You should gesture like your typical body language in a regular conversation. Don’t be a robot!
Below is a quick video by Steve Bavister , and I recommend you watch it to visualize what I just described.
Legs - Body Language During Presentation
Don’t lock your legs and stand still. Not only is it dangerous, but it also makes you look uncomfortable (making the audience uncomfortable). And no one likes to feel uncomfortable! The blood will start to pool in your legs, and without movement, the blood will have difficulty recirculating to the heart. This makes you susceptible to passing out, which would definitely be … you guessed it … uncomfortable . On the contrary, don’t move your legs too much. I’ve been to a few presentations where the speaker is rocking back and forth, back and forth, and I paid so much attention to this distracting behaviour that I forgot what he was talking about!
DO use your legs as an extension of your hand gestures. Take a step forward if you want to make a statement that connects with your audience. Take a step back if you want to give space for thought after an astounding idea. There is a balance to it all. Think of the stage as a single plane - you shouldn’t turn your back on the audience. Walk in a way inclusive of all people in the space and move around so you can be visible from every seat.
Back - Body Language During Presentation
Don’t fold into yourself with slumped shoulders, drooping head, and curved neck. People have subconscious biases against this form of body language and will begin to question your capability as a presenter if you project as a defensive, self-conscious, and insecure speaker. Even if you don't identify with these descriptors, your body will show it.
DO convince them of your confidence with your posture. Stand straight like your head is connected to a taught string attached to the ceiling. If your body language portrays confidence, you will become confident. You will be surprised by how little adjustments will improve or worsen your speech delivery. Try using these presentation skills in the mirror and see for yourself!
Lastly, if you have confidence in your presentation, your body language will improve drastically. Your body will reflect how proud you are of your visuals and preparedness. AhaSlides is a great tool to use if you want to become a more confident presenter and WOW your audience with real-time interactive tools they can access while you're presenting. Best part? It's free!
Conclusion
So, what does body language during the presentation say about you? Let’s take advantage of our tips and consider how to incorporate them into your presentation. Don’t hesitate to practice in front of the mirror at home or with a familiar audience and ask for feedback. Practice makes perfect. You’ll be able to master your body language and get favourable outcomes from your presentation .
Extra tip : For a virtual online presentation or wearing a mask, you may encounter difficulties in showing body language; you can think of leveraging your presentation template to capture the audience's attention with 100+ AhaSlides types of presentation templates .
What to do with your hands when presenting
When presenting, it's important to use your hands purposefully to make a positive impression and enhance your message. Therefore, you should keep your hands relaxed with open palms, use gestures to benefit your presentation and maintain eye contact with your audience.
When presenting to a neutral audience, why should I present both sides of the issue?
Presenting both sides of an issue to a neutral audience is essential, as it helps lots to engage with the audience, enables your critical thinking skills, makes your presentation better and also helps to increase credibility.
Which type of gestures should be avoided in a speech?
You should avoid distraction gestures, like: speaking dramatically but not relevant to your contents; fidgeting like tapping your fingers or playing with objects; pointing fingers (which show disrespect); crossing arms and surprisingly and overly formal gestures!
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Mattie Drucker
Public speaking trainer at AhaSlides
Tips to Engage with Polls & Trivia
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5 body language tips to improve your presentations
"What does body language have to do with a PowerPoint presentation?" you ask. Well, more than you think. In the same way it's always worth putting some thought into the placement of our text and images or the way we design a slide, it's also worth thinking about the placement of other things "outside of the presentation" like our hands and eyes, as well as the way we present ourselves (no pun intended).
The thing is, you're using body language whether you realise it or not. There's no vacuum here, so you may as well be intentional about it. Being aware of and leveraging the way you come across when presenting can be a great way to add that extra layer of clarity, conviction or persuasion we need to win that pitch, secure that raise or get the team on board for the next project.
Your body language can either help you engage your audience and be confident and relaxed during your presentation, or make you look dull and uninterested thanks to slouching, lack of eye contact or nervous pacing back and forth. So, while we normally focus on helping you design your slides, in this post, we're giving you five pointers to help you look as good as your deck!
![body language in presentation Eye contact - Pickit 3-1](https://blog.pickit.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Eye%20contact%20-%20Pickit%203-1-2.jpeg?width=763&name=Eye%20contact%20-%20Pickit%203-1-2.jpeg)
If you're nervous, your body will often instinctively try to avoid eye contact. If you're overly confident, you might stare for too long, making the other person nervous. The goal here is to find that sweet spot and look for long enough to appear confident without coming across as creepy.
Here are a few tips for healthy eye contact:
- Aim to move around and look at everyone in the room at least once
- Try about 2 seconds – less looks nervous, longer feels awkward
- If you're too nervous to lock in, try looking just above people's eyes
- Don't look down at your notes the whole time if you're aiming to connect
2. Use hand gestures ... the right ones, that is
![body language in presentation Pickit - Presentation 2-1](https://blog.pickit.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Pickit%20-%20Presentation%202-1-2.jpeg?width=763&name=Pickit%20-%20Presentation%202-1-2.jpeg)
According to a study by Vanessa Van Edwards , lead investigator for Science of People, hand gestures are among the five essential ingredients that make up a successful TED talk. I ntentional, well-timed hand gestures can show your audience that you care about the topic and that you're a knowledgable and effective communicator. On the flipside, unintentional hand gestures can easily cause distraction and make you look nervous or unprofessional and even annoying.
Here are a few common ones to avoid:
- Fiddling with a watch, wedding band or microphone
- Playing with keys, pens, coins or stuff in your pocket
- Stroking your hair, beard, mustache (or eyebrows!)
- Repeatedly adjusting items of clothing
- Pointing at people
And a few to try:
- Pausing to point an important element or message on your slide
- Using welcoming, positive gestures to engage with the audience
- Using a gesture to invite the audience to answer a question
- Counting key points on your fingers for emphasis
- Clapping to celebrate or acknowledge an achievement
3. Consider your clothes
![body language in presentation Pickit - Presentation 3-1](https://blog.pickit.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Pickit%20-%20Presentation%203-1.jpeg?width=736&name=Pickit%20-%20Presentation%203-1.jpeg)
A lot can be said about people's choice of clothing, and there are obviously plenty of landmines to be mindful of here, including everything from company dress code to individual taste. We won't go too deep here, and also try to leave some room for personal preferences, but here are a few questions to ask yourself:
Are your clothes enhancing your message or distracting people?
A t-shirt with an eye-catching design or some provocative wording might be perfect for a night on the town, but if it's not supporting your message, it may be distracting and detracting from it. If in doubt, go neutral. Plainer clothes are often a good choice, or at least items of clothing that don't carry conflicting messaging.
How will your audience be dressed?
If they're in suits, you might not want to rock up in swimwear, unless of course you're doing a talk on water safety, in which case it might be an appropriate way to grab, and hold, people's attention. Many suggest dressing slightly better than your audience, helping establish some level of professionalism while also hanging on to some relatability.
Are your clothes clean, ironed and in decent condition?
We're not suggesting you invest in a new wardrobe every time you need to get the team together for a 5-minute stand-up meeting at the office, but it's worth checking your clothes are neat and tidy enough not to distract people while you're talking. There's nothing worse than staring at a guy with big square-shaped creases on his recently purchased shirt because he didn't allow time to iron it before taking the stage.
4. Remember your posture
![body language in presentation Pickit - Presenting](https://blog.pickit.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Pickit%20-%20Presenting-2.jpeg?width=3000&name=Pickit%20-%20Presenting-2.jpeg)
Body language matters. As mentioned in one of the earlier tips, a poor posture such as slouching will give your audience the impression that you’re not confident nor interested in your topic or yourself. If you're tense, they'll sense your nervousness. Remind yourself to relax throughout your presentation and to straighten up if you start to slouch. Not only will this give you the chance to improve your posture, but it'll also allow your audience to take in the points you’ve just covered.
Within your own personal style, try to be comfortably confident.
So here are two dos and two don'ts when it comes to posture during a presentation:
- Don't slouch – Your posture should be upright and open. This'll make you look and feel more confident, inviting the audience in rather than pushing them away.
- Try not to be tense – It’s important to look and feel relaxed during a presentation. Appearing too rigid won’t make a good impression. No matter how nervous you may feel, a speaker who seems to be afraid of his or her audience will not win their trust. Remind yourself to relax at different points throughout the presentation. Use your pauses to consciously to relax and reset your expression and posture.
- Think about your audience – A formal presentation to the board of a company is quite different from an interactive talk with a junior coworker. While you still need to be upright, open, and relaxed in all situations, remember that different settings require different levels of formality. Adapt your posture and the delivery of your message to be more open or more formal accordingly.
Read more: 10 dos and don'ts of impactful presentations
5. Don't forget to breathe
![body language in presentation Pickit - Meditation-3](https://blog.pickit.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Pickit%20-%20Meditation-3-3.jpeg?width=763&name=Pickit%20-%20Meditation-3-3.jpeg)
Whether you're nervous, excited or insecure about delivering a presentation to an audience, it's surprisingly common to either freeze or to speak faster than normal, leading you to experience a shortness of breath. Regardless of how you feel about presenting, it's important to remember to breathe normally. It's a great way to center yourself, find some calm and take control of the situation. Breathing at a healthy pace will also give you the chance to gather your thoughts in between points, and most importantly, give your audience the opportunity to take in what you've just said.
Much like eye contact, pausing to breathe needs to be timed well. Too short and you seem flustered, too long and it gets awkward. Try delivering a sentence or two and then pausing to breathe. Soon, you'll find a rhythm and cadence that enables both you and your audience to settle in for the ride so they remain focused and curious, and you stay calm and in complete control.
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12 Body Language Mistakes to Avoid During a Presentation
It has been involuntary to think that we should only pay attention to how we present the content, the clothes we use, and make the audience participative in preparing for a public presentation.
A quick example is that sometimes we tend to deliver our presentations while seated to avoid the audience’s pressure. Alternatively, we can be staring at one spot in the room to avoid eye contact and think we found a successful strategy.
The Bad News: The audience can see or understand that as a lack of confidence and not trust your credibility or expertise on the topic.
Let’s start by looking at the list of 12 Body Languages Mistakes to Avoid During a Presentation :
If you chew gum while delivering a presentation, it may give the audience the impression that you are disrespectful, unprofessional, and unethical.
Let us imagine if the audience asks us a question or even makes a suggestion that invites us to look at our arguments in a new dimension that we’ve never thought of before, and that is our reaction.
Even if we are open to looking forward to that new perspective, if we have our arms crossed while saying that the suggestion is an excellent point of view, it may look like that we feel threatened and, because of that, getting defensive.
When trying to pipe the presentation’s nervousness, it is common for us to use fidgeting with our fingers or objects, distract ourselves from the problem (stress), and focus on delivering the message.
Just like fidgeting, grabbing objects against our bodies will not solve the problem. Thus, the audience will be distracted, trying to figure out why we have them.
Instead of that, there is a better solution; we can use a pulse watch or have a friend keeping the time for us. This way, you will avoid having long presentations that will make the audience feel tired.
Avoiding eye contact can be a big sign of insecurity and a back up to a confrontation. If you only focus on one person or don’t look at all to the audience, you make things a lot more awkward between you and the audience.
It can be misunderstood as an annoying habit and nervousness, which will drive the audience’s attention to anything but our message.
Sometimes even when we have the slides for our presentations ready, we can get lost or frustrated because it is getting hard to recall our next point of discussion, so we may convey that to the audience, through a confused or lost face – which is bad.
AceThePresentation. 11 Best Body Language Tips for Engaging Presentations .
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How should I position my body for an effective presentation?
May 21, 2024 /
To position your body for an effective presentation, it is important to maintain good posture and body language. Stand tall with your shoulders back and relaxed, and avoid slouching or leaning on one leg. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and distribute your weight evenly. Face the audience directly and make eye contact to establish a connection. Use natural gestures to emphasize key points and maintain an open and confident stance throughout your presentation. By following these guidelines, you can project confidence and engage your audience effectively.
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Paris’ Olympics opening was wacky and wonderful — and upset bishops. Here’s why
Paris Olympics organizers apologized to anyone who was offended by a tableau that evoked Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” during the glamorous opening ceremony, but defended the concept behind it Sunday. Da Vinci’s painting depicts the moment when Jesus Christ declared that an apostle would betray him. The scene during Friday’s ceremony featured DJ and producer Barbara Butch — an LGBTQ+ icon — flanked by drag artists and dancers.
Delegations arrive at the Trocadero as spectators watch French singer Philippe Katerine performing on a giant screen, in Paris, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024 in Paris. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
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Paris Olympics
- Sha’Carri Richardson won her first-ever race at the Olympics in 10.94 seconds to easily qualify for the semifinals.
- Here’s what to watch as the track and field competition kicks off.
- Take a look at everything else to watch on Friday .
- See AP’s top photos from the 2024 Paris Olympics.
- Olympic schedule of events and follow all of AP’s coverage of the Summer Games .
- Which countries are in the lead? Take a look at the Olympic medal tracker .
- Want more? Sign up for our daily Postcards from Paris newsletter.
PARIS (AP) — Paris: the Olympic gold medalist of naughtiness.
Revolution ran like a high-voltage wire through the wacky, wonderful and rule-breaking Olympic opening ceremony that the French capital used to astound, bemuse and, at times, poke a finger in the eye of global audiences on Friday night.
That Paris put on the most flamboyant, diversity-celebrating, LGBTQ+-visible of opening ceremonies wasn’t a surprise. Anything less would have seemed a betrayal of the pride the French capital takes in being a home to humanity in all its richness.
But still. Wow. Paris didn’t just push the envelope. It did away with it entirely as it hammered home a message that freedom must know no bounds.
A practically naked singer painted blue made thinly veiled references to his body parts. Blonde-bearded drag queen Piche crawled on all fours to the thumping beat of “Freed From Desire” by singer-songwriter Gala, who has long been a potent voice against homophobia . There were the beginnings of a menage à trois — the door was slammed on the camera before things got really steamy — and the tail end of an intimate embrace between two men who danced away, hugging and holding hands.
“In France, we have the right to love each other, as we want and with who we want. In France, we have the right to believe or to not believe. In France, we have a lot of rights. Voila,” said the audacious show’s artistic director, Thomas Jolly.
Jolly, who is gay, says being bullied as a child for supposedly being effeminate drove home early on how unjust discrimination is.
The amorous vibe and impudence were too much for some.
“Know that it is not France that is speaking but a left-wing minority ready for any provocation,” posted far-right French politician Marion Maréchal, adding a hashtagged “notinmyname.”
Here’s a closer look at how Paris both awed and shocked.
A 21st-century update of Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Last Supper’
DJ and producer Barbara Butch, an LGBTQ+ icon who calls herself a “love activist,” wore a silver headdress that looked like a halo as she got a party going on a footbridge across the Seine, above parading athletes — including those from countries that criminalize LGBTQ+ people. Drag artists, dancers and others flanked Butch on both sides.
The tableau brought to mind Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper,” which depicts the moment when Jesus Christ declared that an apostle would betray him.
Jolly says that wasn’t his intention. He saw the moment as a celebration of diversity, and the table on which Butch spun her tunes as a tribute to feasting and French gastronomy.
“My wish isn’t to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock,” Jolly said. “Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide.”
Still, critics couldn’t unsee what they saw.
“One of the main performances of the Olympics was an LGBT mockery of a sacred Christian story - the Last Supper - the last supper of Christ. The apostles were portrayed by transvestites,” the spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, posted on Telegram.
“Apparently, in Paris they decided that since the Olympic rings are multi-colored, they can turn everything into one big gay parade,” she added.
The French Catholic Church’s conference of bishops deplored what it described as “scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity” and said “our thoughts are with all the Christians from all continents who were hurt by the outrage and provocation of certain scenes.”
LGBTQ+ athletes, though, seemed to have a whale of a time. British diver Tom Daley posted a photo of himself recreating the standout Kate Winslet-Leonardo DiCaprio scene from “Titanic,” only with the roles reversed: He was at the boat’s prow with arms outstretched, as rower Helen Glover held him from behind.
Is that a revolver in your pocket?
When a giant silver dome lifted to reveal singer Philippe Katerine reclining on a crown of fruit and flowers, practically naked and painted blue, audiences who didn’t think he was Papa Smurf may have guessed that he represented Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and ecstasy.
But unless they speak French, they may not have caught the cheekiness of his lyrics.
“Where to hide a revolver when you’re completely naked?” he sang, pointing down to his groin. “I know where you’re thinking. But that’s not a good idea.”
“No more rich and poor when you go back to being naked. Yes,” Katerine continued.
Decades after Brigitte Bardot sang “Naked in the Sun,” this was Paris’ reminder that everyone starts life in their birthday suit, so where’s the shame?
Paris museums are full of paintings that celebrate the human form. Gustave Courbet’s “Origin of the World” hangs in the Musée d’Orsay. The 16th-century “Gabrielle d’Estrées and one of her sisters,” showing one bare-breasted woman pinching the nipple of another, hangs in the Louvre.
France sends a message
Clad in a golden costume, French-Malian pop star Aya Nakamura strode confidently out of the hallowed doors of the Institut de France, a prestigious stronghold of French language, culture and commitment to freedom of thought. Even without a note being sung, the message of diversity, inclusion and Black pride was loud.
The most listened-to French-speaking artist in the world was a target of fierce attacks from extreme-right activists when her name emerged earlier this year as a possible performer at the show. Paris prosecutors opened an investigation of alleged racism targeting the singer.
Nakamura performed with musicians of the French military’s Republican Guard, who danced around her.
Au revoir, closed minds and stuffy traditions.
Off with their head!
When London hosted the Summer Games in 2012, it paid homage to the British monarchy by giving Queen Elizabeth II a starring role in the opening ceremony. Actor Daniel Craig, in character as James Bond, was shown visiting the head of state at Buckingham Palace before the pair appeared to parachute out of a helicopter over the stadium.
The French love to joyfully tease their neighbors across the English Channel and, perhaps not incidentally, took a totally different, utterly irreverent tack.
A freshly guillotined Marie Antoinette, France’s last queen before the French Revolution of 1789, was shown clutching her severed head, singing: “The aristocrats, we’ll hang them.” Then, heavy metal band Gojira tore the Paris evening with screeching electric guitar.
Freedom: Does anyone do it better than the French?
AP journalists Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Jim Heintz in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed.
For more coverage of the Paris Olympics, visit https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games .
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The proper body language in a presentation helps to convey that you have confidence in yourself and your message. A speaker who knows the importance of body language in an oral presentation can instill trust in the audience, which, among other things, helps to forge a connection. Further, a presenter who knows how to effectively employ body ...
Other than taking up space, another body language presentation trick you can use is to minimize space between you and the audience. Bridging the distance between you and the audience is a powerful cue to use sparingly. In the 1992 debate between Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush, Clinton is asked a question from the audience. ...
12 Quick Tips Body Language Tips For Better Public Speaking. Now that we've covered what body language is and why it matters while giving a presentation, here are 12 tips that'll show you how to use body language: 1. Smile. Believe it or not, a smile is the most powerful tool you've got in your body language toolbox.
Quick Answer. Using body language when giving a speech or presentation can help to convey your message more effectively and engage the audience. Make sure to avoid any nervous habits such as fidgeting and maintain good posture. Use hand gestures and facial expressions sparingly and intentionally for maximum effect.
When presentation coaches reference body language, they often refer to a 1967 study published by Albert Mehrabian. Dr. Mehrabian is a professor at UCLA. His study showed that only 7% of communication comes from the words spoken. He said that 38% of communication comes from the voice and tone. The final 55% of the communication process comes ...
Learn how to use body language, gestures and facial expressions to enhance your PPT presentations and influence your audience. Find out how to stand, posture, gesture and smile confidently and professionally.
Improve Your Presentation Body Language. As a manager, you know that mastering presentation skills is critical for effectively communicating ideas, motivating your team, and projecting leadership presence.But even if your message is compelling, poor body language can undermine your talk's impact.. How you physically hold and carry yourself makes a huge difference in how your audience ...
6. Beyond positive body language: use props effectively. Props can be a great way to add interest to your presentation and help illustrate your points. However, be sure to use props sparingly, as too many can be distracting. 7. Practise good body language and stage presence.
Key Takeaways: Body Language Impact: Effective body language is essential to improve your presentation, boosting audience engagement and speaker credibility.Maintain a confident posture to create a connection and convey confidence. Presentation Mastery: Mastering presentation skills involves minor adjustments in body language, such as an open posture.
Top 30 Body Language Tips for Great Presentations. You have seven seconds. Studies found that first impressions matter a lot, people will have largely formed their opinion about you based on the first several seconds of watching your talk, so make sure your intro counts. Tap into your emotions.
A great presentation takes more than smart preparation and execution of verbal skills. Body language is just as important, and the 2014 Toastmasters Internat...
What Is the Importance of Body Language in Effective Presentations? Using body language in presentations the right way can help you close more sales or win that pitch. Your body language can help you engage your audience and be confident and relaxed during your presentation. When you make eye contact, maintain a confident posture and eye ...
During a presentation, when all eyes are on you, the importance of body language is heightened. Here's some key areas to be aware of: Your facial expressions. You can heighten or emphasize your message as you speak or pause with subtle movements such as raised eyebrows or larger expressions such as a smile. Your hands.
2) Eye contact. Having thought about what your face is doing in general, it's time to get even more specific and think about eye contact. This is crucial when it comes to communication, as explored in a recent Psychology Today article. Just as with facial expressions and the other parts of body language we'll be looking at below, the way in ...
Here are some tips about body language for a presentation that can set the stage for a powerful performance: Posture: Stand tall with your shoulders back and chin up. This conveys confidence and helps you breathe better, thus improving your vocal projection. Eye contact: Maintain a steady gaze with your audience.
Control your face expressions. Do not lean on the podium or table. Using your hands effectively. Use body and space. Use the power of Pause and breathe slowly. Being able to engage your audience with your presentations is an amazing gift, and a skill that you can learn and become better and better every single day.
It plays a pivotal role in ensuring your message is delivered with impact and clarity. Here are some essential aspects of the right body language in a presentation: 1. Maintain Eye Contact. Maintaining eye contact with your audience is perhaps one of the most crucial aspects of effective body language. It establishes a direct connection between ...
Before your next presentation, consider the following tips for using body language in order to deliver a more powerful presentation.Â. Make Eye Contact. One mistake presenters often make is staring at the back of the room. The problem is that avoiding eye contact takes away from your authenticity and it prevents the audience from engaging with ...
Overview. Tips for Better Engagement. Importance of body language during a presentation. 10 Tips to master body language in presentations. Consider Your Appearance. Smile, and Smile Again. Open Your Palms. Make Eye Contact. Hand Clasping.
And a few to try: Pausing to point an important element or message on your slide. Using welcoming, positive gestures to engage with the audience. Using a gesture to invite the audience to answer a question. Counting key points on your fingers for emphasis. Clapping to celebrate or acknowledge an achievement. 3.
The Good News: No worries, there are ways to do better and appear confident, and you will learn all that here. Let's start by looking at the list of 12 Body Languages Mistakes to Avoid During a Presentation: Body Shrinking. Chewing. Crossing our arms. Crossing our legs. Fidgeting. Hold objects that hide our body. Keeping a cellphone near.
To position your body for an effective presentation, it is important to maintain good posture and body language. Stand tall with your shoulders back and relaxed, and avoid slouching or leaning on one leg. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and distribute your weight evenly. Face the audience directly and make eye contact to establish a connection.
(NOTE: Some of the findings presented in this talk have been referenced in an ongoing debate among social scientists about robustness and reproducibility. Read "Corrections & Updates" below for more details as well as Amy Cuddy's response.) Body language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy argues that "power posing" -- standing ...
Fri, 02 Aug 2024 17:35:25 GMT (1722620125901) Gallery - News3 v1.0.0 (common) 5d4bc5eff7c8b323c9fe3aaba6039ce1b624ff8a
PARIS (AP) — Paris: the Olympic gold medalist of naughtiness. Revolution ran like a high-voltage wire through the wacky, wonderful and rule-breaking Olympic opening ceremony that the French capital used to astound, bemuse and, at times, poke a finger in the eye of global audiences on Friday night.. That Paris put on the most flamboyant, diversity-celebrating, LGBTQ+-visible of opening ...
Article body. En effet, à partir de la saison 2024/25, 36 clubs participeront à la nouvelle phase de ligue (ancienne phase de groupe) de l'UEFA Champions League, ce qui permettra à quatre ...