How can you improve your body language when presenting?

Years ago I went through a training where we gave presentations and were evaluated. Surprising to me, the feedback I received is that I seemed a bit rigid and needed to smile more. I am an ENFP personality, incredibly expressive and outgoing. However, I think my nerves got the best of me. I know sometimes when we reach a certain point in our career, we are loathe to rehearse. But I think it's important to capture notes on talks as to when you want to be more serious, perhaps lowering your voice, excited, funny, joyful, moving. I think it's essential to delivery of your message. Practice, notes and thinking through you key points.

Before you can implement the tips in this article, you need to see yourself. Yes, you need to start watching videos of you. If you don't have any, start talking and recording yourself. No, it is not easy to watch. For me, it is always a cringe-worthy experience AND we need to do it anyway. Watch it more than once because you will see more each time. What's next? Ask others to watch the same recordings to identify what they see. Then, with all that information, now you can start following the tips in this collaborative article.

Have self-awareness of 'nervous habits' and do your best to control them! Have great posture, a smile, make eye contact, engage with your audience, but don't appear flamboyant! If you are standing, at a podium, or on a stage...use the space! Great speakers move around and use their hands, don't be afraid of hand gestures. Additionally, post-covid we have moved into a corporate environment where virtual meetings are more common. Regardless of the pro's vs con's in the virtual space, I've seen multiple speakers lose track of their body language! Don't fall into the 'virtual trap' and forget the keys to a successful presentation. Last but not least, this falls into place much easier if you are prepared and know your content!

Record even the shortest public performances of yours and reflect on your performance in the recording — together with a trusted friend/coach/colleague! Doing it yourself will leave you either not willing to watch it till the end, and/or staying too subjective. As you watch your recording together, journal your reflections anawering the following three questions: 1. What went well? 2. What I wish I did differently? 3. What will I do differently next time? Don’t just think through these questions in silent reflection, but write the answers down — you’ll see it makes a difference. You will be more likely to grasp what you want to change, grab it from your memory (the writing piece!) in the right moment and apply it.

Improving body language during presentations is an essential tool to connect with the audience, establish credibility, and exude confidence. Strategies for enhancing body language include standing tall and projecting authority, using natural hand gestures to emphasize important points, steady eye contact, moving deliberately, mirroring audience's body language, exuding positive energy, dressing appropriately, and practicing delivery repeatedly. Effective body language can help speakers establish a personal connection with their audience, exude confidence and authority, and effectively communicate their message.

Usually clarity of your topics improves your eye contact unconsciously. Maintain humour with a few people from the audience. Eye contact gets relaxed with everyone.

Along with eye contact engaging your audience in a conversation is important. Know your audience before the presentation to know what is important to them and what will resonate with them. Lead by asking questions and letting them voice their opinions. This creates a bond with the audience and helps in communicating your material with an emotional and personal touch.

Eye contact is one of the most important non-verbal communication skills that you can master. It is the perfect tool to engage your audience and a deeper level while making you appear more authoritative and trustworthy. Eye contact can help you make or break your presentation.

Keeping eye contact with the audience provides a sense of confidence as long as it is genuine. In my experience, the most natural eye movement is, the most relax is the contact with the audience.

Maintaining good eye contact is a delicate balance. Instead of making direct eye contact with any one person, do a screen of the audience. You would do a slow panning movement going left to right so that you're looking at multiple people rather than one. Another tip is to make it a habit of looking further out into the audience to see as many people as you can and avoid that awkward stare.

Voice is one of a crucial element during a presentation and it is always better to have a clear and well-modulated voice so that your audience can understand your message without difficulty. - A confident and expressive voice captivates your audience's attention. - Different voice tones and pitch can be used to emphasize key points along with purposeful gestures. - Our voice is a great tool to convey enthusiasm, passion, or empathy, which helps the audience connect with the message on an emotional level. As it is rightly said, Practise makes perfect. One must rehearse their presentation multiple times to become comfortable with the content. Regular practice and feedback will definitely help in refining several presentation skills.

The way you vary the tone of your voice matters in any form of communication. When you are presenting to an audience, use your voice to mirror the meaning of your words. Use urgency to communicate the Importance of a theme, and use passion in your voice to talk about something you love. In a nutshell, when communicating with your friends, colleagues, or a large audience, let your voice transcend to different levels to create an exciting atmosphere for your audience. This would make you a unique speaker.

Be mindful of your intonation. If you end a sentence with your voice pitched higher, it sounds like you're asking a question; if you're not asking a question, this can undercut your authority as a speaker. Some cultures naturally possess a different intonation and ending your voice on a higher note could be a natural occurrence. Record yourself speaking and rehearsing and be mindful if you need to make some modifications. Also, people tend to have that upward inflection at the end of their sentences when nervous as well. Just be mindful of this, practice, and you'll do great!

Don't learn your presentation word to word. This can bring out the monotone in your voice. Instead have a conversation with the audience, this will create a natural excitement in your voice

Although not all listeners focus only on the voice, it is the main instrument to catch the attention of the audience. Leading the ideas with the voice tone can help; thus, intonation may vary. However, if you feel things are not going well, humor can always be a good alternative to recap.

I find it helpful to practice my facial expressions in front of a mirror before I give a presentation. This helps me to become more aware of my expressions and to adjust them as needed. I also try to relax my face and smile as much as possible during my presentation. This helps me to project confidence and enthusiasm to my audience.

Controlling your facial expressions is particularly important if you're engaging in a dialogue with the audience or others. You can't always control what somebody will ask and sometimes they'll ask a charged question you vehemently disagree with - although you can't control the questions, you can control your reactions. Staying cool, calm, and collected is guaranteed to establish greater trust between you and your audience. Keep calm and carry on!

It is important to know your audience beforehand when you are going to speak. This helps to align your content and also gives you more confidence in delivering the message, allowing the use of specific terms, helps to build content more targeted to the profile of the audience, and even allows for some good moments of humor, creating a connection with the audience.

Non verbal cues are deciphered more in the brain than verbal cues!! This is where it is important to know what you are going to speak about and have a script, you do not have to follow it to the T, but having it will help with delivery and will allow you to have more control on your non-verbal communication. When you know what you want to talk about, you know how you want to deliver it. If you are an interactive speaker, it is important to be aware of your facial expressions, so be aware not to show irritations or anger when you feel triggered. Keep it natural and calm!

Facial expressions and micro expressions are a key element to conveying meaning between people. Even without words, as humans we automatically infer how someone is feeling and thinking simply by facial expressions. One of the best ways to 'control' our facial expressions is to manage our perspective. Am I nervous - or excited? Am I confused - or curious? Am I bored - or thankful for the down time? Am I angry - or in control of the situation? Am I embarrassed - or amused? With practice and key mindset shifts, I am able to stay intentional with my facial expressions and body language. I never suggest 'faking' or 'stuffing down' a feeling or emotion, but rather managing our responses to directly influence a desirable outcome.

Remember the audience is your customer. Your passion to sell the content depends on them being piqued by your presentation. Surprise them with key information, humour, voice modulation

In my experience, it does not take much to surprise an audience. We've all sat in lectures and listened to speakers. The pattern is generally the same. But as soon as a speaker steps even a little bit outside of expectations - people pay attention! Here are a few fun ideas to grab the attention and excite an audience: 1. Step into the audience - this is very surprising! 2. To draw attention to a key word - lower your voice, slow down, give it space. MAGIC! 3. Interact with an audience: - ask one person a simple question & listen to their answer - get people up and moving, give a specific task or movement related to your talk The main purpose of presenting is to connect in a meaningful way with your audience. Give them your attention.

Adapting your presentation and body language is crucial for effective communication. Incorporating an intercultural mindset is key as interpretations can vary across cultures. For instance, maintaining eye contact signifies attentiveness in Western cultures but may be seen as confrontational in some Asian cultures. Similarly, smiling is positive in the West but can mask discomfort in other cultures. Aligning body language and tone with the cultural context ensures a positive and authentic message. This approach fosters inclusivity, creating a culturally aware environment that enhances communication. Ultimately, effective communication extends beyond words; it's about how messages resonate across diverse cultural landscapes.

As someone who's been on both sides of the presentation. I can tell you that a sure way to gain or regain your audience's attention is to use relatability. I've been in presentations where I was hooked the entire time because I could relate to the speaker. I've also been in presentations where I was bored, only to get hooked, once the speaker touched upon an experience similar to mine.

It can also be helpful if you notice that the audience is losing interest to make a humorous insertion. I made the experience that this takes the interest of the audience back. You have to practice this often so you get spontaneous. If you can make some fun out of yourself I think this works.

To improve body language when presenting, it is important to maintain eye contact, good posture and use hand gestures effectively. Standing tall and straight with shoulders back and chest out exudes confidence and credibility. Eye contact helps to engage the audience and demonstrate sincerity and attentiveness. Using appropriate and natural hand gestures can also enhance the message being conveyed while keeping the audience engaged. Practising in front of a mirror or with a friend can help identify areas for improvement and increase confidence in body language during presentations.

We must also respect neurodiversity and disability in this conversation. Not everybody is able to see body language and so your words must also convey meaning, some may find over-use of body language disrupting and distracting. Your words must carry the weight you wish to convey and ensure that you are always being accessible in the manner you deliver your presenting including alternative formats.

- I saw in one of the comments "do not move around too much" and it made me laugh: I have a tendancy to walk around as I present, it takes me a lot of effort to just sit still. Maybe one should tone down the hand gestures and fidgeting, yes, but sometimes using the stage as a theater setting can be positive! - Keep looking at your audience, all of them: Read their faces, monitor their interest/engagement level, and adapt YOUR body language/tone/content accordingly. - Use silence to your benefit. With stress, we tend to want to skim through our content and speak fast to get it over with. I'm slowly learning to insert moments of silence, pauses, and allow the audience to think or feel as I share a particular visual.

Practice & practice some more; in front of a mirror, on Zoom or in front of respected peers or friends/family. Ask for unfiltered feedback. Practice is part of preparation. Prepare well even for online live events (may be perceived as casual). Create a run of show, if you are truly prepared you don't tend to default to habitual body tics, (i.e. looking up when thinking, looking away from the camera appear, etc.) Then there are the verbal tics, like saying um. Preparation often diminishes those also.

Body language is the most important way that gives the ability of being connected with the audience while presenting. It also connected with the emotional dimensions of the people who are in the audience pool. Despite of different speaking languages we are common in this part. That means we have a universal way of sharing feelings and emotions which is body language. A wider space where anyone can touch others instantly without any barriers. Thus understanding the cultural emotions and shaping the body behaviour is significantly contributing while maintaining such public appearance.