When you think about great speakers, what do you picture? Do you remember snippets from their speeches? Or, maybe, their voice? Their body language? Everything at once?
Most beginner speakers tend to focus purely on what they say and completely disregard how they're saying it, which is a grave mistake. About 65% of people are visual learners, meaning they find it significantly easier to process and memorise what they see. It also implies that they may subconsciously prioritise visual cues over audio information.
Whether you intend to or not, your body tells a story of its own while you're on stage delivering your speech (yes, standing still and doing absolutely nothing also speaks volumes, I explain why below). The most compelling speakers can use gesturing to emphasise an important point, reinforce their message, engage with the audience, and so much more.
It works the other way around as well: certain body signals can confuse or even alienate your listeners, regardless of how perfect your message is.
Let's review five common body language mistakes, what impressions they make, and how to fix them.
1. Bad Posture
We all know this one: hunched back, rounded shoulders resting somewhere around your ears, head jutting forward (nerd neck). Making your body look like a question mark is terrible for both your blood circulation and self-presentation.
What impression does it make: Bad posture screams insecurity. It signals that you're very uncomfortable and you're actively trying to occupy as little space as possible. It also often makes you look up at people since your head is tilted down – hardly a confidence boost.
How to fix it: Stand upright. Shoulders down and back, stretch your neck up, head high. Engage your core but relax your upper body. This will make you look taller and more imposing – a much more confident pose.
2. Lack of Eye Contact
A sure way to build a connection with your audience – or, lose them entirely. When you lock eyes with someone, it makes them feel like your entire presentation is for them, even if it's just for a second.
What impression does it make: A speaker who doesn't maintain eye contact seems distant and unengaged. If you don't look at your audience, you probably fix your gaze on something else (your shoes? your notes?), which signals that something interests you more than people who took time out of their lives to come and listen to what you have to say.
How to fix it: Practice giving attention to every person in the audience or audience segment (for 20+ attendees). You can mentally divide the room in 2x3 or 3x3 squares and move your eye gaze in, for instance, 1-2-5-3-6-4 pattern or 1-2-5-7-8-4-3-9-6.
3. Closed Posture
Have you ever looked at a person with their arms crossed, legs crossed, torso leaning away and thought, "huh, they look friendly and inviting"? When we feel insecure, we tend to tense up and physically protect vulnerable parts of the body (heart and stomach with your arms, private parts with legs).
What impression does it make: These poses signal that you mistrust the audience, feel deeply uncomfortable or defensive, or think yourself superior. None of these helps to engage with the audience so they're more likely to disconnect or even dislike you.
How to fix it: Keep your arms open, your posture and head upright, neutral stance, and ambrace direct contact with the audience.
4. Hiding Behind Objects
A variation of a closed posture, except, you're using physical objects as a defence line between you and the audience. For example, you hold on tightly to your clipboard, stand behind a desk, a chair, or another person, move as far away from the audience as possible, and similar props.
What impression does it make: You don't want to be here. The audience scares you or or makes you feel vulnerable. It's hard to feel affiliation or even actively listen to what you're saying because it's hard to trust you.
How to fix it: Get in the frontline. Remove all obstacles. Signal your openness to the audience.
5. Lack of Movement
Being too focused on what you need to say next may result in you barely moving during your presentation. Smaller room and audiences may be more forgiving, but freezing in one spot with your arms glued to your torso when you perform in front of a 50+ attendees is an invitation to a snooze fest.
What impression does it make: Static objects are boring, and your audience is likely to switch off or daydream.
How to fix it: Move around the room, gesture with your hands, change the volume of your voice to make your performance more dynamic and keep things visually engaging for the audience.
Being able to align your body language with your message is what separates a beginner and an experienced public speaker. Even though right now it may seem like all your effort goes into just delivering your speech and there's no way you could also pay attention to your body, it will start coming to you more naturally once you gain more confidence.
Good luck!