“I am well-prepared for my presentation, but when I face an audience, my legs tremble, my hands become cold, and I stutter. This nervousness takes over me like an overwhelming monster, leaving me feeling unconfident”. Do you find yourself struggling with this issue? Fret not, for we have expert advice to help you overcome it using some amazing body language hacks. Welcome to the first blog of our communication series! 

We’re sure you’ll agree that communication is an essential skill for effectively conveying your thoughts, whether it’s during a job interview or a college or work presentation. As part of this blog, we will delve into 5 key aspects of body language, a crucial component of non-verbal communication that helps you deliver confident and impactful presentations. Learn from Neha Agrawal, the founder of WiseUp Communications. She is an experienced Communication Coach who has conducted trainings for over 7-80 colleges and corporates. With experience delivering successful presentations to diverse audiences, she is well-equipped to share her expertise with you.

What is Body Language?

Body language refers to a variety of nonverbal cues that convey emotions and intentions. This encompasses posture, facial expressions, and hand gestures. Proficiency in deciphering others’ body language can enable you to recognize hidden issues or sentiments.

The 5 important aspects of body language

In this section, you will gain knowledge about different aspects of body language, and their importance and learn to incorporate them into your presentations to enhance their effectiveness. 

1. Eye Contact – the most important aspect

When giving a presentation, it is common to feel nervous, which can cause you to avoid making eye contact with your audience. However, this can lead to people losing interest and becoming distracted, making you even more anxious. Therefore, it is important to look at your audience and maintain eye contact with them. Doing so can help keep them engaged and attentive, demonstrating your confidence as a speaker.

How? – Divide the audience into three sections. When presenting to a large audience, consider dividing them into three sections. Begin by focusing on an individual on the left side, which will captivate the entire left-hand group of listeners. Then, shift your attention to someone in the center, causing the middle audience to become engaged as well. Lastly, direct your gaze towards someone on the right, resulting in the right-hand side of the audience also becoming captivated. By occasionally employing this technique, you can effectively engage your entire audience and deliver your presentation with increased confidence.

2. Posture 

When giving a presentation, it is crucial to maintain proper posture to look more professional. Some people casually lean against the wall or place their hands in their pockets, which appears very informal. Hence, it is advisable to refrain from adopting such postures while delivering a presentation.

How? – Maintain an upright posture with your chin slightly elevated, which not only portrays you as a self-assured speaker but also boosts your confidence.

3. Hand Gestures

Using hand gestures can significantly enhance the impact of your presentation. How? – The following are some examples of where you could incorporate hand gestures.

• To show numbers/steps in a process – If you want to talk about numbers, you can show them through your fingers

  

• To compare things – show this kind of hand gesture to compare things
• The steeple pose – If you are hesitant to use hand gestures or find yourself not using them, you can always maintain your hands in the steeple position. This stance exudes confidence and can portray you as a self-assured speaker. It is worth noting that many individuals, particularly those delivering TED Talks or presenting pitches on Shark Tank, often adopt this posture.
• To stress something important – use this kind of hand gesture to stress something important   

Expert tip – Make sure you don’t use a lot of hand gestures as it can also get distracting for your audience!

4. Movement 

To improve the personal connection with the audience and encourage their active participation in the presentation, it is suggested that you move around the room or approach the audience while presenting.

How? – Given below are a few important points to note and the steps to be followed.

• Don’t walk from one end of the room to the other – This doesn’t give an appealing look and can be very distracting for your audience.
• Create a mental box – If you are taking 2 steps in front, then take 2 steps behind. If you are taking 2 steps on the right, then make sure you take 2 steps on the left. Create a mental box and move within it.
• Maintain a good distance – Another thing to keep in mind is not to go too close to the audience to encroach on their personal space. Maintain a certain distance.

Expert tip – If you are a new speaker, then you can stand in one place and focus on delivering the content confidently while paying attention to the other aspects of body language!

5. Facial Expression 

It is beneficial to frequently display a brief smile on your face, as it conveys an air of confidence and can also help improve your feelings of self-assurance while reducing nervousness.

How? – Keep a short smile on your face. It shouldn’t be overdone also, keep it short and professional.

Expert tip – Of course, it is important to align your facial expressions with the content you are discussing. When addressing significant matters, a broad smile may not be appropriate. However, for less critical topics, a brief smile can be suitable.

To get a more visual appreciation of all the mentioned points – do check out our YouTube video.

Thanks a lot for going through our blog! If you want to learn to create and deliver impactful and contemporary PowerPoint presentations. Join our presentation skills course to discover Our 5-hour course will teach you how to use modern PowerPoint techniques to create new-age presentations, and you will also learn numerous tips and techniques to deliver presentations with confidence. For more information, please visit this link: Advanced Presentation Skills Training

If you are interested in boosting your self-assurance in speaking English, then you could consider enrolling in our 5-week Accomplishing Effective Communication course. This course focuses on enhancing both your written and spoken English skills and includes engaging exercises that take your language abilities to the next level. Additionally, there is a live session where you can have your doubts cleared after completing the course. For more information regarding this, please go through the link below: Accomplish Effective Communication

We wish you all the very best for all your future presentations! If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to leave a comment below, and we will be sure to respond as soon as possible. 🙂