BODY LANGUAGE

Your body language tells an audience exactly what you’re thinking for example during presentations..

According to the experts: 55% of your presentation’s impact is determined by body language, 38% by your voice and only 7% by the words you use.  (The exact percentages vary from study to study, but the message is the same: effective body language is crucial to the success of your speech!).

There are many ways your body can communicate.  
What do you think the body language in the picture below is saying?

Here are some other examples of some actions and what they can mean

Rapid Eye Blinking	When you see someone’s eyes blinking rapidly, more than eight to ten times per minute, chances are the person disagrees with you.
Dilated pupils	Pupils that are open suggest interest.
“Steepling” fingers	This is usually a sign of power.  People who want to project authority will often steeple their hands by putting them together with only the fingertips touching.
Clenched fists	Clenched hands can indicate frustration.
Folded arms	When people fold their arms in front or in back, they may be protecting themselves.  They might also be defensive – or even chilly!
Hands touching mouth or nose	This could be a signal that the person is lying.
Raised eyebrow	Raised eyebrows usually means surprise.
Tilting head forward	Leaning toward the speaker shows interest.  It means the listener is tuned in.  When the hand is supporting the head, the listener is usually bored.
Leaning away	This posture can mean disagreement or lack of interest.  If the listener suddenly leans back, change the subject or direction of the conversation.
Drumming fingers	This gesture could mean frustration or irritation.
Taglines	Eliminate them.  Examples are “don’t you know”, “isn’t it”, “right”, okey dokey”
Wimpy words	Substitute power words.  Examples are “Hopefully, I’ve tried to show you that this is kind of good.”  A better summation would be “I’ve demonstrated how effective this product is.  I am confident that when you use it …”
Jargon	Spell it out.  Not everyone knows all the TLA’s (three letter acronyms)
Apologies	Skip them.  Don’t apologise or put yourself down.  Audience members will interpret this as a sign of weakness.  There is no need to tell the audience that you’re nervous or that you feel unprepared.
Minimisers	Delete them.  Words such as ‘just’ and ‘only’, “I’m only a beginner”.  These words have a negative connotation.
Colourless words	Paint a word picture.  Good speakers use vivid language, this adds colour to your speech and helps the listener create pictures from your words.
Sloppy speech	Speak slowly and clearly.  Mumbling, mispronunciations and slurred speech create a negative impression and are difficult to understand.

---