Oral Presentation | Body Language Tips

Oral Presentation | Body Language Tips

Body language plays a very significant role in oral presentation. When a person interacts face to face with others, he does not communicate only through words. His whole personality — facial expression, general bearing, posture and gesture — is concerned in the process of communication. It becomes easier and quicker for a neatly dressed man with a pleasant expression and personality to arrest the attention of others and to establish a rapport with others. Remember that once you are able to draw the attention of the audience, more than half the battle of your oral presentation is won. And if you know the appropriate techniques of body language, it would be easier and quicker for you to draw the attention of the audience, which in turn might present yourself as a charismatic speaker before the eyes of your audience while addressing to them. However, here are some suggestions for appropriate body language:

Maintain appropriate posture and gesture while addressing

When you are called to address, walk sprightly and stand at ease. Keep your hands on the sides and the note cards on the podium. Do not be restless and/or uneasy; instead try to feel comfortable and stress-free. While speaking, use your hands for appropriate gestures but there should be no peculiar flourishes. If a microphone is being used, keep yourself eight to ten inches away from the microphone, to ensure proper transmission of the voice.

Do not worry if you are a little tense. Few in the audience will notice your tension if you avoid awkward gestures. In fact, recent studies have found that tenseness generates excitement which in turn helps certain persons to give their best. You may belong to this category. Rely on the good manners of the audience. After a few minutes you will be able to feel at home and develop confidence, and the going will be easier.

Maintain decent eye contact with the audience while addressing

If you want to establish rapport with an audience instantly and effectively, there is no alternative to maintaining eye contact with them. It is one of the most immediate and practical means by which you can easily succeed in oral presentation. So, look at the eyes of your audience and pause for a while before you say anything to them. Never show lack of poise after reaching the dais to start speaking; because if you do so, it will create a poor impression on your audience. So, throughout your talk, make use of frequent and slight pauses. These will help you break your ideas into small units and give the listeners necessary time-gaps to absorb your points before you pass on to the next. If sometimes your pauses are a bit longer, do not panic. Nobody expects you to memorize speeches. Moreover, to a speaker, the length of a pause always appears to be greater than it actually is.

However, if you truly want to become successful in your oral presentation, you must keep in your mind the importance of maintaining eye contact with your audience. You have to look from one pair of eyes to another around the room while speaking. If you look at the ceiling or outside the room through a window or at only one section of your audience, they will take it as a sign of your indifference as well as rudeness to them. If the listeners feel that you are ignoring them, it is most likely that they would lend you a deaf ear.

Further, through eye contact you get the signal whether the channel of your communication is open or not, and get the feedback — how the listeners are reacting to what you are delivering to them.  If your listeners do not meet your eyes, they are probably not concentrating on your talk. Then it becomes necessary for you to change your approach to win their attention.

Following the tips of body language mentioned above, you can make your oral presentation more effective and receptive and can gradually establish yourself as a great and influential orator to the audience.