Influence minds and win hearts
Last month RAVI VENKATESAN shared his understanding of why speakers fail. In Part 2 of the series he shares the aspects of communication we need to explore in order to refine and improve our presentation skills, focusing on body language.
Here are the 27 Cs categorized under 5 focus areas:
BODY LANGUAGE – calm, comfortable, composed, choreographed and consistent
VOICE MODULATION – clear, crisp, controlled, civil, and charged
PRESENCE – confident, credible, current, charismatic and courageous
EMPATHY – caring, compassionate, connected, context-aware, careful and conversational
IMPACT – concise, compelling, creative, convincing and comprehensive
Let’s dive deeper into body language. Research shows that body language accounts for 55% of all communication. Non-verbal expression makes a very significant difference to the impact of your presentation.
CALM
Many times even seasoned speakers have ‘nerves’. Classic symptoms are rapid heartbeat, shivers, a dry mouth and a shaky voice. Relax yourself and breathe deeply to get rid of this. Do a quick version of the Heartfulness Relaxation if needed. You can find this at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuiV395xI4I.
COMFORTABLE
Take your time to get comfortable with the environment. Preferably visit the day before, or arrive early. Soak in the atmosphere and feel like you command the space.
COMPOSED
Maintain a balanced state within and a steady posture. This will reflect as your poise. Your feet should be shoulder width apart and point straight ahead. Men tend to keep their feet at 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock. Women tend to lean on one leg and then shift to the other.
CHOREOGRAPHED
Always stand still and make eye contact with one person in the audience at a time while speaking, even if there are thousands of people present. Pause and shift to another person and resume speaking. Pause while moving, and resume eye contact and stand still before speaking again. This will make your movement on stage appear purposeful and impactful.
CONSISTENT
Ensure that your body language supports your words. This will amplify the perception that you mean what you say and say what you mean. For example, if you are describing a big new idea, spreading your arms wide open is better than bringing them together.
In the next article, we’ll dive deeper into voice modulation. Till then have fun practicing these techniques to refine your body language.
Article by RAVI VENKATESAN
Ravi Venkatesan
Ravi lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and is currently the Chief Executive Officer at Cantaloupe. He is also a regular public speaker and public speaking coach. He has been a Heartfulness meditator for over 20 years and is passionate about app... Read More
