Written by: Maria Tecce, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Here’s the thing.
Your physical presence matters when it comes to getting the results you want from your
business communications and public speaking. Why? Because your body and how you
choose to use it is key in making or breaking a great presentation, pitch, or speech.
We’ve all heard the now famous statement made in the 1960’s by Professor Albert Mehrabian and his colleagues at UCLA, that around 55% of communication is non-verbal ie. body language.
Although their study has been interpreted with alacrity and enthusiasm by speech coaches
and business coaches alike, there is one thing everyone can agree on: How you use your
body matters when it comes to how you look, how you sound, and how you feel when you
speak.
Here are 5 powerful strategies to help you speak up with confidence, look and feel like a
million bucks, and get the results you want from your communications and public speaking.
Eye Contact Is Key When Presenting Like A Pro
Whether you’re on Zoom or face to face with real people, eye contact is absolutely key in
making a connection with your audience.
There are two different ways to make eye contact: Virtually and in real time face to face.
Virtual eye contact is counterintuitive, ie. you make contact with everyone by making
contact with the camera lens, not them. That’s the awkward thing about eye contact on a
virtual platform. You make direct eye contact by not making eye contact.
When it comes to face to face presenting and pitching, it’s all about the direct eye contact
and sharing the love with the audience. Find a pair of eyes, speak to that person, and then
move along and share your energy with someone else.
Use Your Hands To Help Your Audience Connect With You
Your hands are another tool that you can use to make an emotional connection with your
audience and speak with great physical presence.
Your hands help to shape your words for the audience, whether it’s on a virtual platform or
face to face in real time. Communication is a physical activity and your body wants to help
clarify your words for the audience.
Your hands help us to see what you are seeing in your mind, the images you’re talking
about, whether something happened in the past or present, big or small, and emphasizing
power words and phrases that you want us to remember.
Even if your hands are not in the frame (as in virtual platforms), on or off screen, we can still
see their movement and energy manifested in your body and words. Let your hands move
and your words and energy will reflect that movement.
Posture Matters – Your Body Is Key When You Speak
How open or closed you are in your stance and sitting position make a huge difference to
your effectiveness in connecting to your audience when you communicate.
Posture is important for a few reasons when you are presenting, pitching, and speaking
publicly.
First off, an open body postures says you’re ready to communicate and you are present in
the moment with your audience.
Second, good posture means your body is expending the least amount of energy to keep
you upright. That means more energy to direct into the delivery of your words.
Next, good posture means less chance for stress and tension to lodge in your muscles.
Tension robs you of energy while relaxation and good centered posture allows your muscles
to work more easily and be at your command when you need them.
Also, when you stand or sit in a centered, grounded position, you can breathe more
efficiently and with more intention.
And finally, how you sit and stand physically affects your voice and how you sound.
Breathing – The Cornerstone Of Presenting Like A Pro
Breathing is the #1 skill in great presenting that you can do yourself, it costs you nothing,
and you have it in great supply. And yet... not all breathing is created equal.
There are some ways of breathing that are going to give you more bang for your buck when
it comes to amazing presenting and public speaking.
Diaphragmatic Breathing, which is a posh name for belly breathing, is a deep, grounded,
powerful way of breathing. When you’re breathing into your lower belly, you are grounding
your energy and getting a clear, grounded breath not only to support your voice but also to
support clear thought.
Don’t Crowd Your Frame & Let Us See You
This is one for the virtual platforms especially. People can literally mute you if they lose
interest in what you’re saying, so how you look on camera is important.
You’re basically on TV when you’re on a virtual platform. You need to choose what that’s
going to look like. I’m not a fan of virtual backgrounds unless you’re using a green screen so
when in doubt, use whatever background you want but make sure it’s tidy and uncluttered.
Good lighting can mean the difference between you being seen or not seen. Literally. It’s
worth your while to make sure you have some good lighting from a window in front of you
or invest in some simple lights.
Your Physical Presence Matters!
How you use your body dictates how effective you are as a speaker and presenter (or at
least 55% of it!) so use your body well.
A little awareness of how you look, sound, and feel goes a long way. Take the time to invest
in your physical presence and watch your presentations shine. Don’t wait, take the bull by
the horns and get started today.
Don’t forget to breathe...
Want to learn more from Maria? Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and visit her website.
Maria Tecce, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Maria Tecce is a leader in public speaking & voice and speech coaching. After making her living as a professional actor and singer for 20 years, Maria began coaching business professionals and performers a decade ago in the same skills that professional performers use every day. C-Suite and Senior Executives work with her when they want to up their game and show up as powerful, confident, passionate, joyful speakers in their businesses and for the people around them. Her clients include Google, Diageo, Ulster Bank, Bank Of Ireland, Ericsson, KPMG, Smurfit Business School, Johnson & Johnson, Salesforce, and Virgin Media. Maria is dedicated to helping powerful men and women take ownership of their confidence, authentic voice, and joy as speakers and communicators. Her mission states, "Own your voice, own your story, own your space."
