You are the biggest tool you have in creating a successful and engaging presentation. It is not what you say but how you say it that will have the greatest impact. In this short post I am not talking about your actual voice. If you want hints and tips on that take a look at my post Using your Voice Effectively.

Body language makes up 58% of the meaning that people take from what you say. You can’t say ” I love you” with your arms crossed and standing bolt upright. It just won’t work.

Here I am going to give you a list of Dos and Donts in terms of using your body language when presenting.

Dos

• Do move around. Having a presenter that is stood rigid in one spot is very un engaging for your audience.

• Do use your arms and hands. A presenter that uses their arms and hands to describe or denote what they are saying is far more animated and therefore interesting to the audience.

• Do Smile. Having a friendly face to listen to will keep your audience on side.

• Do use eye contact. Make sure you encompass the whole room with this. Direct eye contact is not always necessary but making sure the whole room feels included is.

Dont’s

• Don’t stand with your arms behind your back. When you cannot see someone’s hands it installs a level of distrust in people. You want your audience to trust in what you are saying.

• Don’t point. It’s rude and accusing. This also goes for pointing with a pen or anything else you may be holding.

• Don’t keep moving. I know I said move in the Do section but some points of stillness will have a great impact on a message. You have to find the balance.

• Don’t rock or sway. These are annoying types of moving.

• Don’t fidget. This will make you look nervous.

When we are presenting there is a lot to think about and most of us concentrate on what we are actually saying and this can be a huge mistake. In general make sure you are stood in an upright and open position and make sure you smile at your audience and employ great eye content.

I wish you luck in your presentations and hope that you can start to enjoy doing them. Doing them well is a great skill to have.

If you have any questions or need more specific help, leave a comment below and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

With Grace and Gratitude

Karen