Want to be a better speaker? There's no magic formula. One way, though, is to avoid these 6 worst body language mistakes you can make in presentations.
One of my mantras with clients is, “You have to get out of your head and into your body!”
That's because if there’s a common mistake people make in speeches, presentations, pitches, etc., it’s the Talking Head Syndrome. After all, as one speaker said, your body isn't only there to get your head to the next meeting.
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To understand just how much good body language matters, pay attention the next time you’re passionately trying to get a point across. You'll easily grasp how essential physical expression is to your message.
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Using Body Language Well
So why do so many presenters have trouble using their bodies productively? Among the culprits you might find, you can blame our educational system. Reading and writing (along with math and the sciences) are heavily favored in our schools—in fact, they make up the bulk of the curriculum. Art and music are poor relations. And apart from sports, an “educated” use of the body in forms such as dance and oral expression is hardly present at all.
When we enter professional life, we start to get an inkling of the importance of body language and nonverbal communication. An exciting speaker, for instance, gives us instant insight into how vital dynamic physical expression can be.
The 6 Worst Body Language Mistakes
So how can you reach that level of effectiveness? Below are six classic mistakes to avoid in using body language when you speak in public. These body language errors are both easy to commit and apt to weaken your leadership and influence. I call them “the 6 worst” body language mistakes because of that level of importance and impact.
These aren’t the everyday goofs of, say, crossing your arms too much or glancing down—the stuff of erroneous “expert” guidance concerning body language. Instead, pay attention to the advice below if you want to light up a stage and give a memorable performance.
1. Neglecting to Use Body Language when Speaking.
Just realizing that your body is a key speaking tool will help you avoid a too-static performance. A talk without anything happening visually is boring to look at. That’s not a small consideration in our increasingly visual age.
Here’s what I suggest: make some of your practice sessions specifically about moving. Don't worry about making it realistic. Give your entire talk, for example, while walking around your practice space. Or swing your arms when you have the urge, allowing the passion in what you're saying to lead the way. The idea is to free yourself to use your body in a liberating way. Afterwards, practice more realistically, using the new freedom you’re beginning to explore.
2. Planning Your Movements Ahead of Time.
The only true physical expression in a speech arises spontaneously. So even if you become more conscious of body language while speaking, you should never plot out your gestures beforehand. The one exception: take a different position on stage for each main point. But scripting your body language (rather than your stage location) will certainly look that way.
Concerning your hands and arms, create the conditions for the gesture (e.g., logic, urgency, or any passion) rather than the gesture itself. What you do physically at each moment in your speech will then happen naturally and organically, and will look and feel right.
3. Moving Without Purpose in Your Presentations.
“Suit the action to the word, the word to the action,” Hamlet told the traveling players. In other words, make your actions appropriate to what you’re saying. Do that, and each action will have a purpose. Don’t take the motivational speaker approach and prowl the stage in an attempt to create excitement that doesn’t otherwise exist.
Here are some examples: Let’s say you’re speaking from a PowerPoint deck. Where would it make sense for you to approach the screen to point up something significant? Discussing two sides of a question? — Discuss each side in a different spot on stage, then re-occupy the “side” you favor. Question from the audience? Approach that person by a step or two to listen to the question, then step back to open up your response to everyone.
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4. Failing to Command the Stage when You Speak.
This is a clear mandate of leadership in public speaking. Whatever the content of your message, your physical presence—call it executive presence or stage presence if you like—needs to match your material in terms of impact.
As a speaker, you not only have the right to use all of the space available to you—you must control all aspects of your performance. (Here's how to command any stage for public speaking.) For instance, if you use only some of the space, or stand stock-still, you'll seem inhibited by the setting. Here's what to do instead to start to command your space: Imagine that you, the person farthest from you, and everyone in between is enclosed in an invisible bubble. It's a bubble of energy; and your job is to fill it with your presence. That may mean larger movements and gestures than you’re used to. So become comfortable with that. Your job is to turn people on. So keep the electricity flowing.
5. Not Amplifying Important Points with Gestures.
We usually think that words alone will convey our meaning. But that's not true. That’s why you have a voice and other means of physical expression—to bring your points to life! Learn more in my Free Tips and Tricks Guide, The Voice of Authority: How to Sound Like a Leader.
I use a simple exercise with my speech coaching clients. It’s called, “One Point, One Gesture.” Write out a brief paragraph of something you believe passionately and that you want to persuade others about. Now choose the most important thing you’ll say in this mini-talk. Without thinking about the actual movement beforehand, speak your idea out loud, using a SINGLE GESTURE when you make that point.
Did your gesture support or amplify what you were saying? I'll bet it did. So allow your gestures to emerge naturally from the critical points you're making. Try to make your gestures few in number and well defined. And allow them to emerge from your physical core rather than from far outside your center, like waving your arms in the air. Your talk will gain focus and power.
See my Learning Guide, How to Use Body Language and Gestures as a Speaker. Use this essential tool for more powerful speeches and presentations!
6. Staying Too Tight.
Through your body language you show audiences, among other things, how you feel about yourself and how you want them to think about you. So an audience is never to blame concerning their impressions of you, your company, or your ideas. And appearing to be a non-relaxed speaker is not a way to get an audience on our side.
Podium or not, it’s a mistake to take the statue approach to public speaking by not moving at all. Equally bad, however, is to create movement—I don’t know how else to describe it—because you think you have to move. I’ve seen speakers, and so have you, who seem to be thinking, “I was told to move around while speaking, so here's something."
Just as emotions elicit physical responses (when you feel sad, you cry), the opposite is true: if you assume a posture or stance, you’ll feel the effects of that pose or movement emotionally. Staying loose while allowing your physical expression to flow will boost your comfort and confidence. Just as important, you’ll look to the audience like you’re enjoying yourself. Believe me, they’ll respond in kind.
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Gary Genard is an actor, author, and expert in public speaking and overcoming speaking fear. His company, The Genard Method offers live 1:1 Zoom executive coaching and corporate group training worldwide. He is the author of the Amazon Best-Seller How to Give a Speech. His second book, Fearless Speaking, was named in 2019 as “One of the 100 Best Confidence Books of All Time.” For nine consecutive years, he was ranked by Global Gurus as one of The World’s Top 30 Communication Professionals, and he has been named as one of America's Top 5 Speech Coaches. His handbook for presenting in videoconferences, Speaking Virtually offers techniques for developing virtual presence. He is also the author of Speak for Leadership: An Executive Speech Coach's Secrets for Developing Leadership Presence. His latest book is The Confidence Book: 75 Ways to Reduce Your Anxiety, Let Go of Your Fears, Change Your Negative Thinking, and Perform At Your Professional Best. He is also the creator of The Dr. William Scarlet supernatural thrillers. Contact Gary here.
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