Gary Genard's

Speak for Success!

"Be a voice not an echo." - Albert Einstein

Tiger Woods's Lesson on Body Language in Public Speaking

Can you tell what someone is thinking just by their stance, gestures, and facial expressions?

That's the premise of numerous books and articles on body language. And in many ways, it's true: we telegraph our feelings and intentions physically. (Learn how to use nonverbal communication skillfully from my free cheat sheet, "5 Secrets of Powerful Body Language.")

Those message, of course, are in addition to—and sometimes contrary to—what we're actually saying. This phenomenon applies to all aspects of human behavior, but nowhere is it more noticeable than in public speaking and presentations.

The Tiger Woods Phenomenon

I was thinking of all of this recently when I read an article in the Wall Street Journal on Tiger Woods's body language. The piece, "Reading Tiger's Body Language" by Geoff Foster, is a look at how Tiger displays his emotions while competing in tournaments. Millions of golf fans will have the opportunity to test this theory for themselves this weekend, as they watch the PGA Championship.

What should they look for? Mr. Foster provides a primer of examples of this golfer's "swagger," "flubs," and "disgust." After watching 220 shots in six of this year's tournaments, he has identified seven body language tip-offs:  The Vocal Commands, The Lean, The Club Held High, The Quick-Tee Snatch, The Stare-Down, The Distractions, and The Temper. Taken together, they inform us that Tiger "hardly ever hit[s] a bad shot (or a really good shot) without tipping off the home viewers."[1] 

Body Language and the Big Three Items of Public Speaking

Does all of this apply to the speeches and presentations you and your colleagues give? Not only is the answer to this question a definitive "yes," it applies by an order of magnitude more than the insights that can be gained by watching Tiger Woods play golf.

That's because a golf pro's job isn't to communicate thoughts and feelings, it's to play great golf. A speaker's task is to get ideas across to an audience, and the body is an absolutely essential tool to do so. (For more ways to speak for leadership, down my cheat sheet, "Leadership Skills: The 5 Essential Speaking Techniques.")

We rarely think in these terms. For most of us, the mind that conceives an idea, the voice that delivers it, and the PowerPoint or other visual tool that displays it constitute The Big Three items of effective public speaking. If considered at all, the body is thought of as something awkward that brings on self-consciousness and the thought, "I don't know what to do with my hands!"

Like golf fans, however, your audience is gleaning critically important information not only from your physical habits while speaking, but whether you use your body to reinforce your message. Far from keeping your body language out of your message, then, you must find physical expression for what you're saying. In practical terms, that means investing yourself emotionally in your material so that your body creates an amplifying gesture at just the right moment. Do that, and your speech will come to life in the moment of performance.

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[1] Geoff Foster, “Reading Tiger’s Body Language,” Wall Street Journal, 6 August 2013. 

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Tags: body language,Tiger Woods,Public Speaking Techniques

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