I Speak…

One of the toughest parts of public speaking is defining your audience and knowing how to work their interest to your favor. This blog article is all about the act of entertaining—entertaining your audience and allowing them to get the most out of your speech.

Movement… Is Your Food

When it comes to using body language, you should be asking yourself: “How can I use movement and gestures to be effective in my presentation?” Here’s an easy formula to remember, one that will help you avoid sleepy audience… Neutral, Open, Defined, and Strong. You should begin in a neutral position with hands at your sides. That keeps you open to your audience, so that influence flows freely in both directions. Gesture sparingly, using defined or “clean” hand movements, and make them strong.

Your Voice

As I mention above, your voice is physical, so it’s obviously a component of effective body language. In fact, aside from your brain, your voice is the most flexible communication instrument you own.

So you should learn how to use your voice to influence others. I don’t mean only in terms of voice and speech improvement. I’m also referring to the many ways vocal expressiveness helps you indicate meaning and intention.

Listen to speakers good and bad, and listen some more. Take a voice and diction course. Or work with a speech coach, preferably one who trained as an actor. One thing to strive for is to find your “true voice.” Literally and figuratively, it can make a radical difference in whether your real message is heard.

Using Space to Your Advantage

When you speak in public, a certain amount of space on the stage is yours by right. You should claim it! Leaders know how to project power by the way they stand and move; and of course, when you speak in public, you are a leader. Learn how to occupy space in a way that proclaims you’re comfortable in the spotlight. Nothing demonstrates confidence like a speaker who is at ease in their own skin in front of an audience.

When you speak, the stage is your world. Show your audience that they can have confidence in what you’re telling them by commanding the space around you. Don’t be overly dramatic, but don’t minimize the area through which you move.

Technology, Items and You

Stage actors know that good actors use props, and bad actors are used by their props. This isn’t just a witticism. Inexperienced performers are discombobulated by a property—a cigarette holder, a wine glass, even a sword or a gun. Solid professionals, on the other hand, understand that the prop exists to help them define their character for the audience. So they use it in a way only that character would.

When you deal with objects in a presentation, from a remote clicker to a handout to the slide screen itself, find a way to help that object further your message and its impact. The object is there for a reason. How can it help you get your message across?

Facial Expressiveness

We might call this the forgotten relative in the family. Yet the human face is vital to communication, from recognizing another person to understanding the subtle clues that underlie motive. Audience members depend upon your facial expressions to augment meaning.

If you don’t have an expressive face, work with a mirror to create a link between what you’re trying to express verbally, and how your facial expressions make your meaning clear. As part of your practice, give your entire talk without a sound coming out of your mouth even though you form all the words, letting your face do all the communicating.

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