Non-verbal communication is more powerful than verbal communication. Everything - the way you move, how you dress, your facial and hand expressions – say a lot more about you than you may think. Before we even hear someone speak we have already made assumptions about who they are. We might decide that they are professional, honest, smart, interesting, or trust worthy – and all before they even say a word. So much of our information today comes in a visual format – keep this in mind when presenting.
You are what you wear. Your appearance means a lot when presenting and in order to be taken seriously, you need to create a professional appearance. It’s important to neither dress ‘below’ your audience, nor dress too much ‘above’ them. A good rule of thumb is to dress just slightly better than your audience. Besides your clothing, it’s especially important to be neat and well groomed. You can wear make-up, but don’t overdo it. Remove chipped nail polish and keep your hair neat. If you don’t have a professional appearance, people will look at you and wonder, “If they can’t take care of themselves, why should I trust them to take care of anything else?”
Good posture is key. The way you carry yourself is just as important as what you wear. You want to carry yourself in a way that shows that you are confident and professional. Regardless of how you are feeling inside, if you look confident on the outside, people will believe it. If you appear to be nervous and uncomfortable, people will doubt your message. So, what can you do? First, sit and stand up straight. Don’t slouch or lean on things. Second, be comfortable – you don’t want to look as rigid as a statue. Third, hold your head up high. Don’t drop your eyes or your chin. Fourth, lean forward to show a bit of interest. Fifth, use an open posture. Don’t cross your arms or legs. This type of body language says that you’re closed to conversation.
Your face says it all. It’s important to look at your audience and to use your facial expressions to let them know that you’re focused on them. In addition, they want to see what you’re feeling and they’re smart enough to know that your emotions are on your face and not always in your words. One important thing to remember about facial expressions is that you never want to cover your face with your hands. This blocks the audience’s view of your face and makes them distrust what you are saying.
5. Maintain eye contact with your audience – this creates a strong connection and lets your audience know that you are completely focused on them. Eye contact also gives you valuable information about how your audience is reacting to you. For instance, you might see that someone has a question, can’t hear you, or is completely bored out of their mind. This allows you to keep your audience engaged and to make changes as needed.
6. Use hand gestures. Using your hands effectively can be tricky. If you use them too much you can appear nervous or excited. But if you don’t use them at all you will appear stale and boring. Hands can be used to visually show what it is you are trying to explain. Fidgeting too much will distract your audience and get in the way of the real message.
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