BODY LANGUAGE 

Body Language includes hand and arm gestures, facial expression (including eye contact which is covered in a separate Tutorial) and any other body movement.  It is all non-verbal communication.  

Body Language in a speech serves 3 purposes.  

1.      It illustrates and emphasises what you are saying in your speech.

2.      It makes a speech more interesting, ie it will assist in keeping the audience’s attention. 

3.      It helps release nervous energy which goes towards settling the nerves.

Actions speak louder than words   /   Seeing is believing

An American University (UCLA) research into communications showed that an audience is influenced by a speaker in the following percentages: 

-     Spoken Words             7 %

-     Voice                          38 %

-     Body Language            55 %

ie incredibly, spoken words account for only 7% of what will be believed.

So how you say the spoken words is important, in order to get your message across and believed, but even more important than that is your Body Language.    

An audience will be unimpressed if the speaker is not giving everything they’ve got ie with voice and body. 

A speaker’s voice and body language should match the spoken word.  He/she should be speaking with everything that he/she has got eg enthusiasm, passion, sincerity, emotion with both voice and body.  For example say out loud:

 This is what I believe

First say it with no with passion and secondly with passion in the voice and with fully body language particularly the use of arms and facial expression.  Feel the difference?  The audience will be influenced very little on the words alone.  They will be more influenced by the tone of what you say and the body language they see. 

It’s important to use body language within your range of what is natural.  If you want to expand the parameters of your range, exaggerate and be theatrical while speaking at a Speaking Club. 

If a speaker is speaking sincerely on a topic but standing stiffly without any body language, the audience will believe what they see and not think the speaker is sincere and therefore ignore the message. 

The body language should always match the words at the appropriate moment.  The most difficult aspect is appearing natural when first incorporating body language into speeches.  Rehearsing will help but don’t worry if at first you have to force the body language to happen rather than it occurring naturally.  Rehearsing in front of a mirror is a good idea.

Keeping your hands by your side or resting them on the lectern will have them ready for action.  This is better than having them in your pockets or clenched behind your back where they aren’t in a position to be ready to start working.      

Avoid pacing, rocking, swaying, or leaning / slouching on the lectern as this will be distracting to the audience, a sign of nerves and will prevent the upper body from using body language.  If the bottom half of the body is moving, the top half of the body (the important half) will not be able to spring into action naturally.  Practice finding a stance that is comfortable.  If it is comfortable for you then the audience will also find it comfortable.  Except when you want to walk from one place to the other, keep from the hips down unwaveringly still.   When you have increased your confidence from speaking in front of an audience several times, you will find that your hands, arms and body will start to move naturally.  This is less likely to happen if there isn’t a solid platform (ie bottom half of the body).

Don’t be afraid to make large, bold gestures.  The larger the audience the larger that the gestures and body movement needs to be in order to be effective.

 

Gestures 

Gestures are the use of hands and arms to illustrate your words.  There are 4 main groups of gestures: 

Descriptive Gestures

Used to clarify or enhance.  They help visualise size, weight, shape, location, function, direction etc.

Emphatic Gestures

- Moving forward a clenched fist suggests strong feelings, such as anger or
 determination
- Hit your fist into your open palm to show importance or urgency
- A folding of arms illustrates strength and determination 
- Clasping your hands together in front of your chest conveys unity
- A forefinger pointed towards the ceiling means listen to me
- Show your clenched fist to urge action. 

Suggestive Gestures 

These are symbols of ideas or emotions. 

- An open palm suggests giving or receiving.

- A shrug of the shoulders indicates ignorance, perplexity or irony.

- Comparison and contrast can be illustrated by either moving hands in unison or in opposite directions.

Prompting Gestures

These prompt or evoke a desired response from the audience.  If you want your listeners to raise their hand, applaud or perform some action, you’ll enhance the response by doing it yourself as an example. 

Facial Expression 

Your face communicates your attitude, feelings and emotions.  Don’t be scared to look angry, look disappointed, to smile etc.  In particular, smile.  Smiling conveys warmth and sincerity and makes the audience more receptive to what you are saying.

Settling Nerves

Use your nervous energy, particularly at the start of your speech when you are more nervous, to making controlled body language.  This is a better way than fidgeting with papers, adjusting items of clothing, pacing etc.  It will not be distracting for the audience and will help get your message across. 

TOP