Submitted by: Lynda Stucky(80) ClearlySpeaking Log in to become a member of Lynda Stucky's Fan Club!
The speaker looked me in the eye and held my attention for six seconds. As he spoke, he smiled at me and extended his hand warmly. Making a point in this brief engage, he stepped closer to me. At that moment, I felt like I was the only person in the room and yet there were 30 people in the audience. I was comfortable listening to this man speak because he seemed to be talking to me!
Even if you aren't a professional speaker, paying attention to your "visual presentation" in conversation is important! Do you make eye contact with the listener? Do you use your eyes, eyebrows and mouth to express your meaning? Or do you have more of a deadpan expression? Are your hands close to your sides, wide open or constantly moving out of nervous habit?
Some of us need to learn to enlarge our gestures and facial expression while others of us need to tone them down a bit. Here are a few suggestions for gesturing effectively whether you have an audience of one person or 100:
1. Minimize distracting gestures. Using your hands non-purposefully while talking is one of the biggest problems. If your hands are constantly moving, sit on them to keep still. This will help you get used to minimizing your gestures. Other habits that are distracting may be fixing your tie, pushing back your hair, facial ticks, swaying back and forth, etc. All of these can be eliminated with a little effort.
2. Let your body respond naturally to what you are thinking and feeling. Natural body movements are apparent when we care about our subject. But you can bring natural movements into even the most mundane conversations. A warm smile goes a long way toward expressing sincerity.
3. Use your fingers when listing points. In other words, your gestures should be motivated by the content of your message. For example, use two fingers to express two things. Point to a body part when you speak about listening or thinking. Look for other gestures that help to accentuate your message.
4. Use facial expression to express sincerity and a positive attitude. A warm smile, raised eye brows and head nods can help to express sincerity and warmth.
5. Make eye contact when you speak. In order to involve your listeners and let them know you are speaking to them personally and directly, you must look them in the eye. By looking someone in the eye, you convey interest in what he says, honesty and confidence.
Take a few moments to observe others. What gestures do they use effectively in conversation or during presentations? Engaging and inspiring speakers are the ones who purposely take advantage of body language to communicate more effectively.
Copyright (c) 2008 Lynda Stucky
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Lynda Stucky is an expert at working with people who want to speak with clarity, credibility, and influence. President and owner of ClearlySpeaking, her background in speech pathology offers unique skills for consulting business professionals on communication skills including accent modification (regional and foreign), voice care, vocal dynamics, diction, grammar and how to speak concisely. http://www.clearly-speaking.com
» left by Avis Ward(8,584) Avis Ward (85 days 4 hours ago.)
Lynda, this was a very informative article. I especially liked #2 and #3. I agree with everything you shared. Your opening and closing paragraphs were very effective. Thank you for the pointers. It's something I'm working on and as you suggested, I watch others who are extremely successful doing what I am trying to perfect.
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