338 / TAKING CENTER STAGE
Looking confident
Growing self-belief
Inner confidence comes from a
combination of self-belief and real
enthusiasm for your message. When
you are confident, you behave naturally,
and in the full expectation of a positive
outcome; your self-assurance is genuine
and the audience buys into your message.
You can build your confidence over
time through exercises in which you
visualize success and, of course, through
experience. Looking confident and
feeling confident may seem two very
different things to you, but to your
audience, they are one and the same.
Employing techniques that make you
appear more confident will bring positive
feedback from your audience, which
will boost inner confidence.
The audience is on your side—they want you to succeed; they want
to learn and be inspired by you. But to win their attention and trust,
and to exert your influence, you need to impose your presence and
demonstrate confidence in yourself and in your presentation material.
ACCENTUATE THE
POSITIVE
Refrain from crossing your
arms or leaning backward,
away from the audience;
these actions send out very
strong negative signals.
Tip
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LOOKING CONFIDENT / 339
Establishing your presence
You can win the attention and respect of
an audience before you begin simply
through your posture, and by the way you
occupy the space around you. Even if
you cannot rearrange the seating in the
room, you should become familiar with
the room, your position, and the lines of
sight—“owning” the space will make you
feel more comfortable and confident.
Give yourself room to move, and make
sure the audience can see your hands;
don’t trap yourself behind a desk or use
the lectern as a shield—the audience
may interpret your position as defensive.
USE PROPS
If nerves deter you from
using your body, hold a
prop—such as a pen or
wireless remote—in one
hand until you find your
comfort level and confidence.
Tip
ASK YOURSELF…
YES NODo I appear confident?
When you are confident,
you behave naturally,
and in the full expectation
of a positive outcome
1 Is my eye contact strong? ..........................................................
2 Am I projecting my voice? ..........................................................
3 Am I maintaining good posture? .................................................
4 Are my hand gestures natural? .................................................
5 Is my language conversational? .................................................
6 Are my movements purposeful? .................................................
7 Do I appear calm and in control? .................................................
of a second is all it takes for
people to assess each other
1/10
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Using body language
If your content is irrelevant or your
delivery dull, you shouldn’t be surprised
if your audience switches off. But they
will also disengage if the nonverbal
messages that you send out are
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LOOKING CONFIDENT / 341
SPRING-CLEAN YOUR
BAD HABITS
Rid your performance of any
visible signs of discomfort
you may be feeling. Avoid
nervous mannerisms such as
putting your hands stiffly
behind your back, looking
down at the floor, playing with
jewelry or hair or fiddling
with your sleeves or buttons.
Tip
THE 7-38-55 RULE
According to a study by Dr.
Albert Mehrabian of the
University of California, how
much we like someone when
we first meet them depends
only 7 percent on what they
say. Tone of voice accounts
for 38 percent. The remaining
55 percent is body language
and facial expression. This is
known as the 7-38-55 rule.
In focus
inconsistent with your words. Your
stance, gestures, and eye contact must
support what you say; in the event of any
conflicting information, the audience will
tend to believe what your body language
appears to be saying.
Start your presentation with a neutral
but authoritative posture. Maintain a
balanced stance, with your feet slightly
apart and your weight spread evenly
between them. Keep upright, facing
the front, with shoulders straight, not
hunched, and your arms loosely and
comfortably at your sides. Don’t lean on
a chair or perch on furniture for support.
Timing your movement
For the first 30 seconds of your
presentation, try not to move your feet.
This “anchoring” will help establish your
authority with your audience. As you build
rapport, you can relax your posture—this
will help win you trust and make the
audience feel much more comfortable—
leaning forward sends a positive and
friendly message.
Your stance, gestures,
and eye contact must
support what you say, the
audience will believe
your body language
30
seconds at the start
of your presentation
should be spent standing
in a balanced stance
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Using gestures
Use gestures to reinforce points, just as
you would in casual conversation; you
may need to “amplify” small movements
to take into account the scale of a room:
for example, a hand gesture may need
to become a movement of the whole
forearm if it is to be seen from the back.
You may need to practice to make such
gestures appear “natural.” Avoid at all
costs any intimidating gestures, such
as pointing fingers at your audience or
forcefully banging your hand or fist on
the table or lectern.
Making eye contact
Many presenters deliberately avoid
making eye contact with the audience.
But if you can keep your nerve, engaging
with the audience in this way creates
trust and intimacy, and is one of the most
effective means of keeping attention,
especially throughout a longer
presentation.
95%
You may need to “amplify”
small movements to take
into account the scale
of a room
of an audience thought the
style of a talk was equally
important as the content
Your movements need not be too
theatrical—your goal is to hold the
attention of the audience rather
than to entertain them.
Coordinate your movements to
emphasize an important point—for
example, walk across the room, and
turn quickly to coincide with the
conclusion of a point.
Move to a different spot on the stage
area when moving from point to
point—this can help the audience to
separate out your key messages.
When you want to refer the audience
to a projected slide, step back
toward it, and sweep your arm to
guide the viewer’s eyes up toward
the slide: be careful not to turn your
back on your audience as you move.
Moving for effect
Human attention is drawn to
movement—it is programmed into our
genes—so one of the most powerful
ways to hold on to your audience, and to
make viewers focus on you, is to move.
Always use movement purposefully
and intentionally—if you merely walk
back and forth it will be interpreted as
nervous pacing and will distract the
audience. However, using movement in
tandem with words will boost impact.
Listed below are a few examples where
actions will reinforce the message:
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