Body language plays the biggest role in the way we see and judge each other and impacts things like hiring and promotion. It even intimidates us or disarms us. For example, body language communicates dominance. When showing power, we tend to stand taller, have a straighter posture, and keep our shoulders back. On the contrary, when we feel powerless, we usually do the opposite of this.
Being mindful of what you say with your body language is a key component in your Personality Development. Here are just 3 useful ideas on body language that will help you with your public speaking.
Where to keep your hands!
A very basic, but also an extremely common question. Just keep them on the side. That’s it. Yes, it’s going to feel weird. Get used to it. For the majority of your time standing up and speaking, keep them on the side. Of course, in between, you should use them to articulate your point… ideally, the palms should be out to the side facing the audience as if you’re showing them something to the right or the left. Avoid keeping your hands locked behind, in front covering your groin, in your pockets, or folded on your chest. Avoid rubbing or fidgeting or holding things like a pen/paper when you don’t need it as much. And avoid pointing at the audience or anywhere whether you’re making a point of asking someone in the audience for something.
For a demo on most of this, watch the speakers’ hands over here: https://www.ted.com/talks/isaac_lidsky_what_reality_are_you_creating_for_yourself
Feeling underconfident? Fake it till you make it works!
Merely adopting a “power pose” can change the neural and hormonal connections in our bodies, thereby making us feel more confident (or less confident, depending on the pose). She talks about a study where participants were asked to adopt high-power or low power poses for two minutes and then asked how powerful they felt. Those who used high-power poses felt more confident. In summary, the “fake it till you make it” ideology does have a scientific basis. (These Power Poses are described in a popular TED talk on the subject by Amy Cuddy. You can see the video here: https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are?language=en )
Smiling is going to increase your likeability and engagement
When you smile, people perceive you like warm, likeable, and more competent, according to a recent study at Penn State University. Your smile needs to be genuine. Some people don’t have a problem with this, while others have a “resting bitch face” or a serious face. In that case, you need to find things that make you truly happy and incorporate that in your content…. a storey or joke or something… or simply smiling when you make eye contact with multiple people in the audience (please don’t hold the gaze for longer than a second, for obvious reasons!) as if to say, “I’m happy to have this opportunity,” or “I’m thankful that you’re all listening.”
Watch the TED talk “The Hidden Power of Smiling” by Ron Gutman at TED.com for more on why smiling is so important for your overall personality development.
Source: https://www.limitlesseq.com/blogs/three-ideas-on-body-language-for-public-speaking-or-overall-personality-development/