How Important Is Body Language in Public Speaking? More Than You Think

What you say matters enormously, but how you say it can either elevate your message or quietly dismantle it.

Most presenters know they should stand tall, smile, and avoid crossing their arms. Confident body language is far more than posture and gestures; it’s about presence, intention, energy, and the way you inhabit the space around you.

This morning, I read a blog titled “The Simple Little Trick That Will Make Audiences Trust You.”
The advice was sound, but the title troubled me.

Trust isn’t a trick.

You don’t manipulate people into trusting you; you earn it through authenticity, presence, and connection.

Here are four unconventional ways your body language can help you connect with your audience at a far deeper level.

1. Take a Jump

Before any important presentation, I like to feel grounded, fully present, stable, and ready for action.

Jumping up and down a few times helps me connect with the ground beneath my feet. It sounds simple, even strange, but it works.

How can you connect with your audience if you haven’t connected with yourself?
How can you connect with yourself if you’re not connected to the very ground you’re standing on?

Do this before you enter the room:

– Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart

– Arms relaxed by your sides

– Head facing forward

– Bend your knees and jump as high as you can

When you land, pause, feel the stability, energy and feel yourself arrive.

If you can’t do it immediately before speaking, do it earlier and carry the feeling with you. 

2. Walk on Fire

For my 40th birthday, I flew to New Jersey to do the fire walk with Tony Robbins.
My wife thought it was a midlife crisis, and maybe it was, but it taught me three lessons that transformed the way I speak in public.

Walking barefoot across fifteen feet of burning coals forces you to master three things:

Focus

Where you place your attention determines how you think, feel, and move. If I had focused on the heat, I would never have made it across.

Instead, I imagined walking on cool, mossy ground. I pictured myself striding across the finish line, leaping into the air, and high-fiving Tony Robbins.

Language

Your internal dialogue shapes your external performance. Imagine walking across burning coals while thinking:

– “I’ll never do this.”

– “I’m going to make a fool of myself.”

– “I’m going to burn.”

You wouldn’t get far, my mantra was simple:

“Cool moss… cool moss… yes, yes, yes, yes.”

Silly?  Maybe, effective? Absolutely.

Physiology

Your body leads your mind.

I kept my head slightly raised, my posture strong, and my stride steady.
My physiology supported my focus, which supported my language, which supported my success.

Before your next presentation, ask yourself whether your:

– focus is helping you?
– self-talk supporting you?
– body language  is empowering you?

(Disclaimer: Fire walking is extremely dangerous. Never attempt it without a qualified instructor.)

3. Talk to Your Face

Your audience reads your face long before they process your words.

If you say you’re excited but your face looks tense, flat, or uncertain, guess which message they’ll believe?

Your face has its own body language, and it’s often the last thing presenters pay attention to.

If your facial expression contradicts your words, your audience will trust your face every time.

Before you speak:

– Choose the emotion you want to convey

– Hold that emotional word in your mind

– Let your body, including your face, respond to it

If you feel nervous, don’t let it show on your face; tell it you’re excited, then let it show excitement.

4. Touch Everything

Nothing communicates confidence like ownership.

Whether you’re in a conference hall or a small meeting room, if you don’t own the space, your audience will. Ownership doesn’t come from authority; it comes from interaction.

Touch the environment:

– If you’re using slides, reach up and touch the screen instead of pointing

– Move the flip chart to where you want it

– Adjust the furniture

– Interact with the objects in the room

Don’t just use the space, claim it.

When you touch the room, you tell your audience without saying a word, “I belong here.”

If you need help with your body language when presenting:

– Book yourself onto a powerful public speaking course.

– Invest in some really good one to one public speaking coaching.

– Get yourself some excellent presentation training

Image: Courtesy of iStock.com