Gestures Speak Louder Than Words

Great professional speakers deliver speeches that are engaging to listen to and that also draw in their audiences visually. They keep their gestures to a minimum and use them purposefully to emphasize the content of the message. They make eye contact with each audience member as though they are the only people in the room. They express sincerity through a smile and appear to be relaxed.

You don't have to be a paid keynote speaker to improve upon your body language! 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? Do your hands and arms add meaning to your message or do they nervously move about?

Some of us need to learn to enlarge our gestures and facial expression while others of us need to tone them down a bit. Even if your audience is only one other person, try these techniques for enhancing your message:

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. Raised eyebrows and expressive smiles are just a few sincere expressions.

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 body language or gestures do others use in every day speech? Engaging and inspiring speakers are the ones who purposely take advantage of body language to communicate more effectively.

Copyright (c) 2008 Lynda Stucky

Article Source: http://www.articlegoldmine.com

Lynda Stucky, President and owner of ClearlySpeaking, is a certified and licensed speech-language pathologist. Her background in speech pathology offers unique skills for dealing with professional communication skills in the corporate world. She has trained and educated individuals, businesses and groups on effective speaking skills, foreign and regional accent modification, the spoken image and vocal hygiene. . www.clearly-speaking.com

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated