Communication is made up of more than the words we use.
People make a decision about you in four seconds.
They will decide whether you are a waste of their time, whether you are a threat, or whether you are important.
That all sounds harsh, doesn’t it?
But it is a primal reaction to protect ourselves. And these decisions are based on three factors - body language, voice, and what you say.
And the most important ones are body language and voice.
“Content is the least important factor,” journalist and presenter Susan Bookbinder told members of The Media Team Academy during her body language masterclass.
“But when it comes to presentations and media interviews, people might stay up until 4am preparing the content they, or a senior leader, will deliver.”
There is a quote from Maya Angelou that neatly sums this up.
She said: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Let’s assume you know what you are going to say and are well prepared, and focus instead on how you will say it. What can you do with your body and voice to ensure you make the most of every second?
Eyeline
There’s no better place to start than eyeline.
Wherever you are speaking and whoever you are speaking to, eye contact establishes a connection and shows your audience they are important.
“In any situation, you must look at your audience,” Susan said.
“How many times have you been at a networking event where the person you are talking to, who wants to do business with you, is looking around at the rest of the room?
“Why should you do business with them if they can’t even look at you? How can you trust them?”
So, how can you get the eyeline right?
Let’s start by looking at online meetings or remote media interviews
Susan said: “The pandemic changed how we communicate, and many meetings and interviews continue to happen remotely. And I don’t see that changing, especially with the focus on sustainability – we don’t all need to be in the same room.
“When you are presenting online, you have to make sure you are looking at the lens. A good tip is to get post-it notes with the points you want to make and stick them on either side of the camera.
“That will help you concentrate your gaze on the camera, rather than constantly looking away or down at your notes.”
If you are presenting face-to-face, look at the audience.
But how do you make eye contact with more than one person?
A good way to present to a physical audience is to draw a W in your mind across the audience. Then work your way through that W, making points and maintaining that eyeline with different sections so everyone feels included.
Another option is to divide the audience into three sections. When you move that eye contact from one person to another, choose someone in a different section, again ensuring everyone feels included.
In-person presentations
Let’s stick with in-person presentations.
Presenting to a room remains the format people fear the most.
It is a concern people often discuss at the start of our presentation skills training course.
But there are steps you can take to ensure you appear confident and composed.
“You have to make a decision whether you are presenting on a stage to 10 people in a room or at Wembley Stadium,” Susan said.
“Are you going to be one of those people who rushes around the stage to different parts of the audience? Or are you going to present from a podium?
If you are going to move about the stage, do it with purpose, not a little dance where you go from one foot to the other.
“If you are not one of those people who wants to rush about the stage, you can still move from the waist upwards.
“You need to put your energy into your gesture and the projection of your voice.
“Plant your feet shoulder-width apart, or at 10 minutes to one, and don’t move from the waist downwards. Otherwise, you’ll do an annoying little dance as you talk.
“Try to vary your gestures in the same way you should vary your pace of delivery.
“We see a lot of people with one hand in their pocket and the other arm sort of swirling around like they are making soup – that’s quite monotonous and doesn’t add anything.
“Use both hands to gesture and vary it, making little buds, flowers and branches with your movements – it will add emphasis and energy to the messages you have worked hard on.”
Hands
This brings us neatly on to our hands.
What do you do with your hands when you are presenting? Delegates often ask this during our presentation skills training courses.
According to Susan, there are four ‘illegal’ hand positions when presenting.
The Penguin – Sometimes people are wrongly told not to gesture when they present. If you are someone who gestures a lot naturally, this leads to some weird body movements, with your hands flapping around at your side like a penguin.
The Barrier – This is where your arms are folded in front of your chest, and it looks defensive.
The King Charles – this is where your arms are held together behind your back and you tend to go up and down on your toes.
The Footballer – this one is the worst of all. This is where you clasp your arms together by your waist in front of you and then swivel from side to side.
Another one to avoid is rubbing your arm in a soothing way when you are saying ‘everything is going to be ok’ – it suggests the opposite.
Susan said: “Instead of doing any of these, lightly clasp your hands together in front of you – there is a natural pressure point between your thumb and your index finger that you can press down on with your other thumb and then lightly clasp the rest of that hand around your other one.
“That is a good starting point and you can gesture from there. And because it is a pressure point, it will help you suppress your nerves.”
Dealing with nerves (and managing your inner chimp)
Presentations, media interviews and vital meetings can all be daunting, and nerves tend to kick in.
What can you do to calm them so they don’t impact your performance?
“If you are not nervous in these situations, then you are not human,” Susan said.
“I’ve been a broadcaster and journalist for nearly 40 years. Even after all that time, I get that inner chimp that says ‘you’re rubbish’ when I’m about to start a presentation.
“It happens to all of us. And you can fly, fight or freeze.
“To deal with this, I say three words to myself that I would like people to feel when I leave the room – kind, compassionate and competent.
“Taking deep breaths is also crucial – it can slow your heartbeat. Breathe in for six seconds and breath out like you are blowing out a candle.”
Also, remember that you are the expert.
“People have come to listen to you,” Susan said.
“They want it to work. People don’t go to a presentation thinking ‘I hope this person falls over’. They come because they want to learn.
“So, behave like the expert and leader in that room. “
Sitting down
What about body language when you are sitting down?
Many presentations involve sitting on a stage. And people tend to be sat for meetings.
It can be easy to get your posture wrong in these situations.
Make sure you have your feet flat on the ground. And position yourself as far back in the chair as you can.
Susan said: “You need to sit with your bum in the back of the chair – BBC. That will help you get the right posture.
“From this position, draw yourself up to your full height, keeping your shoulders relaxed. Then lean forward, placing your forearms on the table in front of you, with arms separated.
“You will appear authoritative and full of integrity – and you haven’t said a word yet.”
That works well with a stationary chair, but many presenters find themselves sitting on a swivel one.
“Presenters are quite often confronted with these on a stage, and they can be a nightmare,” Susan said.
“The natural thing to do is swivel. But that is distracting and annoying for your audience.
“Instead, plant your feet on the floor firmly and put your energy into your gesture and the projection of your voice.”
Projecting your voice
And with another seamless transition, that brings us to voice.
Your voice is part of your body. How can you ensure you make the best use of it and sound more impactful?
“It is vital you warm your voice up before you give a presentation,” Susan said.
“There are all sorts of breathing exercises you can do, or you can lie on your back and gargle.
“But a much easier one is to say the word ‘om’ repeatedly before you go on stage.
“That will help you to concentrate your voice on coming from the diaphragm, whereas lots of people start presentations by talking from the back of their throat, which can sound high-pitched and not very authoritative.”
Co-presenting
There may be times when you are presenting as part of a team.
Webinars and live streams, for example, often have more than one presenter. And there is no reason why a more traditional presentation should have just one presenter.
How do you get the body language right in this format?
“When you are co-presenting, you need to be united,” Susan said.
“But it can be hard to look at the person talking and appear interested in what they are saying. And not that you are just waiting for your bit to come up.
“The key is to look at them regularly and seem like you are pleased to be there. Make occasional notes if you are on a platform and nod when you agree with what they are saying.
“It is vital it looks like you are all on the same page.
“Remember, even when you are not speaking, people are looking at you, and they are asking whether the organisation is together on this subject.
Bonus tip
Whatever the format, looking like you want to be there can make the difference.
Susan said: “If you are the first person people see and the first voice they hear, you need to leak pleased to see them.
“You are more likely to be believed and trusted if you look happy to be there. Research has shown there is a direct link to credibility if you convey warmth and competence. Even if it is bad news, you can be warm and competent.”
Media interviews
During the masterclass, Susan also touched on a few body language tips for media interviews.
And it starts with that crucial eyeline again.
“If you are in a studio, it can be hard to know where to look because there are cameras all over the place,” Susan said.
“If there is a presenter there, look at them. If there are two presenters, look at the one who asked the question. As you go through the answer, you can then move on to the other presenter to include them in it. Whatever you do, don’t look at the camera – that will freak out the audience.
“But if you are doing a down-the-line interview in a green screen studio, or you are doing an online interview, you need to look at the camera.”
Knowing how to sit in a TV studio can also be tricky.
Susan said: “A lot of television studios have ridiculous sofas, so you may not be able to do bum in the back of the chair.
“So, try to emulate the presenter. If they are sitting forward, sit forward. Plant your feet and use gesture to emphasise your message and moderate your pace of delivery.”
Susan also briefly discussed what to wear.
“Red works well on television and is a vibrant, happy colour, she said.
“If you are doing a down-the-line interview in a green screen studio, don’t wear an emerald green jacket because you will disappear into the background.
“The most important thing is for your wardrobe to be congruent with what you are saying. If you have anything distracting, like huge dangling earrings, that will be what people remember, rather than what you are saying and how you made them feel. “
Your body language and presentation skills questions answered
This was another interactive masterclass with many questions from the audience:
I have an expressive face and find it hard not to reveal what I am thinking. Any tips for dealing with this?
I think it all comes down to the preparation. When you are clear on what you will say and when you will say it, you can concentrate on how you will say it.
So, you have to get the structure of the content right. And then go into presenting mode. It is a performance. If you have planned well, you will have prepared your expressions as well - control of your expressions comes down to planning.
How do you present complex information in an engaging way?
You need to put it through the filter of why your audience is here. Do they want to know all the tiny detail? Or do they want to know what it means for them? Then you can distil your messages down to simple terms. And don’t fill slides with loads of dense information - you will be fighting with those slides for the audience’s attention.
How can you use gesture to moderate your pace of delivery?
I’ve done some work with speech therapists, and people who have an issue with speech, like a stammer, are told to touch themselves when they are speaking. That helps them to slow down. If you know what you will say, give yourself time to add emphasis to the message. A good tip is to watch some speeches from Barack Obama and see how he varies his pace and uses gesture to do that and add emphasis.
How do you manage awkward silences when you are looking for interaction?
Rhetorical questions you would like to answer are a good option if there is an awkward silence. If we think about Obama again, he would ask a question, let it land with a pause, and then answer it himself.
Any tips for speakers who don’t have English as their first language?
I take my hat off to anyone not presenting in their first language. But I think it is the same advice. It is about your preparation, pace of delivery and not trying to over-educate everyone. The pace is crucial because we all need time to absorb the messages.
What techniques do you have to practice presenting?
I talk it through to myself for timing and then on my partner or son.
Any advice for presenters who get shaky hands?
Do you remember the technique of pressing your thumb down on the pressure point between your thumb and forefinger? Lightly cup your other hand around it and you appear relaxed. But pressing down on that pressure point will steady your hands. Then gesture openly from there.
How can you use body language to keep the audience engaged? I recall a speech by Jeb Bush during the 2016 presidential election where he had to ask the audience to clap – he wasn't engaging the audience.
Make your decision; are you going to walk around the stage like Hamish Taylor (the former boss of British Airways) or plant your feet shoulder-width apart and put the energy into your use of gesture?
In both cases, gesture towards the audience and ask rhetorical questions using inclusive language -“How can you make your experience count?” “Why would this business want to work with us? “How can we ensure we get a return for this investment?”
Don’t forget, you can watch this masterclass – and all the previous ones - in the ‘masterclass video library’ section of The Media Team Academy hub.
