6 PUBLIC SPEAKING BODY LANGUAGE MISTAKES YOU MUST AVOID AT ALL COST


6 PUBLIC SPEAKING BODY LANGUAGE MISTAKES

I have always been fascinated by public speaking since young.

I love watching people deliver their speech.

I like to observe a speaker’s delivery style and learn from it.

Yes. Maybe you can call it an obsession…

But for me, it is a passion.

Based on my so-called analysis, curiosity and self-learning, I have discovered a few things along the way.

And from the discovery, I have come up with my own interpretation of different speech delivery techniques.

I also came to realize how important it is for any speaker to pay attention to his or her body language when giving a speech. Your body language can determine the success or the failure of your speech.
  
Here are 6 public speaking body language mistakes you must AVOID at all cost (Yes, I named them myself…)

1)The Worrier

I have witnessed this many time. The worrier (I called it) is a speaker who likes to pace back and forth while speaking. The worrier cannot seem to stand still and keep moving all the time when giving a speech. It is so obvious that the audience can predict his or her movement.

Most probably, the speaker is thinking too much. Maybe, the speaker is nervous and have some difficulties facing the audience.

Why should you avoid this?

By walking back and forth, you are not communicating with your audience. You are not looking at them. When you move too much, your audience will not be able to concentrate to what you are saying. Instead they will be watching your movement. They will get distracted and irritated at the same time.

2)The Statue

I am sure you can make a guess what the statue means. The statue is a speaker who likes to stand in one place and not moving much. The statue is totally the opposite of the worrier. Beginners usually do this. Experienced speakers mostly know how to move around appropriately.

Most probably, the speaker is a nervous wreck. The speaker  does not know how to move with purpose.

Why should you avoid this?

Tell me. Can you look at a statue for a long time? Eventually, you will get tired looking at one direction. That is how your audience will feel if you keep standing still at one place. Maybe your hand gestures might make a difference. But by moving with purpose, it makes it easier for your audience to concentrate on you.

3)The Dreamer

Dream, dream away.

Yes. Dream away I say.

The dreamer is a speaker who likes to look up or look down when he or she is speaking. The speaker’s eyes are always wondering somewhere else and refrain from making any eye contact with the audience.

When I was studying, many years ago, I still remember this one lecturer who refused to look at his students when he spoke. He was one of the dreamers. He liked to look up when he gave his lecture. But when we approached him and asked him some questions, he would simply look down instead. I never understood why. Maybe he was a shy person.

Why should you avoid this?

When you give a speech, eye contact means everything. If you do not look at your audience, do you think they will trust you? Having eye contact shows that you believe in what you are saying. This proves your sincerity and confidence. How can you convince your audience of your points, if you cannot even look straight into their eyes?

4)The Reader

This is very common. I think you must have seen this a lot. Yes, the reader likes to read. However, I am not referring to the reading habit. Reading is a good habit but not in this case. The reader is a speaker who likes to read when he or she is giving a speech. The reader reads directly from the notes, script or the visual aids. In other words, the speaker is not delivering a speech. The speaker is actually reading the speech.

Maybe the speaker is not prepared. The speaker is not ready for the speech. The speaker is not expected to give a speech and the speech is prepared by someone else.

Why should you avoid this?

If the speaker is reading the speech, why bother giving a speech in the first place? Reading from the script or the visual aids shows that the speaker is not well-prepared and does not take the speech seriously. Your audience will lose interest in you completely.

5)The Whisperer

Have you ever listened to a speaker who seemed to be whispering? The whisperer is a speaker who has a very soft unclear voice. The audience are not able to hear anything, especially the audience who are seating at the back of the room. From far, it looks as if the speaker is talking only to the audience who are seating in the front row.

Maybe the speaker has an unusual soft voice and unaware of the situation. The speaker is not projecting his or her voice well. The speaker does not take the initiatives to use any the microphones or make an audio check.

Why You should Avoid this?

As a speaker, your voice is a great asset. If you do not speak loud enough, your audience cannot hear you. If your voice is unclear, your audience cannot understand you. When this happen, they will not be listening to you. Many people might not realize this; your voice is powerful enough to influence and inject some emotions into the heart of others.

6)The Habitual

The first thing you will notice when you watch the habitual in action, is the predictable gestures. The habitual is a speaker who has predictable gestures, hand and body movements. The habitual will do the gestures repeatedly. For example, touching hair, pointing or adjusting the blazer.

Most probably, the speaker is nervous and this predictable repeatable movements indicates the anxiety and tension. The speaker might also be too conscious about appearance and want to look good. Or maybe, it is a habit hard to break.

Why should you avoid this?

When you do the same gestures repeatedly, it will become obvious that your audience will notice. This can be rather distracting for them. Instead of listening to what you are saying, they will be observing your predictable movement and get annoyed by it.

It is important to remember...

Public speaking revolves around the speaker and the audience. Your audience’s attention will be totally on you, at least at the beginning of your speech. Therefore, your audience will notice even the smallest body gestures that you make.

In some cases, a speaker shows more than one of these body languages mentioned. I know, we all might be guilty of these body language mistakes at some point. But it is our duty to ensure that we do not repeat the same mistakes.

In order to make a speech great, there is one thing to keep in mind.

A great speech relies on two factors; speech content and speech delivery.

A good speech content alone does not guarantee a great speech. The way the speaker delivers the speech makes a huge difference. Your body language can give a different outcome.

For that reason, please avoid these body language mistakes at all cost!




Written By: Intan Salwana Anis
@2019 Public Speaking Is Cool. All Rights Reserved

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