This chapter gives you guidelines for developing your presence and for making an impact on your audience. There are also tips on your posture, gestures, eyes, voice and clothes.

In this chapter:

developing presence
posture
gestures
eyes
voice
clothes
the importance of sincerity

Developing Presence

Speakers with presence stand tall, move purposefully, connect with their audience, look and sound good. They ooze confidence. How do you come across and how do you communicate presence?

It is suggested that it takes four minutes to form an impression of someone and that 90% of that impression is formed in the first ninety seconds. You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. Make a bad impression and you have lost an opportunity that may never come again.

The following are some guidelines for developing presence and impacting on your audience.

Posture: Standing Tall And Moving Withimpact

What does your posture say about you? Do you cross your legs? Do you lean back on one hip, slump, keep your hands in your pockets or fidget?

It is usually best to stand when making a presentation. If you are introduced, you may wish to count to three before you stand to create some anticipation and to give you a sense of control.



Aim to stand upright without being stiff or unnatural. Lengthen your spine, lift your head, drop your shoulders and place your feet shoulder-width apart. Slouching or leaning to one side can make you look over-casual. If you are standing behind a table, avoid leaning on it.

Walk with a sense of purpose rather than pace back and forth as if you were attached to the wall by a thick elastic band.

Confidence is likely to be communicated by fluid, purposeful movements in the body. Nervousness will be indicated by fidgeting, by going back on one hip, by rocking from side to side and by going back and forth on your heels and toes.

Confident people are more likely to lean towards the audience than away from them. It is as if they are keen to get close to the audience to get their message heard. Often the right foot is forward and the right hand gesticulating to the audience.

Avoid:

The Lectern

Although a lectern can be useful to hold notes and props (and can provide a certain security in your early days as a presenter), the professional speaker usually likes to come out from behind the lectern to have greater impact.

The lectern is often associated with lengthy, tedious droners who talk at us. Standing behind a lectern can make you appear rigid, formal and distant. It is not to be recommended if you want to ‘connect’ with your audience. It is probably best to use the lectern as a place to put your notes, but stand to the side of it as you speak.

Gestures: Adding Life And Energy

Gestures add life and colour to your presentation. They can help to paint a picture and will add to the force of your words. In everyday conversation we gesture naturally and are probably not aware of them. When you present, aim to gesture as you would in an animated conversation with a friend - nothing more. With a large group your gestures and energy may need to be ‘larger than life’, just as the statue on top of a building needs to be of a larger than life size to appear of life – like proportions to an onlooker from the ground. Gestures that are too bold will only distract. If you are inclined to over-gesture, it may help to keep your elbows by your side with hands held slightly in front.

Your hands do not have a separate identity. They are an extension of your arms and only need to move if you are making a gesture. It is OK to keep your hands empty and still by the sides of your body. This may feel odd to you but will look natural from the audience’s view. Observe people on TV and how they hold their hands. There is no need to keep the hands glued to your sides. Experiment and find something that is comfortable for you – perhaps one hand holding notes leaving the other free to gesture or your hands held slightly in front at waist level gesturing naturally.

What not to do with your hands: