Body Language Speech
Body Language Speech
It is often said that 93% of communication is non-verbal. This comes from a study by Albert
Mehrabian and he further breaks it down into 55% is body language, 38% is tone and 7% is
the words you speak. If this study is correct then we better pay attention to our body
language when speaking.
I also read a book recently by Amy Cuddy where she argues that our body language not only
comes across in our body language but also helps us to feel more confident about
ourselves. By having a confident body language, it will actually help us feel more confident
and becomes a positive feedback loop. So if we “fake it till we make it” then this body
language improvement can have a big effect when we are not feeling confident in the first
place.
Today I will demonstrate 3 power poses that you can try for yourselves that can help you to
feel more confident and help get your message across in public speaking or your workplace.
The first one a lot of us would have seen and can be labelled as Pride. When someone wins
a race or competition, they will reach their arms into the air like this [demonstation]. This is a
very common pose that has been used for a very long time across cultures.
The second one is the superhero pose where you put your hands on your hips like do and lift
your head [demonstration]. This pose is helpful for giving speeches as you can do this while
you are speaking or a modified version where you have your hands strongly by your side.
The final example is when you are sitting and it is the hands behind your head. Sometimes
this is also accompanied by your feet being elevated.
These power poses will help you to improve your confidence to help you to command more
respect, speak with clarity and become genuinely likable from others.
Crossing your arms. This creates a barrier between you and your listener and you are
making yourself look small. This is not always a sign of negative feedback as the person
may just be cold.
Another sign that is related to crossing the arms is touching the neck or arms. There are
several nerves here that feel good when rubbed.
Also turning away or showing your back to someone and avoiding eye contact shows
nervousness, lack of confidence, low self-esteem or dishonesty.
These are not the things that we want to communicate when giving a speech.
Before this speech, I performed a high power pose for 2 minutes. It helped me feel more
confident and less nervous about giving this speech. You will be the judge but let me know if
this helped compared with my last speech.
The next time you have a speech to make or a stressful interview, try one of the power
poses I mentioned for 2 minutes before you go in and try it for yourself.
Body language and its impact on speaking
93% non-verbal
Albert Mehrabian
55% body
38% tone
7% words you speak
If pay attention study, body language very important
3 power poses
Winners pose (pride)
Superhero pose
Sitting - hands behind head and feed elevated