What kind of body language could I use in order to appear more confident speaking in front of groups?
Take 10 very slow deep breaths right before going out, this will relax you so you are not shaky and your voice is not high pitched. Do not lean your body to the side, stand with weight balanced symmetrically on both legs. Make eye contact with participants, don’t just glance at them, speak to them – eye contact with your audience is incredibly powerful. Small gestures keeping your hands below your shoulders to avoid looking overly dramatic (of course, unless overly dramatic is the goal of your speech). Shoulders down and relaxed – so many speakers I watch get nervous and their shoulders lift from the tension and they wind up looking like they have no necks. Don’t fidget, don’t keep anything in your hands. If you are using powerpoint and need a clicker, either make sure you don’t play with it or, leave it down until you are ready to change screens. Don’t stand behind a podium (unless you have to). You never want anything between yourself and your audience. It creates a wall which inhibi
