Wise Bread had a good article on body language. I know a lot of people who need to read this.
You might not think you look disinterested, but sometimes you might. I know I’m guilty of some of these. I tend to rock back and forth and use lots of hand motions in presentations. BUT I took a speaking class and right after each presentation, the professor would have you stand in the front of the class and the whole class (around 40 people) would criticize you of the awkward and wrong things you did. This was definitely scary, but it helped a lot. I’m more aware of everything now.
- Be aware. There are probably a lot of things that you do that you don’t realize. You might play with your hair, rock back and forth during a presentation, use WAY too many hand movements, and so on. Realizing and noticing what you do is the first step to changing.
- Watch others. What do the people that you admire do?
- Be aware of how you cross your arms and legs. Your legs should be crossed towards the person you are talking to, not away. Crossing away shows that you’re either not interested or distant.
- Make eye contact. Now don’t have a staring contest though!
- Try to sit or stand straight. Better posture is good for many reasons.
- Make sure your handshakes are firm. I don’t give out a ton of handshakes, so I’m not really sure how mine are. Hmmmm….
- Relax. Make sure you are relaxed and that your body isn’t too tense, if you are tense, then it’ll show.
What do you do that you could improve?
Amy Rene says
I am completely an arm crosser! I've been trying for years to get over it, but it's really hard.great tips!
~Carla~ says
I *think* I'm pretty good with this! Just need to work on it more with my husband & kids more sometimes… *blush* When they're talking/asking me something, I'm usually trying to "kill two birds with one stone", so I need to stop what I'm doing & give them my full attention.
Holly says
Great tips! I'm a firm believer in eye contact but could definitely work on the better posture thing! Thanks for sharing :)-Holly @ Eight Six Eleven
Holly says
I need to work on not using so many hand movements. Hahhaa I use them A TON! 🙂
Tanner says
I am also an arm crosser. I've been aware that it may mean that I am not interested, that I could be comfrontational or unfriendly, but I just do it because I dont like my hands kind of just hanging out!
shoppingtosaving says
Haha same thing happened in my college speech class. I was criticized in front of my peers (about 40 too!) 3 times since we made 3 speeches that quarter. Oh the horror! But now my presentation and public speaking skills are just fine.I am the fidgety person who gets really hot and shaky. ahha
Jennifer says
I would have walked out of class and dropped it. I cannot stand public humiliation at all. I know I may be considered weak, so be it. That said, I did not learn a thing from my speech class. I give speeches (or used to) for a living with the non-profit I ran. The things my teacher told me just made me more self-conscience and a worse speaker. We all have our different ways of learning.
Charlotte says
Soo true ! It's so important how we hold ourselves. I was always told to stand up straight, walk tall, give firm handshakes and look at people directly in the eyes. It's amazing how many people don't!! xCharlottedressforclass.blogspot.com
Mommy Saves ALOT!!! says
I need to work on better posture too! Maybe that's why my back and neck be aching sometimes….. 🙂
jamie says
i have always given firm handshakes and honestly i think some people are kind of weirded out by it. i think weirded out by the whole hand shaking. when i started as a fraud investigator for washington mutual, now chase, and met the whole department i shook EVERYONE'S hand. after a few months of mingling and getting to know my fellow colleagues, some of them admitted that it was weird i shook their hands. i was like, hmm. ok. haha. but this was such a great post! i Love the idea of watching someone I admire, I can definitely learn a thing or two from my Child Development professor. hope you have a great weekend!xx jamie