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TOASTMASTERS I N T E R N A T I O N A ~

How to Become Skilled inNonverbal Communication

www.toastmasters.org
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Gestures: Your Body Speaks How to Become Skilled

in Nonverbal Communication

TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL

p.o. Box 9052 Mission Viejo, CA 92690 U.s.A.

949-858-8255www.toastmasters.org

"2009 Toastmasters International. All rights reserved, including the right to repro-duce all or any port of this publication in any form without written permissionfrom World Headquarters Toastmasters International, The Toastmaster, and theToastmasters International emblem are trodemorks of Toastmasters Internationalregistered in the United States, Canada, and many other countriePrinted in USA Item 201
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Gestures: Your Body Speaks


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Contents Gestures: Your Body Speaks . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .5 Actions Speak Louder Than Words . .................................... 6

The Principle ofEmpathy. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .7 Why Physical Action Helps.. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .7

Five Ways to Make Your Body Speak Effectively ....................... 8 Your Speaking Posture ...............................................10 Gestures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 11

Why Gestures? . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .12 Types ofGestures ..................... .......................... .12 How to Gesture Effectively ......... ............................. .. 13

Body Movement . .................... , ............ , .................. 15 Facial Expressions...................................... ,............ ,17 Eye Contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ., ............. , ...... 18

Why Is Eye Contact Essential?, .................................. .18 How to Use Your Eyes Effectively ........... ,..................... .19 How to Make a Good First Impression ................................ 20 Your Appearance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 21 Before You Speak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,21 The Rrst Minute . ............................. ,.................. 21

Thumbs Up On Gestures!. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 22 Evaluating Your Body's Spoken Image . . , ............................. 23

Gestures: Your Body Speaks 3


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Gestures: YourBody SpeaksWhen you present

aspeech, you send two kinds ofmessagesto your audience. While your voice transmits a verbal message, a vast amount ofinformation is being visually conveyed byyour appearance, your manner and yourphysical behavior.Research shows that more than halfofall human communication takes placenonverballv. When you speak before agroup, your listeners base their judgmentof you and your message on what they seeas well as upon what they hear.

In public speaking, your body can bean effective tool for adding emphasis ondclarity to your words. It's also your mostpowerful instrument for convincing anaudience of your sincerity, earnestness andenthusiasm.

However, if your physical actions aredistracting or suggest meanings that do notagree with your verbal message, your bodycan defeat your words. Whether your purpose is to inform, persuade, entertain,motivate or inspire, your body and the

Mre than halfof all human communication takes placenonverbally. You are constantly sending nonverbalmessages - even as you read these words. When you speakin public, your listeners judge you and your message basedon what they see as well as on what they hear. Here's how touse your body to effectively enhance your message.

personality you project must be appropriate to what you say.

To become an effective speaker, youmust understand how your body speaks.You can't stop sending your audience nonverbal messages, but you can learn tomanage and control them.

That's the purpose of this manual:To help you learn to use your entire bodyas an instrument ofspeech. As you readon, you'll learn how nonverbal messagesaffect an aUdience, what kinds of information they transmit, how nervousness canbe alleviated by purposeful physicalactions, and how to make your body speakas eloquently as your words. Included arehow-to sections on proper speaking posture, gestures, bodymovement, facialexpression, eye contact and making apositive first impression on an audience.

Also featured is aspecial evaluationform that can helpyou identify yourbody's spoken image.



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With it you'll be able to determine yournonverbal strengths and weaknesses andeliminate any physical behavior thatdetracts from what you say during aspeech. You can then use your body as atool to make you a more effective speaker.Actions Speak Louder Than WordsYaur goal in public speaking is to commu-nicate. To be an effective speaker, youmust project earnestness, enthusiasm and

sincerity by making your manner andactions affirm what you say. If they don't,the results can be disastrous.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said. "Whatyou are speaks so loudly that I cannot hearwhat you say." When you speak, people notonly judge your speech - they also judgeyou. If they are not convinced of yourearnestness and sincerity, they are alsounlikely to accept your spoken message.

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What you are is more clearly communicated through your nonverbal behaviorthan through your words. When presentingaspeech, your listeners will use their visualsense to determine if you are sincere welcome the opportunity to address

them truly believe what you're saying are interested in them and care about

them, and are confident and in control of the

situation.The Principle of EmpathyPart of the impact your physical behaviorhas on an audience can be explained bythe concept of empathy. the ability toshare in another person's emotions or feelings. When you speak, the people in youraudience tend to mirror your attitudes.They unconsciously feel what you feel andrespond accordingly. So it's vital that yourbody faithfully portray your true feelings.

If you appear relaxed and confident,your audience will also feel relaxed andconfident. If you smile at your listeners,they will perceive you as a friendly personand smile back at you. And. most important, if they're convinced you are sincereand trustworthy, they will pay attentionto what you say and evaluate it on itsown merits.

Of course, this process can work theother way. If you appear uneasy. youraudience also will be uneasy. If you frown- even unconsciously - your listenersusually will frown back at you. If you don'tlook at them, they will feel excluded. And .if you fidget, they will perceive a lack of

self-control and lose confidence in youand in what you say.Why Physical Action HelpsWhen you demonstrate purposeful,effective physical action while speaking infront ofan audience, you provide a truebarometer of your feelings and attitudes.But there are other benefits as well:1. Messages Are More Memorable.

People become bored with staticpresentations. That's why televisionnewscasts almost always include filmshowing some kind ofaction. If a fire,protest demonstration, or some othervisually exciting activity occurs, thenewscast will usually lead with it - evenif it's not the most significant news story.A newscast focusing on "talking heads"would soon lose viewers, who could getas much information from radio.

On the other hand, it's difficult notto look at a moving object. At Toastmasters meetings you've probablynoticed how people pay attention tovisual distractions. A late-comer's arrivalor a flashing timing light usuallysiphons attention away from aspeech.

People also remember messages thatreach multiple senses. We remembermore of what we see than what wehear. However. we remember bestwhen both our visual and auditorysenses are involved.

As aspeaker you can capitalize onthese tendencies by providing visualstimuli that capture your audience'sattention and enhance retention ofyour verbal messages. Gestures, bodymovements, facial expressions - all of



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these can be valuable tools when s k i l / ~fully employed.2. Punctuation Adds Meaning.

Written language has awhole arrayofsymbols for punctuating messages:commas, periods. exclamation points.and so on. But when you speak, you usean entirely different set ofsymbols toshow the audience what parts of yourspeech are most important and to addpower and vitality to your words.

Some are performed with the voice.Just as effective are gestures. bodymovements, and facial expressions.However, to achieve the greatestpossible impact, you should coordinateyour voice and body, making them worktogether. The more communicationmethods you employ, the more e f f e c ~tively you will communicate.

3. Nervous Tension Is Channeled.Being nervous before aspeech is, toa certain extent, healthy. It shows youcare about doing well. Many of theworld's top entertainers readily admitthey are nervous before aperformance.But true fear - the kind that ruins aspeech - will keep you from becomingan effective speaker.

Fear and nervousness in publicspeaking work on three levels: mental,


emotional and physical. Aspeaker'smental and emotional fears are c o n ~quered by e / f ~ c o n f i d e n c e - a byproductofpreparation and experience. You canbest control the physical manifestationsof fear and nervousness, however,through conscious use ofgestures andbody movements.

Public speaking activates the adrenalglands. Your heartbeat quickens. Yourbreathing becomes shallow and morerapid. Your muscles tense. Since thebody will do almost anything to relievetension, you might unconsciouslyperform mannerisms that will distractyour audience - unless you can d i s s i ~pate the tension.

Gestures and body movements canhelp you harness your nervous energyand make it work for you instead ofagainst you.

Five Ways to Make YourBody Speak EffectivelyHow can you marshal your nonverbal tools- posture, gestures, bady movements,facial expressions and eye contact - anduse them effectively when you speak?In this section you'll learn five generalmethods for strengthening your body'sspoken image.1. Eliminate Distracting Mannerisms.

Dr. Ralph C. Smedley, the founder ofToastmasters International, wrote,"The speaker who stands and talks atease is the one who can be heard w i t h ~out weariness. If his posture and ges-tures are so graceful and unobtrusivethat no one notices them, he may becounted truly successful."

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When your octions ore wedded toyour words, you will strengthen theimpoct of your speech - even if theaudience doesn't consciously noticethem. But if your platform behaviorcontains mannerisms not related toyour spoken message, those actions willcall attention to themselves and awayfrom your speech. In fact, rother thanadding physical characteristics, sometimes the enterprising speaker mustwork on removing impediments.

What are these impediments? Atyour next Toastmasters meeting, watchthe speakers closely. You'll probablydetect at least a few visual distractionsin each person's delivery.

Some mannerisms involve the wholebody, such as rocking swaying, or pacing.

Others that commonly plague inexperienced or ineffective speakers include gripping or leaning on the lectern tapping the fingers biting or licking the lips jingling pocket change frowning adjusting hair or clothing, and turning the head and eyes from side

to side like an oscillating fan.Most of these actions have two

things in common: First, they arephysical manifestations ofsimple nervousness; second, they are performedunconsciously - the speaker isn't awarethat he or she is doing them.

Most of us are aware of our verbalmistakes. But unless we have access tovideotape equipment and can have ourmovements recorded, many of our distracting mannerisms go unchallenged.The first step in eliminating superfluousmannerisms is to obtain an accurateperception of your body's spokenimage. And to do this, you need help.

On page 23 is aspecial formdesigned to give you an appraisal ofhow you appear as aspeaker. With thehelp of this form and a fellow clubmember. you'll discover if you haveany bad habits.

Your next step is to eliminate anyphysical behavior that doesn't add toyour speeches. You can accomplish thisby being aware of your problem areasand by conscious self-monitoring during future presentations. If you haveseveral problem areas, work on one at atime. As each is eliminated, move on tothe next.

2. Be Natural, Spontaneousand Conversational.The single most important rule formaking your body speak effectively isto be yourself.

Today's favored speaking style canbest be described as "amplified conversation." It's much more informal thanthe grandiose style that characterizedpublic orators in years past. The emphasis is on communication and thesharing of deas - not on performanceor sermonizing.

Don't try to imitate another speaker.Instead, let yourself respond naturallyand spontaneously to what you think,feel and say. Strive to be as genuine



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and natural as when you talk with friends or family members.

3. Let Your Body Mirror Your Feelings.The "father ofmodern public speaking,"Dale Carnegie, wrote, 'J!\ person underthe influence of his feelings projects thereal self. acting naturally and spontaneously. Aspeaker who is interested willusually be interesting."

If you are interested in your subject,believe in what you are saying, andwant to share your message withothers, your physical movements willcome from within and be appropriateto what you're saying. By involvingyourself in your message you'll benatural and spontaneous withouthaving to consciously think about it.

4. Build Self-Confidencethrough Preparation.Nothing influences aspeaker's mentalattitude more than the knowledge thathe or she is thoroughly prepored. Thisknowledge inspires self-confidence, avital ingredient ofeffective publicspeaking.

When you're well-prepared, yourbehavior can be directed outwardtoward your audience instead of nwardtoward your own anxieties. You'll beless likely to send visual messages thatcontradict what you're saying, and youwill find it easier to be natural andspontaneous. Almost effortlessly, you'llproject the magic qualities of sincerity,earnestness and enthusiasm.

Practice and rehearse your materialuntil it becomes part of you, but do nottry to memorize your speech verbatim.This can defeat your preparation

10 Gestures: Your Body Speaks

because the conscious effort required torecall each word will make you nervousand tense. Instead, know your materialso well that you need only memorizethe flow of deas. You'll find the wordswill spring forth spontaneausly.

5. Use Your Club as aLearning Laboratory.The key to improving your performancein any endeavor is to practice. YourToastmasters club offers you a "handson" workshop where you'll gain valuableexperience. It's aplace where mistakescost you nothing and the audience isalways patient, supportive and helpful.

Attend meetings faithfully and speakas often as possible. Welcome feedbackprovided by your evaluators and closelyheed comments relating to your physical platform behavior. By incorporatingwhat you learn from this manual intoyour regular assignments, you'll becomeadept in all facets ofpublic speaking.

Your Speaking PostureHow you position your body when youspeak communicates its own set ofvisualmessages to an audience. More thananything, it reflects your attitude, tellingyour listeners whether you're confident,alert and in command of yourself and thespeaking situation.

Good speaking posture has other benefits to aspeaker. It helps you to breatheproperly and project your voice effectively.It also provides agood starting point fromwhich to gesture or move your body inany direction. And by helping you to feelboth alert and comfortable, it helpsdecrease nervous tension and minimizerandom, distrocting movements.


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What constitutes proper speakingposture? Ask another person to read thenext two paragraphs aloud as you followthe instructions:

Stand straight but nat rigid, with yourfeet about six ta 12 inches aport and aneslightly ahead of the other. Balance yourweight evenly on the balls of your feet.Lean farward just a little. Your kneesshould be straight but not locked. Relaxyour shoulders, but don't let them droop.Keep your chest up and your stomach in.Your head should be erect and your chinup, but not uncomfortably so. Let yourarms hang naturally at your sides, withyour fingers slightly curled.

Now, take a few deep, full breaths. Doyou feel comfortable? Your stance shouldbe alert but not stiff, relaxed but notsloppy. If this position doesn't feel naturalfor you, try repositioning your feet slightlyuntil your body feels in balance.

Do not maintain the same positionthroughout apresentation. But when youmove from one spot to another, performagesture or vary your stance, be sure tobalance your body once your movementis concluded.GesturesAgesture is aspecific bodily movementthat reinforces a verbal message or conveysaparticular thought or emotion. Althoughgestures may be mode with the head,shoulders or even the legs and feet. mostare made with the hands and arms.

Your hands can be marvelous tools ofcommunication when you speak. Butmany inexperienced speakers are unsurewhat to do with their hands. Some try toget them out of the way by putting them

in their pockets or behind their backs.Others unconsciously relieve nervoustension by performing awkward, distractingmovements. A few speakers over-gestureout ofnervousness, waving their armsand hands wi/dly.

A speaker's gestures can suggest veryprecise meaning to an audience. TheIndians ofNorth America devised asignlanguage that enabled people with entirelydifferent spoken languages to converse.Sign language has alsa made it possiblefor deaf people to communicate withoutspeaking.

The use ofgestures in communicationvaries from one culture to the next. Insame cultures, such as those ofSouthernEurope and the Middle East. people usetheir hands freely and expressively whenthey speak. In other cultures, people usegestures less frequently and in amoresubdued way.

The specific gesturewe make and themeanings we attachto them are productsof our cultural training. Just as culturesdiffer, so do the perceived meanings ofgestures. For example,nodding one's head upand down signifiesagreement or assent in Western cultures -but in same parts of India this gesturemeans the exact opposite. A commongesture used in the United States - that ofmaking a circle with the thumb and forefinger to indicate approval - is consideredan insult and an obscenity in many areasof the world.



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To be effective, aspeaker's gesturesmust be purposeful- even if they're per-formed unconsciously. They must be visibleto the audience. They must mean the samething to the audience that they mean tothe speaker. And they must reflect what'sbeing said, as well as the total personalitybehind the message... Why Gestures?All good speakers use gestures. Why?Gestures are probably the most evocativeform ofnonverbal communication aspeaker can employ. No other kind ofphysical action can enhance your speechesin as many ways as gestures. They: Clarify and support your words.

Gestures strengthen the audience'sunderstanding of your verbal message.

Dramatize your ideas. Together withwhat you say, gestures help paint vividpictures in your listeners' minds.

Lend emphasis and vitality to thespoken word. Gestures convey yourfeelings and attitudes more clearly thanwhat you say.

Help diSSipate nervous tension.Purposeful gestures are agood outletfor the neNOUS energy inherent in aspeaking situation.

Function as visual aids. Gesturesenhance audience attentiveness andretention.

Stimulate audience participation.Gestures help you indicate the responseyou seek from your listeners.

Are highly visible. Gestures providevisual support when you address alarge number of people and the entireaudience may not see your eyes.

.. Types of GesturesDespite the vast number ofmovementsthat qualify as gestures, a/l gestures canbe grouped into one of the followingmajor categories:Descriptive gestures clarify or enhance averbal message. They help the audienceunderstand comparisons and contrasts,and visualize the size, shape, movement,location, function and number ofobjects.Emphatic gestures underscore what'sbeing said. They indicate earnestness andconviction. For example, a clenched fistsuggests strong feeling, such as anger ordetermination.Suggestive gestures are symbols of ideasand emotions. They help aspeaker createadesired mood or express aparticularthought. An open palm suggests giving orreceiving, usually of an idea, while ashrugof he shoulders indicates ignorance,perplexity or irony.Prompting gestures are used to help evokea desired response from the audience. Ifyou want listeners to raise their hands,applaud or perform some specific action,you'll enhance the response by doing ityourself as an example.Gestures made above the shoulder levelsuggest physical height, inspiration oremotional exultation. Gestures made belowshoulder level indicate rejection, apathy orcondemnation. Those made at or nearshoulder level suggest calmness or serenity.

The most frequently used gesturesinvolve an open palm held outward towardthe audience. The meaning of this type of



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gesture depends on the position of the palm. Holding the palm upward implies giving or receiving, although this ges ture is sometimes used as an uncon scious movement, with no specific intended meaning. Apalm held downward can express suppression, secrecy, completion or stability. Apalm held outward toward the audience sug gests halting, repulsian, negation or abhorrence. If the palm is held perpendic ular to the speaker's body, it tends to imply measurement, limits in space or time, comparisons or contmsts. ... How to Gesture EffectivelyGestures reflect each speaker's individualpersonality. What's right for one speakerprobably won't work for you. However. thefollowing six rules apply to almost everyone who seeks to become adynamic,effective speaker.1. Respond Naturally to What

You Think. Feel and Say.When you present aspeech, younatumllyexpress yourself though gestures. No matter what our personalityor cultural background may be, everyone of us has a natural impulse topunctuate and strengthen our wordswith gestures.

The trick is not to suppress thatimpulse by retreating behind amask ofimpassiveness; this can only create abuildup of tension. At the same time,don't get gestures out ofa book orfrom another speaker. Be genuinely

and spontaneouslyyourself. If you imposeartificial gestures ontoyour natural style, youraudience will sense it andlabel you aphony.

Some people arenaturally animated, whileothers are naturally

reseNed. If you naturally use your handsfreely when you converse informally,use them freely when you give aspeech.If you're by nature a reseNed, low-keyperson, don't change your personalityjust to suit public speaking situations.

2. Create the Conditions forGesturing - Not the Gesture.Your gestures should be a natural outgrowth of your own unique thoughtsand feelings. They should arise noturallyand habitually from your attitudetoward the message you present.

When you speak, you should betotally involved in communicating -not in thinking about your hands.Your gestures need to be motivatedby the content of your presentation.By immersing yourself in your subjectmatter. you will create the conditionsthat will enable you to respond naturallywith appropriate gestures.

3. Suit the Action to theWord and the Occasion.Your visual and verbal messages mustact as partner.s in communicating thesame thought or feeling. When aspeaker fails to match gestures with words,the outcome can be wooden, artificialand sometimes comical. Every gestureyou make should be purposeful and



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reflective of your words. In this wayyour listeners will note the effect rotherthan the gesture.

Make sure the vigor and frequencyof your gestures are appropriate foryour words. Use strong, emphaticgestures only when your feeling for themessage calls for them. On occasion,you may need to adapt your gesturesto fit the size and nature of your audience. Generally speaking, the larger theaudience, the broader and slower yourgestures should be. Also keep in mindthat young audiences are usuallyattracted to aspeaker who usesvigorous gestures, but older, moreconservative groups may feel irritatedor threatened by aspeaker whosephysical actions are too powerful.

Your gestures during aspeech arealso affected by the logistics of thespeaking situation. When you speakfrom aphysically confining position,you may be restricted from using broad,sweeping gestures. A common exampleofa confining speaking position is ahead table, where people are seatedclose to the speaker.

4. Make Your Gestures Convincing.Your gestures should be lively and distinct if they're to convey the intendedimpression. Agesture performed in ahalf-hearted manner suggests that thespeaker lacks conviction and earnestness.

Every hand gesture should be atotal body movement that starts fromthe shoulder - never from the elbow.Move your entire arm outward fromyour body freely and easily. Keep yourwrists and fingers supple, rather thanstiffor tense.

Effective gestures are vigorousenough to be convincing, yet slowenough and broad enough to be clearlyvisible. Your gestures should be distinctbut not jerky, and they should neverfollow aset pattern.

5. Make Your Gestures Smoothand Well-Timed.Any single gesture has three parts:the approach, the stroke and the return.During the approach, your body beginsto move in anticipation of the gesture.The stroke is the gesture itself, and thereturn brings your body back to abalanced speaking posture.

The flow ofagesture - balance,approach, stroke, return, balance must be smoothly executed in such away that only the stroke is evident tothe audience.

Just as timing is an essential ingredient of comedy, agesture's timing is justas important as its quality. The strokemust come on the correct word neither before nor after it. However,the approach can be initiated wellbefore the stroke; in fact, you canobtain an especially pawerful effect byapproaching agesture several secandsin advance, then holding the approachuntil the exact instant of the stroke.The return simply invalves droppingyour hands smoothly to your sides-it doesn't have to be rushed.

Don't try to memorize gestures andincorporate them into aspeech. Memorizedgestures usually fail, because the speaker cues himself or herself by the wordthe gesture is designed to punctuate.This results in the gesture folia wing theword, which looks artificial and foolish.



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6. Make Natural, SpontaneousGesturing a Habit.The first step in becoming adept atgesturing is to determine what you'redoing now. Use the evaluation form onpage 23 and the help ofa fellow Toast-masters club member to find out if youhave any bad habits. If you do, strive toeliminate them from your body's spokenimage.

To improve your gestures, practicebut don't wait until the day of yourspeech! Work on enhancing yourgesturing abilities in front of friends,family members and coworkers. Relaxyour inhibitions, gesture when you feellike it, and let yourself respond naturallyto what you think, feel and say. Throughawareness and practice, you con makeappropriate gesturing apart of yourhabitual behavior.

Body MovementBody movement - changing your positionor location during aspeech - is the broad-est, most highly visible kind ofphysicolaction you, as aspeaker, can perform.Because of this, it can be either a tremen-dous as.set or a tremendous liability toyour delivery system.

When you move your entire body in acontrolled, purposeful manner during aspeech, you can benefit in three ways. Tobegin with, body movement con supportand reinforce what you say. And, ofcourse, motion will almost always attractan audience's attention. Finally, usingbody movement is the fastest, most effec-tive means ofbuming up nervous energyand relieving physical tension.AI/ of hese characteristics, however,also have the potential to work against

you. One rulefar makingbody move-ment your allyand not yourenemy is this:Never movewithouta reason.

The eyeis inevitablyattracted to amoving object,so any wholebody move-ment you make during aspeech invitesattention. Moving for a reason in leaguewith your verbal message stimulates thealertnes.s and attentivenes.s of youraudience while simultaneously enhancingwhat you say.

Watching astationary object is tedious,so you don't want to glue yourself to onespot while you speak. On the other hand,your body movement should be governedby moderotion. Too much body movement- even the right kind - con become dis-trocting to an audience. Ideally, you shouldseek amiddle ground that consists ofenough movement to keep your listeners'attention, yet not enough to divert atten-tion away from what you're saying.

Just as purposeful movements beckonfor attention, so do random movements.The body will do almost anything to riditself of tension. Inexperienced speakerscommonly perform such bady movementsas rocking, swaying and pacing withoutbeing aware of what they're doing. If pub-lic speaking makes you neNOUS and tense,try to incorporate enough purposeful bodymovement into your speeches so your



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body won't unconsciously indulge in dis-tracting mannerisms.

Another valid reason for body movementis to enhance understanding of your mes-sage. The means suggested by most types ofbody movement are less precise than thosearaused by individual gestures, but bodymovement can still be an effective visualcomplement to your spoken word.

Stepping forward during aspeechsuggests you are arriving at an importantpoint. Astep or two backward indicatesyou've concluded an idea and are willing

to let the audience relax for amomentand digest what you've just said. A lateralmovement implies a transition - thatyou're leaving one thought and takingup another.In some instances, you can use bodymovement to illustrate or dramatize aspe-cific point. For example, if you're describingaphysical action - such as throwing abaJJ, or a runner straining to break the tapeand win aclose race - you can help yourlisteners dearly visualize what you'resaying by acting out your description.


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The final reason for body movement isperhaps the simplest: Getting from oneplace to another. In almost every speakingsituation, you must walk to and from thepoint where you deliver your speech. Andif you incorporate visual aids into apresentation, you will be moving about as youuse them. The key to effective movementlies in making those movements easy,natural and smooth.

When changing your speaking positionduring aspeech, a/ways lead with the footnearest your destination. If you're going tostep to your left lead with your left foot.Never cross one foot over the other whenyou begin amovement.Facial ExpressionsA dead-pan expression may be an assetto agoad poker player, but to aspeakerit is abarrier to effective communication.

People watch aspeaker's face duringapresentation. Politeness, ofcourse, is onereason for this, but equally important is theneed to obtain visual data that will makethe speaker's message more meaningful.

Facial expression is often the key determinant of the meaning behind amessage.Here's an example. Ifa friend were to smilewarmly at you and say, "You're crazy,"would you feel insulted? Probably not; infact, you might even take it as asign ofendearment. But what if this statementwere accompanied by a contemptuoussneer? The verbal message would be thesame, but your reaction would no doubtbe drastically different

When you speak, your face communicates your attitudes, feelings and emotionsmore clearly than any other part of yourbody. According to behavioral psychologists.people can easily recognize - simply by

observing aspeaker's facial expressions -such distinct feelings as surprise, fear,happiness, confusion, disgust, interest,disbelief, anger and sadness.

To an audience, your face serves as abarometer for what's inside you. Your listeners will watch your face for clues aboutyour sincerity, your attitude toward yourmessage and your earnestness in sharingyour ideas with them.

Remove expressions that don't belongon your face. These include distractingmannerisms and unconscious expressionswhich are unconnected to your feelings.attitudes and emotions. Both types ofunwanted facial expression usually aremanifestations of nervousness.

Just as nervous speakers exhibit distracting gestures and body movements,they also may release excess energy andtension by unconsciously moving theirfacial muscles. Examples of random facialexpressions include licking or biting thelips, tightening the jaw, raising the cornersof the mouth and making twitching movements ofany part of the face.

An audience considers these expressionsas indicators ofnervousness and a ack ofconfidence, experience and preparation.Such behavior can also make an audience



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neNous and decrease its receptivity to thespeaker's verbal message.

Once you are aware that you displaydistracting facial expressions. work towardscontrolling your apprehensions about speak-ing. Thorough preparotion ond involvementin your subject motter will help you projectconfidence and control.

The key to conveying friend-liness is remembering to smile.To do so constantly is inadvis-able - you might be labeled asa lightweight, and it would beinappropriate during aseriouspresentatiOn. But by all meanssmile when it's suitable to thesituation. Show your listenersthat you are pleased to hovethe opportunity to share yourideas with them, that you areenjoying yourself, ond that youare interested in them.

No rules govern the use ofspecificexpressions. By relaxing your inhibitions andallowing yourself to respond naturally toyour thoughts, attitudes and emotions, yourfacial expressions will be appropriate and willproject sincerity, conviction and credibility.Eye ContactEach one of the categories we've justdiscussed - physical appearance, posture,gestures, body movements and facialexpressions - provide criticol nonverbolelements for your speeches. But ofter yourvoice, your eyes are your most powerfultool for communicating... Why Is Eye Contact Essential?When you speak, you involve your listenerswith your eyes, making your presentationdirect, personal and conversational. One

sure way to break the communicationbond is to fail to look at your audience.

No matter how large an audience maybe, each listener wants to feel important,to sense apersonal connection with thespeaker, and to feel that the speaker iscommunicating directly with him or her.

Public speaking,remember, is amplifiedconversation. Just asamember of asmall.informal group feelsexcluded from a con-versation if the speakerdoesn't meet his orher eyes, the people inyour audience will feelleft out ifyou fail toestoblish eye contactwith them.

In most cultures, theact of ooking some-

one directly in the eyes is asymbol ofsincerity. Failure to meet another person'sgaze when speaking implies disinterest,lack ofconfidence, insincerity or shiftiness.The same psychological associations arefound in publiC speaking. In one study,speakers who established eye contact werejudged more truthful, honest, credible,friendly and skillful than those who didnot. Only by looking at your listeners asindividuals can you convince them thatyou are sincere, that you are interested inthem and that you care whether or notthey accept your message.

When you speak, your eyes alsofunction as a control device. Simply bylooking at them, you have an influenceon your listeners' attentiveness andcancentrotion. On the other hand, if youdon't look at them, they won't look at you,



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and attentiveness to your message willsuffer. In turn, the attentiveness generatedby your effective eye contact can serve asasaurce of strength and encouragementfor you. When you see that the audience isinterested in your message, you will gainconfidence and become more comfortable.

Eye contact can also help you overcomenervousness. Fear is the most commoncause of nervousness in speaking, and fearis caused by the unknown. Eye contactmakes your audience aknown quantity.When you look at your listeners and realizethat most are interested in your message,your fear will evaporate, and your nervoustension will decrease.

Not only do your eyes send vitalmessages while you're speaking, they alsoreceive them. Effective eye contact is afeedback device that makes the speakingsituation a two-way communicationprocess. Only by looking at your listenerscan you determine how they are reacting.Are you performing well? Does the audience understand what you're saying?Are you holding the audience's attention?Is your message being accepted?

By watching the audience's reactions,you can make immediate adjustments toyour presentation. Experienced speakersconsider this visual feedback to be thebiggest benefit of eye contact. Onceyou've developed the ability to gaugeaudience reaction and tailor your wordsaccordingly, you will become a muchmore effective speaker... How to Use Your Eyes Effectively1. Know Your Material.

Being prepared - having control overyour verbal message - is aprerequisite

for establishing effective eye contactwith your audience. You should knowyour speech so well that you don'thave to devote your mental energyremembering the sequence of ideasand words. Your projection must beoutward to the audience - not inwardtoward mental turmoil.

If you can speak effectively withoutnotes, by all means do so. But if youmust use an outline or some other formofwritten reminder, go ahead - justdon't let it be asubstitute for preparation and rehearsal.

You can use your eyes effectivelywhile using notes, but this requirespractice and conscious effort. Manyexperienced speakers are highly adeptat this skill, taking advantage of suchnatural pauses as audience laughter orthe aftermath ofan important point toglance briefly at their notes. To makethis technique work, you must keepyour notes brief - a few simple wordsor symbols keyed to the sequence ofyour message. If you know your materialand are well-prepared, these cuesshould be enough to keep you oncourse and avoid losing eye contactwith your audience.

2. Establish a Bond.When you speak, you are communicatingwith agroup of individual people - notperforming before asingle unit. So making effective eye contact means morethan just passing your gaze throughoutthe room; it means focusing on individuallisteners and creating person-toperson relationships with them.How do you do this? Begin by selecting one person and talking to him or



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her personally. Hold that person's eyeslong enough to establish a visual bond- perhaps five to 10 seconds, or thetime required to say a sentence or shareone thought. Then shift your gaze toanother person.

You may have noticed the speakerwho wags his head from side to side, orslowly shifts his gaze from right to leftlike an oscillating fan. Always rememberthat although your eyes need to movefrom one person to the next, theyshould not follow any set pattern.

With an audience the size ofa typicalToastmasters club, this is relatively easyto do. But if you are addressing hundredsor thousands ofpeople, it's impossible!However, ifyou pick out one or twoindividuals in each section of the roomand establish personal bonds with them,each listener will get the impressionyou're talking to him or her directly.

3. Monitor Visual Feedback.While you deliver aspeech, your listenersare responding with their own nonverbalmessages. Use your eyes to seek outthis valuable feedback. By monitoringthese visual messages, you can gouge theoudience's reactions to what you say,then adjust your presentation accordingly.

If ndividuals in the audience are notlooking at you, they may not be listening,either. Sometimes this is because theycan't hear you. If you are not using amicrophone, speak louder and see if thatgets apositive reaction. Perhaps they arejust bored. If sa, you'll need ta regaintheir attention, perhaps by using appro-priate humor, increasing your vocalvariety, or adding some purposefulgestures or body movements.


Do your listeners look puzzled? If so,you may need to provide additionalexplanation for something you've said.Watch them os you do, and when theirfaces register understanding, move onto the next point or idea.

Are your listeners frowning at you?Remember, an audience unconsciouslymirrors the speaker. Maybe you'reunconsciously frowning at them. Smile- then see if their expressions change.The same holds true for audience mem-bers who are fidgeting nervously: Maybeyou've been engaging in adistractingphysical mannerism. On the other hand,if their faces indicate pleasure, interestand close attention, don't change athing - you're doing agreat job.

How to Make aGoodFirst ImpressionFirst impressions are critical. People meetingfor the first time form immediate judgmentsofone another that forever color theirrelationships. When you present aspeech,you'lf be judged by the people in youraudience, and the initial impression youmake on them wiff directly affect thesuccess ofyour presentation.

One of your objectives as aspeakershould be to create a visual image thatcomplements and enhances your verbalmessage. You want your listeners to likeyou, trust you and want to hear whatyou say.

As aToastmaster, you've already madeyour first impression on your fellow clubmembers. Remember, however, that yourclub is a learning workshop that preparesyou for outside speeches delivered to otheraudiences, and in the future you may bespeaking in front of business groups and in


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your community. To many of these audiences, you'll be astranger and making agood first impression will be crucial.. l Your AppearanceLike it or not, your physical appearancestrongly influences how others judge you.When you deliver aspeech, yaur appearance conveys apawerful visual messageta the audience - amessage vital to yoursuccess as a communicatar.

You can't change your age, height orfacial features, but you can enhance yourappearance thraugh praper attire, grooming and physical conditioning. This manualcannot offer detailed information on thesesubjects; styles and preferences vary greatlywith time, location and socioecanomicfactors. However. a few general commentsapply to all speakers.

Agood rule of thumb for dress is to beat least as well-dressed as the best-dressedperson in the audience. If your listenerswill be wearing suits and dresses, wearyour best suit or dress - the outfit thatbrings you the most compliments. Makesure every item af clothing is clean, welltailored and well-fitting.

Dan't wear jewelry that glitters or jingleswhen you move or gesture - it mightdivert attention away from your speech.For the same reason, empty your pocketsof bulky objects or things such as pocketchange or keys that produce audiblesounds when you move.

Audiences like speakers whoreflect good health and physicalvitality. Research has shown thatan audience associates aspeaker'swell-being with the soundness ofhis or her verbal messages. So watchyour diet and exercise regular/y.

. l Before You SpeakPart of your first impression is made beforeyou are introduced to begin your speech.As the audience is arriving, your preparations should be concluded - you shouldnot have to study your speech. Instead,mingle with the audience, and project thesame friendly, canfident attitude that willmake your speech asuccess.

When the meeting or pragram begins,be attentive and courteous. If you arenervous, breathe slowly and deeply. Onespeaker recommends performing isometrics.These unobtrusive exercise movements gounnoticed by others and are useful inhelping to dissipate nervous tension.. l "[he First MinuteWhen you speak, especially if you are notwell-known to the audience, the mostcrucial part of your presentation is thefirst minute. During those few seconds,the people in the audience will be makingcritical judgments about you. They willdecide if you're confident, sincere, friendly,eager to address them and worthy of theirattention. And to a arge degree, they willbase this decision on what they see.

After your intraduction, walk purposefully and confidently to the speakingposition. Balance your body as you assumeyour speaking pasture. Achieve an immediate connection with the audience by

combining directeye contact witha warm smile.Keep yourmovements andgestures to aminimum duringthe first fewmoments of



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your speech - let the audience first get well as developing astronger sense of eyeaccustomed to you. contact. For others, it means modulating

those very same attributes.Thumbs Up On Gestures! Whatever your vocal strengths andAs speakers, we need to remember that speaking skills, your obility to visually com-much ofour message is not just in our municate your ideas through gestures andwords, but also in our visual presentation. other forms of body expression willFor some ofus, this means enlarging upon enhance not just your presentation, butour gestures and facial expressiveness as your overall effectiveness as aspeaker.

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Evaluating Your Body's Spoken Image CATEGORY RATING CATEGORY

POSTURENervous/uneasyUncertainUncomfortableSlouchingStiff

GESTURESArtificial/woodenRandomPassiveFurtiveVagueDetracted from

verbal message

BODY MOVEMENTSLifeless/dullAwkwardRandomDrew attention away

from speech

FACIAL EXPRESSIONSDeadpan Unfriendly Artificial Incongruent

EYE CONTACTForced/artificialFollowed set patternDid not establishvisual bonds

1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

POSTUREPoised Confident Comfortable Erect Relaxed

GESTURESNatu ral/spon taneousMeaningfulLivelyExpansivePreciseEnhanced verbal

message

BODY MOVEMENTSFluid/animatedGracefulPurposefulEnhanced attentiveness

to speech

FACIAL EXPRESSIONSAnimatedFriendlyNatural/genuineAppropriate to speech

content

EYE CONTACTNatural/smooth No set pattern Established bonds with listeners

COMMENTS/ RECOMMENDED ACTION



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