Body Language and Public Speaking

“The body never lies and the body never keeps quiet”, Ancient Chinese proverb.

Body language constitutes 55 per cent of any communication with 7 per cent towards verbal and the rest 38 per cent towards voice modulation. Body language constitutes the major portion of any communication. It is the blend of both body animation and facial animation. For becoming a successful public speaker it is essential to concentrate a lot on this aspect. The audience mostly observes the body language as it alone gets registered quickly in the human subconscious mind. Even if the oral language is not clear to the audience, the body language helps them understand the message.

Research reveals that human beings tell many lies orally but the body gestures never signal wrong. Any misalignment between the both leads to communication gap or miscommunication. For instance, if an authoritarian leader says that he believes in participative or consensus style of functioning by thumping the table aggressively, it reflects that he still believes in dictatorial or authoritative attitude although orally he may have said as a democratic leader.

There are several Do’s and Don’ts in body language and observing and adopting the same will lead to successful public speaking. Pointing finger at others during public speaking sounds negative and sends wrong signals to the audience. Open palm is an indication of integrity and open mindedness and it mostly impresses the audience.

There has to be effective synchronization and coordination between both oral and body language for an effective public speaking. Practice is essential to bring out the necessary behavioral changes. Observing the speeches of great speakers and their audio programs will help in improving body language. You can videotape your own speech and improve your body language by taking feedback. You can also deliver presentation in the presence of a group of friends or family members and take feedback for improvement.

Most of the successful leaders across the world are basically good at public speaking. The charisma is created out of effective public speaking.
Despite lack of several skills, the skill of public speaking tips the scale towards success for any leader. People who crave for becoming successful leaders should first learn to speak and impress their audience well. Therefore, public speaking is one of the key skills for becoming a successful leader. And positive body language helps in this regard.


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