Business Review Today Team
According to Deborah Bull, “Body Language is a very powerful tool. We had body language before we had speech, and apparently, 80% of what you understand in a conversation is read through the body, not the words.”
Body language is that means of communication which sends messages that are stronger than your words. Don’t you think for an entrepreneur, his brand is equal to him and his ideas? A million dollar idea even fails if it isn’t showcased properly.
Every entrepreneur is known for his passion towards his ideas. You wouldn’t know but your body language can portray most of this.
Any other person can bring up an idea tomorrow and call himself an entrepreneur. But attitude is what keeps the real entrepreneur aside of the crowd and this person runs the show.
As it’s always said, the first impression is the last impression. Your audience can consist of maybe 2, 10,100 or 1000s of people but leaving an everlasting impression is the deal. Get more tips on improving body language
- MAKE EYE CONTACT
One thing that every person should do while striking a conversation is making an eye contact. The absence of this ingredient shall make you look less believable and less confident. When you maintain an eye contact, the chances of your audience diverting and not listening to your ideas decrease tremendously. But maintaining an eye contact should not be misunderstood with staring. If the listener feels you are staring at them, they might get conscious and subsequently feel uncomfortable. To avoid such awkward situations, it is said that the ideal time of making an eye contact with each listener should not be more than 5 seconds.
- CONTROL YOUR FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
Nothing is better than having a lovely audience who listens to you and responds to your ideas. But every day might not be a lucky day. You might experience an audience who’s not listening to your views or face an unexpected awkward situation. Well not to forget all eyes are on you. Your one bad or negative facial expression might change the entire game for you. Having that patience and smile on your face even if the situation is not what you expected is extremely important to create a positive impression among your audience.
- SMILE
Seeing a happy smiling face is better than seeing an expressionless face. But smiling continuously might look weird and the audience might not like it. On the other hand, not smiling at all shall make you look less confident, dull and unattractive. So to break this ice you should smile at the beginning of your speech or when you meet someone. You should even smile back when the other person is smiling and whenever it suits your conversation. But smiling without a reason and passing a fake smile is definitely a big no. If you handle this small trick properly, a major part of your body language is under your control.
- WATCH YOUR AUDIENCE
What most speakers and entrepreneurs miss while talking and presenting is watching their audience. Watching your audience means knowing whether your audience is interested or whether they are understanding. If you have a continuous watch on your audience you will be able to understand the speed at which you should speak, whether you are going in the right direction or not. This is because no two audiences are same. The entrepreneur who manages all his audience perfectly is the master of all.
- CORRECT POSTURE
A correct body posture is one we cannot miss. Your body posture defines you, it conveys a message. A good and straight posture shows that you are confident and have leadership qualities. A bent shoulder and knee portray a lack of confidence, interest and probably low self-esteem. When you slouch to a side it indicates that you are not interested. In order to avoid conveying wrong messages to your audience, keeping a check on your posture is extremely important.
- HAND MOVEMENTS
First of all, crossed or closed arms portrays closed attitude and less confidence. It is said that when you mention an important point, you must portray it through the movement of your hands. Most psychologists believe that hand gestures are important not only from a speaker’s aspect but also from a listener’s aspect. Gesturing sends enthusiasm and energy among your audience. But not to forget, excessive movement of hands can distract your audience or they might feel irritated. So maintaining a balance between the two is of extreme importance.
- PROXEMICS
Proxemics is usually defined as the science of personal space. Personal space of any person is the area surrounding them, which they consider as an extension of their body. Personal space is not a fixed component. It changes from person to person and is often the function of one’s culture. In his book, “The Hidden Dimension”, Edward T. Hall has clearly defined intimate space, personal space, social distance and public space. According to him, intimate space is eighteen inches or closer. Personal space, from the body of the individual, is the area between eighteen inches to four feet. Social distance is from four feet to twelve feet. Public space is any area beyond twelve feet. If while attending your audience, you cross their personal space it shall turn out to be an awkward situation. For the conversation to be carried on smoothly, it’s essential that both the speaker and the listener feels respected and not physically intimate.
- BODY MOVEMENT
When you move from one foot to another or lean on the podium or desk while addressing your audience is exactly what you should not do. All of these reflect restlessness and a low level of confidence. Such kind of postures easily draws a negative attention of the audience. It is advised not to lean your shoulders or bend while speaking. Your back should be straight and shoulders should be upright. Added to this one should also move left to right or right to left (depending on the situation). A movement less body makes it monotonous and boring for the audience.
- OPENNESS AND CONFIDENCE
Openness is one body language and attitude a person develops with experience. Some people although make an eye contact, have a correct movement of their hands and body but still portray a closed attitude and body language. This is mainly due to fear or nervousness. All of the above points shall fail if you lack confidence. Confidence should not only be portrayed through your words but also through your nonverbal-movements (body language). You can also learn about the Leadership Qualities
- SHOW ENTHUSIASM
A dull and apathetic attitude makes the audience inactive. It is very important to be enthusiastic while speaking. From being enthusiastic, it means being lively all time and not dropping your energy level. Your enthusiasm would actually show how passionate you are about your work. It may happen that the seminar or conversation continues for a long time and it becomes boring for your audience. At such times an enthusiastic attitude may draw their attention towards you. But if you are low on energy the entire conversation will turn to be really dull, boring, and meaningless.
- DON’T FIDGET
Fidgeting means moving constantly and it actually projects nervousness and unpreparedness. Leil Lowndes, a communication expert, and motivational speaker said, “Whenever your conversation really counts, let your nose itch, your ear tingle, or your foot prickle. Do not fidget, twitch, wiggle, squirm, or scratch.” It is said that you fidget when you are nervous or you have a stage fear. You can control fidgeting by moving around and using hand movements while speaking.
- NEVER SHOW YOUR BACK
It is mostly said that while speaking, you should never show your back to the audience. It is considered to be manner less and disrespectful. However, there are exceptions like if the situation demands and you have no option but to show your back.
- VOICE
Voice is a physical thing of your body, hence it is counted as the body language of any individual. Well if people aren’t able to hear what you are saying all the above point would stand meaningless. Voice is considered as one of the most flexible components during communication. And it is extremely important to have a check on this component while you are speaking to anyone and everyone. Your voice actually shows how confident you are and how much you believe in your ideas and the weapon to this is having a proper voice modulation. If you speak in a high pitch it’s like a noise and if you speak in a low pitch you are inaudible. So decide your pitch accordingly depending on whether you have a microphone or not. Speak slowly and do pause in between. It actually breaks the monotonous tone. Added to this stressing on important words and grabbing your audience’s attention is actually cherry on the cake.
- BREATHE
Many people don’t realize the importance of proper breathing while speaking. If you don’t breathe properly your voice modulations may change and you may start feeling dizzy. Even before you start, you should breathe deeply. It even reduces nervousness. If you don’t breathe properly in between your voice shall lose its richness and fullness.
- RELAX
Last but not the least, there are times when you should just RELAX! There is a time when people nag without any reason. Put up questions that are nowhere relevant. Instead of reacting the best way is just to sit back and relax. Every situation doesn’t deserve your reaction.
Hope you enjoyed reading the article and it was fruitful for you. Please comment for your feedback and let us all know if you have more tips to improve body language.
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