
Better Body Language
What is your body language saying about you?
Professional actors are finely tuned to their emotions, enabling them to speak with the movement of a hand. An effective spokesperson also makes use of body movements to convey appropriate emotion.
The following gestures and expressions are considered positive and convey personal interest and self-confidence:
- Look people in the eye;
- Lean slightly forward, if seated;
- Make hand movements that occur naturally as a supplement to what you are saying;
- Listen intently to anyone who asks a question;
- Listen to what other people have to say.
The following gestures and expressions tend to be negative and convey tension and nervousness:
- Inappropriate smiling, laughter;
- Tightly clasped hands;
- Hands gripping sides of chairs, tables, knees;
- Hands toying with pencils, water glasses, buttons, microphones;
- Drumming on the tabletop;
- Tightening and loosening of jaw;
- A ramrod straight, unnatural posture.
These movements convey impatience and discomfort:
- Swinging legs;
- Shifting in chair;
- Shifting eyes.
These movements convey guilt and disinterest:
- Casting eyes toward ceiling;
- Failure to look at the audience;
- Slouching posture;
- Closing eyes.
Where in the World is Anthony?
Speaking tomorrow in West Virginia...Communications tip 62: A preemptive strike is often the best move to stay ahead of negative news. Don't let others control the message.
Worked all day near Honolulu with a Hawaii and Washington-based contractor. Crisis tip 17: Don't do news interviews directly in front of the crisis scene. The news media want to show you in front of the "trainwreck." Resist!
Spoke all day today on Maui, Hawaii. Sales Tip 19: Keep Q&A responses 30-45 seconds long. Too long of a response waters down key points. Prioritize!
Speaking in Hawaii this week. Q&A tip 68: Avoid the "deer in the headlights" look with a "throwaway" line, a 5-second, perfectly memorized, meaningless phrase that comes spewing out of your mouth to buy you some think time
Speaking in Ohio the next two days. Public Relations tip 21: Not quickly returning news media calls a top PR blunder. Don't miss the opportunity.