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?
;
Spoke this morning in Denver. AI-era Communications Tip 9: AI makes you a great (but generic) writer. Being generic calls into question your authenticity & reduces trust. Start injecting personalized & specific content into anything you "write" with AI.
Spoke this morning in Asheville, North Carolina to Georgia construction executives. Public Relations tip 17: Reporters love to localize national news stories. Tie your organization to one that's trending.
Spoke this morning at the Florida Realtor Convention in Orlando. Presenting tip 14: Nervous? Don't make direct eye contact, but look at foreheads, shoulders, the back wall, etc. It's people that make you nervous. Don't look at them, but make it look like you're looking at them!
Speaking this week in Florida and North Carolina. Communications Tip 172: Record and transcribe your presentations, sales calls, conversations, etc. Load transcriptions into a generative AI model and make magic happen. If you're not using AI daily, you're behind.
Gave opening keynote this morning in Chattanooga. Crisis comms tip 11: By the time you hear the thunder, it's too late to build the ark. Prepare now! Get a crisis comm plan, build a shadow website, collect contact info, write buy-time statements and much more!