Ready to up your presentation skills? One of the areas that nearly everyone struggles with is how to move naturally and effectively while speaking. If you can master this skill and move with purpose, you will dramatically improve your connection with your audience and set yourself apart as a presenter.
Tip 1: Know the Space Beforehand
You need to understand where you will be speaking in advance. Will it be on a large stage? A small room? Will there be a podium? Will you have a microphone that you can move around with, or will you need to be in one place? These are the types of questions you should ask whomever invited you to speak. If possible, stop by and see the space the day before. Mentally identify where your main “zone” will be where you’ll be able to move.
Tip 2: Map Out Your Movements
I’m not implying you need to be a dancer here. But, what I am saying is that you probably spent a great deal of time thinking about the content of your talk — practicing what you’ll say and building the slides you’ll show (if you’re using any). So, take just 10 minutes and think through when it makes sense to move. Few people do this so you’ll instantly be ahead of the curve.
When starting out, my general rule of thumb is to move when you make a key point, something that you really want the audience to remember. Make it natural but let your excitement for whatever that topic is come through. Use hand gestures. Once you master this, you can try other things. The key in this step is to figure out where your key points are in your talk and connect those to some type of movement for emphasis.
Tip 3: Take a Power Stance During Questions
For some people, answering questions during or after you speak can be one of the most intimidating aspects of presenting. Make sure you practice a power stance — with your legs slightly spread apart, standing straight and making eye contact with your audience — when you’re answering a question. People will remember your confidence by how you stand when you respond and you’ll further establish your credibility as the expert on the topic.
And Then, What Not to Do
There is nothing more distracting to an audience than someone who weaves back and forth or side to side throughout a speech. It usually happens when the presenter has nervous energy and the audience picks up on it. If this is you, it won’t go away overnight. Chip away at it each time you practice and focus on your deliberate movements on key points.
The reverse is also true. Have you ever had someone stand so still during a speech that it distracted you? This is why people sometimes struggle with podiums — it can be a crutch to hide behind. But, even if you’re at a podium and need to speak into a stationary mic, you can still move. Use your hands more. Be more deliberate in turning to look at different individuals in the audience.
Parting Thought
The key in all of this is to make it natural to you. Take a look at a video of you at a family gathering. How do you move when talking to someone — with your hands? With your whole body? When we’re at our most comfortable, we figure out what our strengths are and can lean on those for our business presentations.
No matter how you do it, make sure you incorporate deliberate movement into your next presentation to take it to the next level.
Looking for more tips to rock the podium? Get my FREE guide: 5 Tips to Dramatically Improve Your Presentations.
