Instructor Certification Programs
"You are the most important visual aid when you get in front of an audience or a prospect, to give a presentation," says Ryan Vener, vice president of Written Inc., a personality reporting company based in Southern California. "What you say with your body language has more to do with the success of the presentation than any chart, graph, or slide. Learning how to use your body language in front of the group will help you persuade and appear credible. And learning to read the body language of your audience members will help you adjust your presentation, ask the right questions, and make the greatest impact possible."
One of the most important aspects of body language is maintaining eye contact with the audience to build rapport, says Vener. "Studies have shown that the more you maintain eye contact, the more the audience will feel you are knowledgeable, trustworthy, sincere, friendly, and persuasive," he says. "To keep everyone engaged and on their toes, randomly look into the eyes of those in your audience. Individual members of the audience or the prospects sitting across from you, need to feel that you're giving the presentation for them; not just talking to the group as a whole."
Almost as important as eye contact is the way you move your body and the gestures you make. Vener suggests using slow hand gestures that move in harmony with your words, like you're conducting a symphony. He also advises holding out your hands with your palms down when presenting facts. "This gesture conveys certainty and assurance," says Vener and adds that delivering facts with your palms up can make you look uncertain and your message will seem confusing.
When using visual aids, Vener recommends maintaining eye contact with the audience instead of speaking to your visual aids. "If you read from your visual aids, your audience will begin to lose focus and their attention will move away from you," says Vener. "Visual aids, such as slides and note cards, should only be used to jog your memory."
You can also read the prospect or audience members' body language for clues on how they feel about your presentation.
For example, Vener says that steepling, a hand gesture where the fingertips touch but the palms are separated, often indicates that the audience member has made up his or her mind, either for or against you. "If the prospect makes a steepling gesture after making several positive gestures, such as leaning forward with hands on knees or on the table, it's likely they have made up their mind in your favor," says Vener. "If the steepling occurs after a series of negative gestures – arms folded, legs crossed, looking away, or hand to face gestures – the prospect may have decided not to move forward based on what they've heard so far."
Another negative gesture Vener says to look for is picking lint or imaginary fluff off clothing. "This is an indication of disagreement but the prospect does not want to argue," says Vener. "It's important to engage this audience member while he or she is in front of the group. Otherwise, they'll possibly kill the deal after you've left.
"A prospect who disagrees with what you're saying will also purse their lips," says Vener. "It's as if they are holding back from saying something until they have thought their response through."
Some other ways a prospect may show disagreement or uncertainty is by crossing his or her arms tightly and leaning back in the chair, or by scratching their neck with their index finger, below the ear while the neck is slightly tilted. Generally speaking, a strong visible clue to either a prospect disagreeing with you or lying to you is when they touch any part of their face.
Good information to keep in mind ANYTIME you are talking business or working with a client/customer/associate.
Thanks for reading…
One of the most important aspects of body language is maintaining eye contact with the audience to build rapport, says Vener. "Studies have shown that the more you maintain eye contact, the more the audience will feel you are knowledgeable, trustworthy, sincere, friendly, and persuasive," he says. "To keep everyone engaged and on their toes, randomly look into the eyes of those in your audience. Individual members of the audience or the prospects sitting across from you, need to feel that you're giving the presentation for them; not just talking to the group as a whole."
Almost as important as eye contact is the way you move your body and the gestures you make. Vener suggests using slow hand gestures that move in harmony with your words, like you're conducting a symphony. He also advises holding out your hands with your palms down when presenting facts. "This gesture conveys certainty and assurance," says Vener and adds that delivering facts with your palms up can make you look uncertain and your message will seem confusing.
When using visual aids, Vener recommends maintaining eye contact with the audience instead of speaking to your visual aids. "If you read from your visual aids, your audience will begin to lose focus and their attention will move away from you," says Vener. "Visual aids, such as slides and note cards, should only be used to jog your memory."
You can also read the prospect or audience members' body language for clues on how they feel about your presentation.
For example, Vener says that steepling, a hand gesture where the fingertips touch but the palms are separated, often indicates that the audience member has made up his or her mind, either for or against you. "If the prospect makes a steepling gesture after making several positive gestures, such as leaning forward with hands on knees or on the table, it's likely they have made up their mind in your favor," says Vener. "If the steepling occurs after a series of negative gestures – arms folded, legs crossed, looking away, or hand to face gestures – the prospect may have decided not to move forward based on what they've heard so far."
Another negative gesture Vener says to look for is picking lint or imaginary fluff off clothing. "This is an indication of disagreement but the prospect does not want to argue," says Vener. "It's important to engage this audience member while he or she is in front of the group. Otherwise, they'll possibly kill the deal after you've left.
"A prospect who disagrees with what you're saying will also purse their lips," says Vener. "It's as if they are holding back from saying something until they have thought their response through."
Some other ways a prospect may show disagreement or uncertainty is by crossing his or her arms tightly and leaning back in the chair, or by scratching their neck with their index finger, below the ear while the neck is slightly tilted. Generally speaking, a strong visible clue to either a prospect disagreeing with you or lying to you is when they touch any part of their face.
Good information to keep in mind ANYTIME you are talking business or working with a client/customer/associate.
Thanks for reading…
