When we engage in any activity in life, be it work, sport or rest; having an appropriate posture is important. It makes a big difference for the success of your activity, and it’s good for your body (both short-term and long-term). This begs the question, what is the ideal posture for the public speaker?
In this article we will discover how to find the ideal speaking stance for all kinds of situations; giving a wedding speech, delivering a technical presentation in the workplace, lecturing to students, being interviewed for a job… whatever.
Some speaking scenarios may require you to sit, stand, use props and visual aids, or even appear on video. You may be free to move around a large stage, or you could find yourself stuck behind a podium. In all circumstances, there is one over-riding guideline that guarantees the best (and healthiest) posture: adopt a stance that conveys emotional empowerment. In other words, show (with your body) that you feel empowered (e.g. confident, relaxed, energised and/or passionate). This inevitably puts your audience at ease. It helps them to feel that they are in good hands.
I make it sound easy, don’t I? All my life I have struggled with posture. I like to slouch; something I picked up from my teenage years, no doubt. Teenagers are known to go through frequent bouts of apathy (or boredom). This affects their posture in a negative way, because boredom is not an emotionally empowered state. Rather the opposite; apathy is a state of disengagement, or disconnection. Negative postures can become habits that are hard to break.
It took the world of public speaking to help me break through my inner-slouch, though it still likes to assert itself from time to time. Given the chance, I love to slide into a soft couch, until my head is halfway down the back with my legs sticking out. If I am sitting on a wooden chair, I’m tempted to lift the front and angle the chair back, as if to turn it into a deck chair. It’s a delicate process; swing the chair back too far, and I could end up on the floor.
Since I became a public speaker, I’ve become more mindful of how I carry myself. I also discovered a hard and fast rule: your posture telegraphs your emotional state. Moreover, your level of confidence (and self-esteem) will tend to affect your stance, whether you are standing, sitting or sleeping. As I’m sure you’re aware, portraying confidence is important in public speaking.
The first tip I learned, was to become “grounded”. You can do this by becoming aware of your breathing. In our blog article entitled “Calm Your Wobbly Voice” I discuss how to breathe in a way that ensures you are grounded. To recap, simply breathe from behind your belly. Imagine there is a balloon behind your belly button. Every time your inhale the balloon inflates. Every time your exhale, the balloon deflates. Next, make sure both feet are firmly and evenly planted on the floor. Give each foot equal weight from your body.
Next, ensure your spine is straight. Keep your shoulders up; and relax. Whether you are sitting or standing, these tips work wonders. You will automatically portray confidence. Don’t forget to relax into it, however. You are not in the army! If you are standing, also make sure your feet are in line with your shoulders. In other words, don’t keep your feet too close together. I repeat, you are not in the army!
I have not discussed movement yet, or how to act when you are stuck behind a podium (the next blog article will cover this). However, I do want to leave you with one important insight that will motivate you in your quest to perfect an empowered posture. And I will share one final tip if you are having trouble practicing.
In Amy Cuddy’s remarkable TED Speech “Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are”, Amy shares an important discovery around the idea of adopting an empowered posture. It is well known that your emotional state affects your posture. Just look at how a depressed person carries him/herself; slumped shoulders, hunched back, etc. Similarly, an angry person may stiffen up (no relaxation here!). Amazingly, as Amy Cuddy shows us, the process works the other way around. Your body language affects your emotional state!
For example, if someone you know suffers from depression, one way you can help them out of it, is to get them to adopt an empowered stance; straight spine, shoulders up, palms out (perhaps like Jesus would). You can also ask them to smile. A fake smile will suffice. Of course, it will be difficult to persuade them to do all this, but if they can keep an empowered posture going for at least ten minutes, their depressive state should diminish and evaporate (at least temporarily).
As Amy Cuddy mentions, empowered postures can change the hormonal balance of your body. The level of cortisol, the hormone associated with stress, decreases in your blood stream. Testosterone, the hormone associated with confidence (in men and women), increases. By adopting an empowered posture, you can lift your emotional state within two minutes. Check out Amy’s speech for different examples of so-called “power poses”.
One final tip. Right now, just for fun, choose your favourite public speaker. It doesn’t matter who it is; a politician, stand-up comedian… whoever. Watch how they stand (and sit). Check out a YouTube video to help you. Now stand up and adopt the same posture. In other words, show the world how Barack Obama (or whoever your chose) carries him or herself. When you’ve nailed it, ask yourself: can adopt this stance for myself? In fact, I would challenge you – why don’t you carry yourself with confidence? After all, it’s your body, your choice.
To recap: if you find yourself slouching, quivering or otherwise not quite where you want to be during a presentation, adopt the stance of your favourite speaker. It’s a short cut to achieving the straight spine / shoulders up / grounded techniques. It will make you feel good, and as I like to remind my students… if you feel good, you are much more likely to deliver an effective presentation!
In this article we will discover how to find the ideal speaking stance for all kinds of situations; giving a wedding speech, delivering a technical presentation in the workplace, lecturing to students, being interviewed for a job… whatever.
Some speaking scenarios may require you to sit, stand, use props and visual aids, or even appear on video. You may be free to move around a large stage, or you could find yourself stuck behind a podium. In all circumstances, there is one over-riding guideline that guarantees the best (and healthiest) posture: adopt a stance that conveys emotional empowerment. In other words, show (with your body) that you feel empowered (e.g. confident, relaxed, energised and/or passionate). This inevitably puts your audience at ease. It helps them to feel that they are in good hands.
I make it sound easy, don’t I? All my life I have struggled with posture. I like to slouch; something I picked up from my teenage years, no doubt. Teenagers are known to go through frequent bouts of apathy (or boredom). This affects their posture in a negative way, because boredom is not an emotionally empowered state. Rather the opposite; apathy is a state of disengagement, or disconnection. Negative postures can become habits that are hard to break.
It took the world of public speaking to help me break through my inner-slouch, though it still likes to assert itself from time to time. Given the chance, I love to slide into a soft couch, until my head is halfway down the back with my legs sticking out. If I am sitting on a wooden chair, I’m tempted to lift the front and angle the chair back, as if to turn it into a deck chair. It’s a delicate process; swing the chair back too far, and I could end up on the floor.
Since I became a public speaker, I’ve become more mindful of how I carry myself. I also discovered a hard and fast rule: your posture telegraphs your emotional state. Moreover, your level of confidence (and self-esteem) will tend to affect your stance, whether you are standing, sitting or sleeping. As I’m sure you’re aware, portraying confidence is important in public speaking.
The first tip I learned, was to become “grounded”. You can do this by becoming aware of your breathing. In our blog article entitled “Calm Your Wobbly Voice” I discuss how to breathe in a way that ensures you are grounded. To recap, simply breathe from behind your belly. Imagine there is a balloon behind your belly button. Every time your inhale the balloon inflates. Every time your exhale, the balloon deflates. Next, make sure both feet are firmly and evenly planted on the floor. Give each foot equal weight from your body.
Next, ensure your spine is straight. Keep your shoulders up; and relax. Whether you are sitting or standing, these tips work wonders. You will automatically portray confidence. Don’t forget to relax into it, however. You are not in the army! If you are standing, also make sure your feet are in line with your shoulders. In other words, don’t keep your feet too close together. I repeat, you are not in the army!
I have not discussed movement yet, or how to act when you are stuck behind a podium (the next blog article will cover this). However, I do want to leave you with one important insight that will motivate you in your quest to perfect an empowered posture. And I will share one final tip if you are having trouble practicing.
In Amy Cuddy’s remarkable TED Speech “Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are”, Amy shares an important discovery around the idea of adopting an empowered posture. It is well known that your emotional state affects your posture. Just look at how a depressed person carries him/herself; slumped shoulders, hunched back, etc. Similarly, an angry person may stiffen up (no relaxation here!). Amazingly, as Amy Cuddy shows us, the process works the other way around. Your body language affects your emotional state!
For example, if someone you know suffers from depression, one way you can help them out of it, is to get them to adopt an empowered stance; straight spine, shoulders up, palms out (perhaps like Jesus would). You can also ask them to smile. A fake smile will suffice. Of course, it will be difficult to persuade them to do all this, but if they can keep an empowered posture going for at least ten minutes, their depressive state should diminish and evaporate (at least temporarily).
As Amy Cuddy mentions, empowered postures can change the hormonal balance of your body. The level of cortisol, the hormone associated with stress, decreases in your blood stream. Testosterone, the hormone associated with confidence (in men and women), increases. By adopting an empowered posture, you can lift your emotional state within two minutes. Check out Amy’s speech for different examples of so-called “power poses”.
One final tip. Right now, just for fun, choose your favourite public speaker. It doesn’t matter who it is; a politician, stand-up comedian… whoever. Watch how they stand (and sit). Check out a YouTube video to help you. Now stand up and adopt the same posture. In other words, show the world how Barack Obama (or whoever your chose) carries him or herself. When you’ve nailed it, ask yourself: can adopt this stance for myself? In fact, I would challenge you – why don’t you carry yourself with confidence? After all, it’s your body, your choice.
To recap: if you find yourself slouching, quivering or otherwise not quite where you want to be during a presentation, adopt the stance of your favourite speaker. It’s a short cut to achieving the straight spine / shoulders up / grounded techniques. It will make you feel good, and as I like to remind my students… if you feel good, you are much more likely to deliver an effective presentation!
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