If you prefer video content over text, I explain this material with fun, musical examples in my YouTube video.
Great speakers are articulate with their words.
But perhaps even more importantly, they are articulate with their body language.
In this article, I break down how body language can enhance our words and clarify often complex ideas:
What Not To Do
Consider your experience reading the sentence below. Does it capture your attention, or leave you bored?
If you open your refrigerator…
Picture this: what’s on the big shelf in front of you?
Juice, milk, takeout.
It’s ok … a bit dry. Like eating food without taste buds. Yes, you’re consuming calories and nutrition (i.e. information). But it doesn’t give you joy.
What To Do
Now, consider your experience reading the same text, with pictures:
If you open your refrigerator…
Picture this: what’s on the big shelf in front of you?
Juice, milk, takeout.
The pictures helped the words come to life.
But problem: we don’t often have prepared slides and pictures like these when talking on the fly.
That’s where body language comes into play…
Check out how Laszlo Bock, bestselling author of “Work Rules!: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead” delivers the same information:
Laszlo uses his hands to paint pictures of the scene. And those gestures have a unique visual effect: because Laszlo is indicating objects that aren’t actually there, you fill in the blanks with your imagination:
- When Laszlo uses his hands to visualize a refrigerator, you imagine a refrigerator (perhaps your refrigerator at home).
- When he visualizes the items inside, you imagine those items (perhaps items you recently bought from the grocery store).
The scene becomes more real and meaningful to you because you made it your own.
Summary
Your mouth shouldn’t be doing all the talking. Let your hands “speak” too. Let them paint pictures and support your delivery, fully immersing your audience in the content you’re sharing.
If you’re looking for further guidance on how to differentiate your communication skills and stand out in the workplace, take my free self-assessment.
I’m writing a book on thinking quickly, speaking clearly, presenting convincingly, and supercharging your executive presence. My current focus: a section on how to organize your thinking. This will be a deep-dive into cultivating your mind to easily recall all the knowledge in your long-term memory.
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