Controlling Body Movements

In addition to eye behavior, facial expressions, and gestures, your audience can’t help but notice your body. In most speaking situations you encounter, the best way to highlight your speech content is to restrict your body movements so that the audience can focus on your words. Consider, for example, your posture, or the position of your arms and legs and how you carry your body. Generally, when a speaker slumps forward or leans on a podium or desk, rocks back and forth, or paces forward and backward, the audience perceives the speaker as unpolished and listeners’ attention shifts from the message to the speaker’s body movements.

How do you prevent such movements from happening, particularly if you’re someone who fidgets when nervous? One useful technique is called planting. Stand with your legs apart at a distance that is equal to your shoulders. Bend your knees slightly so that they do not lock. From this position, you are able to gesture freely, and when you are ready to move, you can take a few steps, replant, and continue speaking. The key is to plant following every movement that you make.