How to Read Body Language [Kindle Edition]
Nick Morgan
Every communication is two conversations, content and body language. And body language is often more revealing and truthful than content, especially in divulging what other people are really thinking. But how do you follow that second conversation? If you try to monitor it consciously, you rapidly become overwhelmed with ambiguous information. Did that twitch of the eye mean something significant, or was it just a twitch? In this brief eBook, author Nick Morgan shows you how to keep track of both conversations.
Researchers who study how babies acquire language have demonstrated that babies begin learning very early which sounds are relevant to the language that surrounds them. Babies learn so early to categorize sounds, in fact, that infants being raised as bilingual can even differentiate between the sounds of two languages they have never before heard.
One theory of how babies recognize a sound as belonging to one language or another is that they are using not only their ears but their eyes to understand language. They pay attention to visual cues, to the movement of the face, especially the lips, as a person speaks.
The idea that visual information affects speech perception is not new and is probably something you’ve noticed. Watching a dubbed film, for example, presents a problem to most viewers at first because they cannot reconcile the sounds they are hearing with the shapes of the mouths speaking the film’s original language. Such incongruity makes words hard to understand. About 35 years ago, in fact, researchers Harry McGurk and John McDonald demonstrated that humans use both visual and auditory information in speech perception. For most of us, vision triumphs; what we see can alter what we hear.
It’s called the McGurk effect.
SPEAKING UP
What does the McGurk effect mean to you as a presenter? => http://bit.ly/kTRboF
When you first begin to prepare your presentation, you defined an image that you wanted to present. “What do I want them to remember of me?”
Who are you? How will you be remembered after this presentation?
Everything the audience sees needs to reinforce that image – clothes, facial expression, stance and gesture.
At its most basic this means projecting confidence and sincerity. Unless you decide otherwise, the audience needs to know that you are comfortable with your message and that you believe in it.
If you are also using this presentation to present yourself as the face of your business, or as a candidate for a position, then take that into account as well. You need to be seen as trustworthy, competent, at ease with your material.
From some old notes of mine – old yes, but still very relevant!!
From Barksblog
I caught part of C-SPAN’s Washington Journal this morning while on the exercise bike at the gym. As usual, the sound was muted and the closed caption was on.
As a result, I couldn’t hear the guests, one of whom was Rich Lowry, editor of the National Review. Watching video with no sound is a great way to assess body language. I ask myself, is this someone I would listen to? In Lowry’s case, the answer was yes.
He appeared engaged and engaging. And there was one particular eye movement he has evidently mastered that takes much practice for most people (TV news anchors included). When he referenced his notes, he did not lower his head. Rather, he cast only his eyes down, and then only briefly. This gives the illusion of not breaking eye contact since the full face is still visible to viewers.
Try it, It is a subtle move, but nonetheless not easy to execute. But if you spend any amount of time on television, it is a tactic worth placing in your arsenal.
How you walk during a presentation can be used as a powerful support fro your message.
If you are a passionate speaker who simply cannot stand still, then generally, this will support the passion of your message. Walking can certainly give the impression of enthusiasm and energy. Try to use standing still to give the same sort of impact that a pause in the middle of rapid speech would give.
If you choose to move or change position just to provide relief because you think your speech is boring; be careful. It may be that your movement will have more impact than your message. Timing can help. Change position with a new idea or with a new visual support. Try to make all of your body language work with the movement. If, for example, you want to walk to give the impression of thinking of a new idea, then set your hand up to your face to indicate thoughtfulness, and speak slowly or stop speaking altogether.
Ermest writes …
Public speaking and fear have something in common. For many, one thought of having to go up on stage and speak in front of a crowd of people is enough to bring out the critters of fear – butterflies in the stomach, faster heart rate, unwelcome physiological changes etc.. We have this scary picture inside our head of standing in front of a crowd of strangers, frozen. What we fail to realise is that public speaking is really a one to one communication. Just like when you speak with your friend or family member. The only exception is that you have more ears & eyes to connect with.
What follows in his article, Speak like a pro – what I learnt at a public speaking boot camp, is gold. There are several incredibly useful techniques. The two I enjoyed most were Raise your hand up to engage the crowd and Anchor objects associated to your story, but there is so much more.
Natural gestures are basically the aim for any public speaker.
If you are not a natural gesturer, it may be that with enough practice, you can develp gestures.
Nevertheless if you speak with passion – for your subject and for your audience’s outcomes – your body will support your message. Even if you make no gestures, your stance, your facial expressions and your eye contact, will work powerfully to support that passion and your message.
It is necessary, however, to be aware if you are repeating the same gesture many times. It may add emphasis the first time, but after that it will distract. Watch television journalists and sooner or later you will notice this.
Be aware of your gestures, when you practise your speaking, until you are comfortable that they are natural, and not distracting, and then forget about them. Work instead on your message, your enthusiasm and the outcomes you want.
When you are making a speech or presentation, you need to be aware that your gestures can support or detract from your message.
Learn to become aware of what your hands are doing while you speak.
If necessary, make yourself hold them still.
Many people have habits that are terribly distracting and yet they aren’t aware of what they are doing. They click or twiddle a pen, play with their hair or their clothes, hold a microphone with fingers unconsciously making a rude gesture, take glasses on and off, put hands in pockets and take them out.
All of these things are not necessarily detrimental in themselves, if the audience is absolutely focused on the speaker and the message. But if there is any reason for the audience’s attention to stray (and we all have short attention spans) then they will become fascinated, at best, and possibly annoyed at whatever it is that the speaker is doing with their hands.
People can get obsessed by trying to look convincing or slick, and neglect the content of their presentation. They perform all the textbook hand gestures, and what comes out of their mouths doesn’t match up. …
Here are the 3 biggest body language presentation pitfalls, and what you can do to avoid them:
Nick Morgan writing at his best …
What is the single most powerful way to increase your persuasive connection with an audience – and your charisma at the same time?
Listening.
When you listen with your whole body, using your intuition or unconscious to read the emotions of those with whom you’re communicating, the result is a connection with the other people in the room that they experience as engaging, fascinating, and indeed charismatic
There is so much more to this amazing post that you’ll want to read it all …