14.6 Using Your Body

Your body can contribute to or detract from the effectiveness of your message. As you give a speech, the most important body part, obviously, is your eyes. How much you can look at your audience depends heavily on the delivery style you choose, but even if you read the whole speech, you can still look up from time to time. Just make sure to glance at a different segment of your audience each time. When are the most important times to look at your audience? At the very beginning and very end of the speech, which is why I suggest memorizing the intro and conclusion.

The rest of your face can also convey a great deal, and just like the point about pitch and volume variation, you can probably get away with more facial expressiveness than you think. Unusual facial expressions can be distracting, of course, but don’t be afraid to use your facial muscles for their intended purpose. Try watching late night TV hosts like Stephen Colbert or Seth Meyers, and notice how much of their message is conveyed with facial expressions.

Finally, don’t forget your hands. Gestures can add emphasis, contribute to the meaning of your message (such as conveying spatial relationships), and even do simple things like track a list that you may be running through by counting on your fingers. If you’re not using presentation software like PowerPoint, hands can also keep the visual learners engaged by giving them a moving visual to latch onto.