Body Language in Public Speaking

Series Summary

People have been making speeches in front of groups since humankind has been able to communicate. Public speaking refers to giving speeches with the intention of informing audiences about certain topics or persuading listeners to succumb to various opinions. From U.S. presidents to members of the local Junior League, speakers utilize public speaking skills when addressing crowds. Though public speaking styles have changed over centuries, the basic elements remain the same. In learning to speak in public, people obtain relevant skills that enrich the ability to communicate clearly. In this free communication video series, an award-winning speaker gives tips on giving successful public speeches. Get advice on sticking to and expanding on the topic and using props, pictures, body language and humor. Receive instruction on how to handle an audience, from preventing distractions to engaging them, from recovering attention to ensuring comprehension. Finally, learn what to avoid in public speaking, like strong or negative emotions, noisy places, personal distractions, quiet speaking and communicating boredom with the subject.

Video Transcript

"We as human beings communicate with both physical movements as well as the spoken word. One of the aspects about impromptu speaking is your body language also helps you to communicate what you want to say. And as you will notice as we have started this series of clips, I use my hands quite frequently. There are many other things that can be used in the process of making a speech. But certainly the use of the hands is a very important tool in order to emphasize and also sometimes in order to point yourself in to a certain direction in the speech. It helps you to emphasize certain points better than would be done if you were to just speak only without any hand movements. And I'll give you one demonstration of this. I'm going to show you one example with hand movements just like I've done just now and I'll repeat the same situation without hand movements. I'm going to show you one situation with hand movements. And then later I'll show you the situation without hand movements. Now you tell me. Which communicates the better message? Of course, hand movements. Don't be afraid to use your body to help you express what you want to say. That's the first principle of impromptu speaking."