BODY LANGUAGE FOR KILLER PRESENTATIONS! 🔥

Summary

In this video, Niha Agal, founder of Is of Communications, shares five key aspects of body language for delivering impactful presentations. She emphasizes the importance of eye contact to engage audiences, maintaining proper posture to exude confidence, using hand gestures for emphasis, incorporating controlled movement to build personal connections, and employing appropriate facial expressions. Niha's transformation from a nervous presenter to a confident speaker is a testament to the effectiveness of these techniques, which she teaches in her presentation skills course.

Takeaways

• 👀 Eye contact is crucial for engaging the audience and demonstrating confidence.
• 🧍‍♀️ Maintaining proper posture while presenting projects confidence and professionalism.
• 🤲 Effective hand gestures can enhance the impact of a presentation but should be used judiciously.
• 🚶‍♂️ Strategic movement during a presentation can help build a personal connection with the audience, but it should be balanced to avoid distraction.
• 😃 A subtle smile can convey confidence and make the speaker feel more at ease.
• 🔍 Divide the audience into segments to make eye contact effectively and engage everyone.
• 🤝 The 'steeple pose' for hands can project confidence when not using gestures.
• 🏠 Creating a 'mental box' for movement can prevent audience distraction and maintain engagement.
• 🚫 Respecting the audience's personal space is important when moving during a presentation.
• 🔗 Facial expressions should align with the content of the presentation to maintain authenticity.

Q & A

What was the speaker's experience with stage fright a few years ago?

A few years ago, the speaker experienced severe stage fright, with shivering legs, sweating, and forgetting what to say when making eye contact with the audience.

How did the speaker's confidence change from a few years ago to 2023?

By 2023, the speaker had significantly improved their confidence, delivering a 90-minute presentation to over 100 students without any nervousness or sweating.

What are the five aspects of body language the speaker suggests to deliver killer presentations?

The five aspects are eye contact, posture, hand gestures, movement, and facial expressions.

Why is eye contact important during a presentation?

Eye contact is crucial as it engages the audience, makes them listen, and demonstrates the speaker's confidence.

How should a speaker divide their audience to maintain eye contact effectively?

The speaker should divide the audience into three segments and make eye contact with one person in each segment, ensuring the entire audience feels engaged.

What is the recommended posture for a speaker during a presentation?

A speaker should maintain a proper posture by standing straight with the chin slightly raised, which projects confidence.

How can hand gestures enhance a presentation?

Hand gestures can add impact to a presentation by emphasizing points, illustrating processes, or highlighting important information.

What is the steeple pose, and why is it recommended for speakers?

The steeple pose is a hand gesture where hands are placed together with fingertips touching, forming a point. It is recommended as it makes the speaker appear and feel confident.

How should a speaker move during a presentation to build a personal connection with the audience?

A speaker should move within a mental box, avoiding excessive movement or encroaching on the audience's personal space, to build a connection without being distracting.

Why is maintaining a short smile during a presentation beneficial?

A short smile helps the speaker appear and feel confident, and it can also help to hide nervousness, making the presentation more engaging.

What courses does the speaker offer to improve presentation skills and English communication?

The speaker offers a 5-hour course on presentation skills, which includes modern PowerPoint techniques and confidence-building tips, and a 5-week course on effective communication, focusing on improving written and oral skills.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Overcoming Stage Fright and Delivering Confident Presentations

The speaker, Niha Agal, recounts her personal journey from experiencing stage fright during presentations to confidently delivering a 90-minute lecture to over 100 students. She emphasizes the importance of body language in effective communication and announces her intention to share five key aspects of body language that can enhance presentation skills. The video aims to help viewers become more confident and impactful speakers.

05:02

👁️ Making Eye Contact: Engaging the Audience

Niha discusses the first aspect of body language, which is eye contact. She advises dividing the audience into three segments and making eye contact with individuals from each section to engage the entire room. This technique helps in maintaining audience attention and showcasing the speaker's confidence. The speaker also shares her past nervousness and how avoiding eye contact led to a lack of audience engagement.

🧍‍♀️ Maintaining Proper Posture: Exuding Confidence

The second aspect of body language Niha covers is posture. She advises against casual stances like leaning against a wall or putting hands in pockets, which appear informal. Instead, she recommends standing straight with the chin slightly raised to project confidence. Proper posture not only reflects well on the speaker's image but also boosts their self-assurance.

🤲 Incorporating Hand Gestures: Adding Impact

Niha explains the role of hand gestures in presentations, suggesting they can add emphasis and clarity. She provides examples of how to use gestures for listing points, explaining step-by-step processes, and highlighting important information. However, she cautions against excessive gestures, which can be distracting. Instead, she suggests adopting a 'steepled' hand position when not gesturing, which conveys confidence.

🚶‍♀️ Using Movement: Building Personal Connection

The fourth aspect of body language Niha addresses is movement. She suggests moving within a mental 'box' to maintain a personal connection with the audience without being distracting. She advises against moving too close to the audience to respect their personal space and notes that it's okay not to move if it detracts from the speaker's focus on the content.

😄 Managing Facial Expressions: Reflecting Confidence

Niha talks about the importance of facial expressions in presentations, recommending a slight smile to appear and feel confident. She shares her personal strategy of maintaining a smile to hide nervousness and connect with the audience. However, she emphasizes that facial expressions should align with the content of the presentation, varying according to the seriousness or tone of the message.

📈 Learning Opportunities: Enhancing Presentation Skills

In conclusion, Niha invites viewers to join her presentation skills course to learn modern PowerPoint techniques and gain confidence in public speaking. She also mentions a communication course focused on improving English language skills through interactive sessions. The speaker expresses gratitude for watching the video and wishes viewers a successful career, wrapping up the video on a positive note.

Keywords

💡Presentation

A presentation is a formal discourse or show, often delivered to an audience, which may include visual aids and is intended to inform, persuade, or entertain. In the video, the presenter discusses her journey from being nervous during presentations to confidently delivering a 90-minute lecture to over 100 students. The term is central to the video's theme, as it is the medium through which the presenter shares her experiences and advice on improving body language during such events.

💡Eye Contact

Eye contact refers to the act of looking at someone in the eye, which is a form of non-verbal communication that can convey confidence, sincerity, and attentiveness. In the video, the presenter emphasizes the importance of making eye contact with the audience during a presentation to engage them and demonstrate confidence. She provides a strategy for dividing the audience into segments and making eye contact with individuals from each segment to ensure everyone feels included.

💡Posture

Posture is the position or carriage of the body, especially when standing or sitting. Good posture is often associated with confidence and professionalism. The video mentions maintaining a proper posture, such as standing straight with the chin slightly raised, as a way to project confidence as a speaker and to feel more confident while delivering a presentation.

💡Hand Gestures

Hand gestures are movements of the hands and arms that are used to communicate non-verbally. They can add emphasis, illustrate points, or express emotions. In the video, the presenter discusses the use of hand gestures to enhance the impact of a presentation, such as using fingers to count points or to indicate steps in a process. She also advises against overusing gestures to prevent distraction and suggests the 'steepled' pose as an alternative when not using gestures.

💡Movement

Movement in the context of a presentation refers to the physical motion of the speaker within the space, which can help build a connection with the audience. The video advises on the use of movement by suggesting creating a 'mental box' within which the speaker should move to avoid distracting the audience. It also cautions against moving too close to the audience to respect their personal space.

💡Facial Expressions

Facial expressions are the movements of the face, typically involving the eyes, mouth, and other parts, which can convey a range of emotions. In the video, the presenter suggests maintaining a slight smile during a presentation to appear and feel confident. However, she also notes the importance of aligning facial expressions with the content of the presentation, as inappropriate expressions can detract from the message.

💡Confidence

Confidence is a feeling or belief in one's abilities, which can significantly impact performance. Throughout the video, the presenter's transformation from a nervous speaker to a confident one is highlighted. Confidence is linked to various aspects of body language, such as eye contact, posture, and facial expressions, which are all discussed as tools to enhance a speaker's confidence and perceived competence.

💡Engagement

Engagement refers to the act of involving or attracting the interest and attention of an audience. The video stresses the importance of engaging the audience through eye contact, movement, and appropriate body language to ensure they are attentive and receptive to the presentation's content.

💡Body Language

Body language encompasses the non-verbal cues, such as facial expressions, gestures, posture, and movement, that communicate information and emotions. The video focuses on improving body language as a key aspect of delivering effective presentations, with the presenter sharing specific techniques to enhance each aspect of body language.

💡Communication

Communication is the process of exchanging information, ideas, or feelings. In the context of the video, effective communication is not only about the content of the presentation but also about how it is delivered through body language. The presenter's advice on improving body language aims to enhance overall communication skills during presentations.

💡TED Talks

TED Talks are a series of short, powerful talks on various topics given by experts in their fields. They are known for their engaging and informative presentations. The video mentions TED Talks as an example of where speakers often use confident body language, such as the steepled pose, to enhance their presentations.

Highlights

Overcoming stage fright by transitioning from a nervous presenter to confidently delivering a 90-minute lecture to over 100 students.

The importance of eye contact in engaging the audience and demonstrating confidence.

Strategic eye contact distribution by dividing the audience into segments.

Maintaining proper posture to project confidence and enhance personal presence.

Utilizing hand gestures to emphasize points and enhance the impact of a presentation.

The steeple pose as a confidence-building hand gesture when not using other gestures.

Incorporating controlled movement to build a personal connection with the audience without being distracting.

Avoiding excessive movement and encroaching on the audience's personal space.

The option to remain stationary if movement feels unnatural or distracting.

Using facial expressions, particularly a short smile, to convey confidence and engage the audience.

Aligning facial expressions with the content of the presentation for authenticity.

Offering a presentation skills course to learn modern PowerPoint techniques and confident delivery.

Providing a comprehensive communication course to improve written, oral, and presentation skills.

Encouraging viewers to join the next batch of courses for skill enhancement.

The transformative journey from nervousness to confidence in public speaking.

The significance of body language in delivering killer presentations.

Tips for using hand gestures effectively without overwhelming the audience.

Transcripts

few years ago when I used to go on stage

to deliver a 10-minute presentation my

legs used to shiver sweat used to

trickle down my face and if I made eye

contact with someone then I would forget

what I'm supposed to

say fast forward to

2023 last week I took a training session

for students of I Bombay over 100

students attended my lecture and I

delivered a 90minut presentation

confidently without even breaking a

sweat what made this happen well let's

find

[Music]

out hi everyone I am Niha agal I'm the

founder ofis of communications and in

this video I'm going to share with you

five aspects of body language which you

can inculcate to deliver killer

presentations so without further delay

let's get started the first and the most

important aspect of body language is eye

contact I remember when I used to be

nervous during a presentation I would

avoid making eye contact with the people

as a result they wouldn't engage in my

presentation instead they would make

noise during the presentation which

would make me even more

nervous so what you should do is make

eye contact with the people when you do

that they engage in your presentation

they listen to what you have to say and

that shows your confidence as a speaker

as well so how do you make make I

contact in a presentation do you look at

only one person or do you look at

different people from time to time well

if you have a large audience in front of

you what I would recommend is that you

divide it into three segments you first

choose one person say for example from

the left make eye contact with that

person when you do this the entire

audience on the left side would be

engaged then after two to three lines

you come to the middle you pick one

person from the middle make eye contact

with them when you do this the entire

middle part will be engaged and then you

do the same thing on the right you find

one person on the right make I contact

with them and then you will see that the

entire right side is engaged when you do

this from time to time your entire Hall

your entire audience will be engaged and

that will help you deliver a killer

presentation with confidence the second

aspect of body language you should

incorporate is posture when delivering a

presentation it's very important you

make maintain a proper posture I

remember when I was in college some of

my friends they would casually lean

against the wall or keep their hands in

their pocket please don't do that as it

looks very informal instead make sure

you stand straight with your chin

slightly raised this not only shows

confidence as a speaker but it makes you

feel confident as well the third aspect

of body language you can incorporate is

hand gestures hand gestures help in

adding an additional impact in your

presentation for example whenever you

have to talk about numbers you can use

your hand gestures like the first point

I want to explain is this the second

point is this and the third point is

this or say for example when you talk

when you want to talk about a

step-by-step process then you can show

it like this the first step that we did

was this then after that we move on to

the second step then the third step and

finally in the last step this is what we

achieved or if you want to compare

certain things you can also do it like

this first I would like to talk about

this segment then I'll be sharing

information about this segment and how

are they different from each other or

say for example you want to talk about

something important this is how you can

show it today I'm going to share a very

important thing with you can you see the

moment I do this you realize that I'm

going to talk about something important

so there are many hand gestur like this

which you can incorporate but one thing

you need to keep in mind is that don't

use a lot of hand gesture so that it

gets very distracting in for your

audience also if you're not comfortable

with using hand gestures or at times

when you're not using any hand gestures

simply keep your hands in the steeple

pose this is how the steeple pose looks

like you keep it just right in between

your chest it not only makes you feel

confident but it shows you as a

confidence speaker as well if you watch

TED Talks or even if you watched Shark

Tank very recently you will realize that

a lot of speakers keep their hands in

the steeple POS so you can try that out

out the fourth aspect of body language

you can incorporate in your

presentations is movement when you walk

around the room a bit or move towards

your audience you are able to build a

personal connection with the audience

and that helps in engaging them in your

presentation but there are few things

you need to keep in mind here first

don't move from one end of the room to

the other that can be very distracting

for your audience instead create a

mental box for yourself if you're Moving

Two Steps in front make sure you move

two steps back if you're moving two

steps towards the left then make sure

you come back two steps towards the

right so try to move within that box

itself secondly don't move very close to

the audience so as to encroach their

personal space maintain a certain

distance from the audience while

interacting with them and finally it is

not necessary for you to move in the

presentation if you're not comfortable

sometimes when you're a new speaker we

are so focused on walking around the

room is that we forget what we have to

speak so in such cases it's absolutely

fine that you stand on one side of the

screen and deliver your presentation

from there last and the final one facial

expressions during a presentation it's

good to maintain a short smile on your

face it not only shows you as a

confident speaker but makes you feel

confident as well personally for me this

is my go-to strategy whether it is

delivering a presentation or shooting my

videos I always have a smile on my face

this helps me hide my nervousness and

makes me feel more confident as well but

of course make sure that your facial

expressions are in line with your

presentation you can't be talking about

something very serious or something very

sad and smiling correct so your facial

expressions also needs to go with the

content of your presentation but other

than that keeping a short smile goes a

long way so guys that's all I wanted to

share with you today if you wish to

learn how to create and deliver

impactful presentations you can join me

for my presentation skills course it's a

5H hour course where I first teach you

modern PowerPoint techniques to create

new age presentations and then share a

lot of tips and techniques with you to

deliver presentations confidently to

know more the link is in the description

and in the pin comment otherwise if you

are someone who wants to build their

confidence in English speaking you can

join me for my course on a comp in

effective communication it's a 5we

course where we meet three times a week

with a lot of fun exercises and practice

sessions so that you can improve your

written and oral communication skills

and of course your presentation skills

as well we have a new batch running

almost every month so you can check out

when our next batch is starting and join

accordingly to know more the link is in

the description and now thank you so

much for watching this video and I wish

you have a Fant fantastic career ahead

[Music]