#01 PUT YOUR BODY ON DISPLAY
When speaking, step away from the podium. If sitting, pull your chair back from the table — in short, display more of your body. Your audience's instinctual 'reptilian' brain and emotional 'limbic' brain need to see your body to decide what they think your intentions and feelings are towards them. The less you show, the more they make those feelings and intentions up, and tend to default towards the negative.
#02 SPEAK FROM YOUR BELLY
Place your hands in what is called the TruthPlane, the horizontal plane that extends 180 degrees out of your navel area, to display a sense that you can be trusted. Bringing the audience's unconscious attention to this vulnerable area of your body makes them feel that you are very confident. By assuming this physicality, you will feel confident too.
#03 SHOW YOUR HANDS
Show your palms open with nothing in your hands to let others know that you mean no harm and are speaking for their benefit. This is a universally recognised 'friendly' gesture.
#04 INVITE THE AUDIENCE IN
When someone else is speaking, keep your hands in the TruthPlane to show you are open to what they say. By making small "inviting" gestures in towards you, you convey the feeling that you want to know more from them. This gesture makes presenter and audience alike feel good about what is being said, producing the stress-relieving chemical oxytocin in the brain.
#05 RAISE THE BAR ON ENERGY
Show your audience you are excited by your subject matter by raising your hands to chest level, aka the PassionPlane. This sends your own heart rate up, and your audience will mirror this physical reaction by getting excited with you.
#06 HANG OUT... CHECK OUT
Avoid dangling your hands by your side when giving important messages. When you are still, your brain gets messages to slow down breathing and heart rates, and your voice will take on a depressing or sleepy downward intonation. Again, your audience will mirror this action - and that's how to put them to sleep!
#07 ATTRACT THE RIGHT PEOPLE
Keep your gestures symmetrical. The brain understands symmetry in the body more easily than asymmetry, and we find it more attractive. In nature, symmetry is seen as an indicator of a healthy gene pool.
#08 REVEAL, NOT CONCEAL
Avoid having your hands at mouth level when speaking, for example when sitting at a table with your chin in your hands. We lip read more than we think, and when the picture of the words is taken away it becomes harder to verify the language. The audience will perceive or create negative feelings about the speaker's intentions — in the absence of information, we 'make it up' and always lean towards the negative to prepare for the worst.
#09 MOVE COMPLEX TO CLEAR
When giving a complex message, avoid complex movement, so no fiddling with your pen! It is hard for the brain to decode complex verbal language when it is concentrating on complex nonverbal behaviour. Your audience will stop listening while they try to understand what you are doing and what it means.
#10 STOP READING AND START LEADING
Don't try to read other people's body language consciously. Generally, most of us stand little more than a 50/50 chance of getting it right. Instead, concentrate on influencing your audience to mirror your simple and positive nonverbal behaviour, and they will be extremely likely to trust and engage with you every time you communicate.
Body language expert Mark Bowden is creator of TruthPlane, a communication and presentation training tool used by Fortune 50 companies, CEOs and G8 leaders. His new book, Winning Body Language (McGraw-Hill, £13.99), is out now.
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