ENG
Establishing Good Stage Presence
FACTORS THAT AFFECT STAGE PRESENCE
1. Facial expressions
● These reveal the speaker’s emotions and
help signal the interpretation of the
message.
● Through your facial expressions, the
audience can determine whether you are
being sarcastic, funny, or serious.
● When you make a speech, make sure
that your facial expressions match the
meaning of your message
2. Gestures
● These involve purposeful movements of
the arms, hands, head, and other parts of
the body.
● These may be used to enhance the
meaning of the message, give emphasis to
important points in the speech, or help
clarify ideas.
● Make sure that your gestures do not
distract the audience from your message.
Instead, they have to appear natural and
spontaneous.
3. Movements
● These refer to the act of moving from
one spot to another while delivering a
speech.
● If you do not have to speak at a lectern,
you may use your movements to enhance
your delivery of the message further.
● Refrain from doing distracting
movements such as aimless pacing across
the stage or constantly shifting your weight
from one foot to another.
4. Eye contact
● Establishing eye contact helps in building
rapport with the audience.
● When delivering a speech, make sure to
maintain eye contact with the audience by
looking at the audience one member at a
time. In case there are many people, vary
your eye contact throughout the room.
● Not being able to make eye contact can
cause the audience to perceive you as
nervous, ill at ease, or even dishonest.
BUILDING CONFIDENCE
Tips to Help Build Your Confidence When
Delivering Your Speech
1. Let your apprehension motivate you.
● It is normal to feel some anxiety about
giving a speech.
● Think of your apprehension as
motivation for you to prepare even more
carefully and as a driving force for you to
become more creative and lively in your
speech.
● Do not panic if you make a mistake. The
only time the audience will know you made
a mistake or forgot to mention something is
when you make it obvious.
2. Practice the speech repeatedly.
● If you are given ample time to prepare
before delivering a speech, practice it.
● Practice it out loud in front of a mirror or
while recording yourself on video, then
observe your gestures and movements. You
may also practice in front of friends or
family members then ask them to give you
feedback.
 ● You will most likely find yourself
becoming less anxious and more able to
3. Think of the importance of your topic. demonstrate confidence and ease of
delivery as you become accustomed to
For example, if you are speaking about giving speeches.
issues such as environmental protection,
leading a healthy lifestyle, or preventing
childhood obesity, think of the insight or
awareness you will be able to impart to the
audience regarding the topic. This will help
you focus on the impact you may have on
the audience rather than on your
nervousness about having to speak in front
of them.

4. Use relaxation techniques.

● You may not notice it, but your

apprehension may have physiological
manifestations such as muscle tension,
shallow breathing, and adrenaline rush.
● Effective relaxation techniques include
deep breathing and visualizing a successful
speech delivery.

5. Find a friendly face in the audience.

● Often, the first few moments of standing
in front of the audience bring the most
anxiety to speakers.
● Once you are in front of the audience,
find a friendly face in the crowd. Keep your
eyes trained on that person for a couple of
seconds to help you feel relaxed.

5. Give speeches.
● The more often you give speeches, the
more you will be able to build your
confidence and become comfortable with
doing public speaking.