Body Language

According to surveys, people consider speaking in public more

stressful than any other task. Communications experts have studied
public speakers and their audiences to learn what makes a speech
effective. They have discovered that while choosing the words of a
speech carefully is important, the body language used during the
speech is also vital to its success. Researchers estimate that at
least seventy-five percent of communication occurs through
non-verbal body language. This means that the action of a speaker’s
body during a speech will determine how the audience responds to
the words spoken.

Research indicates that the first things noticed by the audience are
the speaker’s eyes and facial expressions. People will think that a
speaker who always looks at the floor and never smiles is unfriendly.
An effective speaker will look directly at the people in the audience
and will use facial expressions that match the tone of the speech. An
experienced speaker knows when to smile at the audience and
when to display a more serious expression.