body language when presenting a business plan

Body Language in Presentations

The words you use during your talk certainly matter, but the body language presentation cues that you project are as important – if not more so – in getting your message to land as you intended.

The gestures you use, the eye contact you make, the expressions you convey, and your very movement through a room offer a multitude of nonverbal signals to your audience.

It’s through these body language presentation cues that an audience will make assessments about your credibility, your expertise, and your passion for the subject, as well as whether you are qualified to seek followers for the cause you are advocating, to suggest the changes you are recommending, or to pitch the product you are selling.

Even something as seemingly small as the number of seconds you maintain eye contact with your audience or the decisions you make about what to do with your hands when presenting can make a difference. It boils down to the impression your words and your actions are making. And as researchers have discovered, first impressions are formed in mere seconds and are often quite accurate and long-lasting. In a well-known study led by the late Nalina Ambady, a professor of psychology at Boston’s Tufts University, students who watched two-second video clips (with the sound muted!) of a group of professors formed similar impressions to the ones drawn by students during a full semester.

So how do you exhibit the right body language for presentation success?

Effectively using body language in presentations takes skill and practice. But before we get into the tips and strategies for how to achieve the right look and tone, let’s look at the basics of body language in professional presentations, as well as why it is important to be aware of your body language while giving a presentation.

What is the Importance of Body Language in a Presentation?

The proper body language in a presentation helps to convey that you have confidence in yourself and your message. A speaker who knows the importance of body language in an oral presentation can instill trust in the audience, which, among other things, helps to forge a connection. Further, a presenter who knows how to effectively employ body language presentation skills can help to emphasize the ideas that matter most.

If you are genuinely passionate about your subject, show it. A lackluster delivery not only belies your enthusiasm, but also does nothing to enhance the meaning and effectiveness of your words. What should your audience believe? The words you use to share how excited you are to be there, or the flat tone with which you delivered them? Typically, they’ll assume your monotone delivery is more indicative of your true feelings than your words.

Great physical communicators learn how to successfully align their facial expressions, gestures, movements, posture, and other nonverbal elements with their message.

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Presentation Body Language Basics

If you were delivering sad news, would you do it with a smile, a bright voice, and a bounce in your step? Or would you deliver it with a serious expression, a somber tone, and less pep? Any incongruity between your actions and your message is going to make it difficult for your audience to process, understand, and retain your message. You want your audience to be concentrated on your message and not the misalignment between your nonverbal movements and verbal delivery.

Your physical presence reveals your mental and emotional state to your audience – and everything about that presence should project that you feel comfortable, are in control of the room, and know your stuff. When it comes down to how to use body language to improve your presentation, it’s a matter of focusing on several key areas of your physical movements, including your eye contact, your gestures during presentation , and your presentation posture. (You can learn more about vocal cues here .)

When we work with our clients during our public speaking training sessions , we focus on how even small adjustments can make a difference in their delivery – such as a subtle shift of the shoulders, a more open stance, increased eye contact with their audience, and more natural and authentic gestures.

All these adjustments in your body language in a presentation can help to encourage audience participation, provide greater emphasis to your words, help you to appear and feel more natural, and increase your connection with the audience.

Eye Contact in Presentations: Why It’s Important

Given there is a large body of research  that reveals just how influential eye contact is when it comes to the assumptions, judgments, and perceptions people make about one another, it’s important to give more than, shall we say, a passing glance to how you plan to move your eyes about the room.

Authors, researchers, seasoned speakers, consultants, and trainers vary slightly on the exact amount of time to maintain eye contact with someone in your audience. It appears that a few seconds is the going rate. Or, to translate that into words – a sentence or two. We tend to approach it differently. We’ve found most speakers naturally strike a reasonable balance of how long to maintain eye contact with one person before moving on. If they focus too much brainpower on counting the seconds or tracking their sentences, it can trip them up.

So, instead, here’s a simple rule:

When looking at your notes, your slides, or any other place than your audience, you should not be talking. Any time you are communicating information, you should be looking at an audience member.

And you don’t want to be looking at just one person all the time. It’s important to have effective eye contact in your presentation skills toolbox. In this post , we dive more deeply into effective ways to lock eyes with multiple members of your audience, depending on the type of presentation and venue.

How to Use Facial Expressions in a Presentation

Animated and dynamic speakers know they have a fuller palette of expression to help tell their story when they enlist the more than 40 muscles in their face to move their eyes, nose, brows, and mouth. It is through facial expression that we convey emotions, including seven universal emotions identified by psychologist Paul Ekman through his decades of work. Researchers have found that your audience is likely to make assumptions about you, such as how intelligent, trustworthy, or confident you are, based on your expressions.

Here are some tips on how to better communicate through facial expressions:

Smile. Unless the material requires a more serious expression, smiling while presenting tends to convey warmth and competence, which can help you to connect with your audience. Be expressive. This is not a license to be a mime, but rather, to use your expressions to relay your enthusiasm, your excitement, and to reinforce and support your key points and ideas. Just as presenters are encouraged to expand their vocal range to avoid a monotone presentation, so too is it important to avoid a static expression throughout your entire talk. Observe your audience. Do they look confused? Disinterested? Just as your audience picks up cues through your facial expressions, you too may be able to make perceptions about your audience. (Just be mindful that not every neutral expression indicates boredom or disinterest.) Hone your talent. As with any language, using and practicing it leads to mastery. Nonverbal language is no different. As you practice and rehearse your talk, think about what your facial expressions are conveying and if they are effective. Do they align with your words? Do you appear natural and authentic? Do they support and reinforce your key ideas?

Correct Body Posture During a Presentation

It’s hard to think of a single situation where slouching would be advised – and a presentation is no exception. The correct presentation posture if you are standing is to …

• Square your shoulders with the audience
• Relax your stance. You are not standing at attention!
• Face them directly instead of tilting your body away from them. (The exception to this rule is when you are soliciting feedback from your audience. In that case, turning your body at a slight angle can encourage engagement.)

The correct presentation posture if you are sitting is to …

• Lean forward slightly
• Plant your feet firmly on the floor (avoid crossing your legs)
• Avoid slouching into the chair

Beyond the confidence this posture projects to your audience, researchers have found when you throw those shoulders back or sit upright in your chair, that feeds into your self-confidence , too.

How to Improve Body Language for Presentations

The best way to project body language in a presentation is to be natural. And while it may sound counterintuitive, one of the ways you can appear and feel more natural in your movements is to practice them. This is why it’s important to save some time for rehearsals or practice runs.

Some of the best ways to test your material and your delivery are to record yourself, offer a practice run to an audience of colleagues or friends, and recreate the run-through so that it is as close to the live event as possible.

And, please, this is not the time for harsh criticism. Use this opportunity to see where you did well, such as projecting a confident smile, standing tall, and maintaining meaningful eye contact. Also, look for the areas where you can improve. Did you employ effective body language with your PowerPoint presentation slides? (Here’s are some specific ways to improve your PowerPoint presentation through body language and gestures.)

If you were on a panel, did it appear as if you were slouching? Did you appear nervous or ill at ease? (Here are some ways to counter your fear of public speaking . ) Use this time to hone your skills. Every presentation – whether practice or “live” – is a chance to improve.

Success occurs with preparation, and growth occurs with practice, whether you are a novice or seasoned pro. Here are some specific ways to make the most out of that preparation.

Practice in Front of a Mirror

Record Yourself

There are several reasons that video recording a practice run-through – either with a camera or smartphone – will help your presentation run a whole lot smoother. In addition to tracking such things as your timing, your pace, and the overall flow of your presentation (For example, do you vary the time for each main point? Do you have a mix of message supports, including statistics, stories, and slides?), you also can analyze your body language. Here are some of the things you want to look and listen for:

• The pace, pitch, and tone of your voice and how effective those elements were in conveying your main points.
• How well you maintained eye contact with your “audience.”
• Your gestures and whether they add emphasis to your talk and reinforce key ideas.
• Any mannerisms that are creating distractions, such as pacing in a predictable pattern, fidgeting with your tie or jewelry, or constantly brushing your hair back.

Watch the tape, identify the two or three things you want to improve upon, and do another practice run. If you improve, add another element, and then do another practice run if you have the time.

Learn how to control your body language during a presentation!

Work with our experienced Throughline Group trainers to identify and use effective body language, including energy, gestures, and posture. Sign up today!

Rehearse in Front of Team Members

While a video recording can be an effective way to assess your presentation skills, rehearsing in front of an audience of colleagues is key to getting a feel for the “real” thing. It gives you a chance to assess the nonverbal communication of your audience in real-time, and make the body language presentation fixes that will help you to increase your chances that you are connecting with your audience and helping your messages stick. You can make these sessions more effective in several ways. They include:

Treating your practice like the real thing. Avoid caveats or skimming through sections ( “When I really give my talk, I’ll tell a funny story here.” ) Asking for honest reactions. Your team may be rooting for you, but they need to react honestly if your words are falling flat, your energy is low, or you are spending too much time looking and reading from your notes. Embracing slip-ups, technical difficulties, and distractions. You may be tempted to start over, but plow through any hiccups so you gain the confidence and experience in dealing with difficulties before your talk goes “live.”

  ( Here are 20 questions you can ask your practice audience. )

Additional Presentation Body Language Tips

Your facial expressions, your posture, and your eye contact are all important elements in your nonverbal delivery. But you have other body language presentation cues that you also can use to make your presentation more effective. Remember, your hands can do some “talking” and your feet can do some walking in the service of your speech.

Hand gestures during a presentation can be used to do many things, including:

• Adding emphasis to a word or point
• Pointing something out on a slide or other visual support
• Reinforcing a concept

In practice, this means you might hold your fingers up for each point you want to make ( “No. 1 is this …” ). Or, with an outstretched hand – palm open – you direct your audience’s attention to a point of data on your chart. Finally, if you are comparing two recommendations perhaps you pantomime a scale with your hands, indicating that one side should win out over the other.

As for movement, unless you must stay tethered to the lectern, make the most of your space. Movement is one way to keep your audience alert and its attention on you. This leads to a more dynamic presentation and better connection with the audience.

When done with intention and confidence, your gestures and your movement – really,  your overall body language in  a presentation – will help to solidify your credibility, reveal your control of your material and the room, and help you to emphasize your key points.

Here are some specific tips on how to incorporate these additional body language presentation techniques into your talk.

What To Do With Your Hands During a Presentation

You may have been told it’s best not to gesture when speaking, but in our work with clients we have found that speakers become less anxious, appear more natural, and remember and retrieve their words far more effectively when they gesture during their presentations.

And the research   backs that up. Gesturing not only adds emphasis and verve to your words but also can help you to better remember what you want to say.

However, there is a difference between gesturing and fidgeting. For instance, when you hold out your hand with the palm facing up when calling on someone during your Q&A, it is an effective and open gesture. It encourages engagement and connection. But, if you are hands are in constant motion, such as clasping and unclasping your fingers, twirling the ring on your finger, picking at your nails, or touching your face or hair, then your gestures can become a distraction.

When gesturing, remember to:

Be authentic.  Start with what comes naturally and work from there. Forced movement will be seen for what it is – forced. Be purposeful. Trade fast, undisciplined hand movements during the presentation for gestures with intent. Be open.  Avoid gestures such as pointing at your audience, gesturing toward them with your palm down, or crossing your arms – all of which can have a negative connotation or make you appear “closed” off and inaccessible. Be aware of cultural differences. Although certain presentation hand gestures and expressions fall under a universal language, gestures do not necessarily mean the same thing in every culture. For instance, your OK sign may mean just that, but to a person from another country, it might just be highly offensive. (Here’s a look at some of the more common nonverbal faux pas.)

What if My Hands Won’t Stop Shaking?

Anxiety has a way of hijacking whatever veneer of calm you, as a speaker, may have managed to induce before your talk. One of the ways your nervousness manifests itself is through your trembling hands. You may notice the shakiness as you organize your notes or take a sip of water. Most of the time, what you see as full-on earthquakes more typically come across as small-time tremors – if they are noticed at all by your audience. For most people, once the initial jitters ease, those tiny tremors fade. However, if that trembling never eases and you are wondering how to stop shaking hands during a presentation, it’s best to think beyond the symptoms and get to the core of the issue – anxiety. To do that, you must identify the cause of your fear – here are eight causes of public speaking fear – before you can find the techniques that will help you to reduce and manage it .

Photo by Martin Adams on Unsplash

Moving Around During a Presentation: Is That OK?

Movement is one way to keep your audience alert and its attention on you. Make the most of your space and your body language presentation skills so that you can create a more dynamic presentation and a better connection with your audience. What you don’t want to do is pace or create a predictable pattern in how you move around the room. That said, there are several ways you can utilize your space more effectively while walking during your presentation.

Here are several:

Use your movement to emphasize your points . You can begin on one side of the room and share your first, before moving to the other side for Point No. 2. Make your way to the center for your last point. Approach your audience. When answering questions or seeking participation, walk toward your audience. Avoid swaying. If you are standing still, try to avoid rocking from side to side. You can counter this by placing one foot about two to three inches in front of the other.

How You Dress is Important, Too

Here are a few tips:

Choose the outfit that best supports your message, which means knowing the tone you want to set about your topic and who you are. Purchase an iron or get your clothes pressed. You can certainly present in casual clothes, but wrinkles are a no-go in nearly any situation. Consider your accessories carefully. Ostentatious jewelry or lapel pins will probably attract more attention than you want them to. They also could interfere with your microphone. Be wary of fabrics that rustle or shoes that make noises when you move. Not only will that distract you, but your audience will notice it, too.

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How To Use Body Language To Enhance Your Presentation Skills

How you physically hold and carry yourself makes a huge difference in how your audience receives your words.

Improve Your Presentation Body Language

As a manager, you know that mastering presentation skills is critical for effectively communicating ideas , motivating your team, and projecting leadership presence. But even if your message is compelling, poor body language can undermine your talk’s impact .

How you physically hold and carry yourself makes a huge difference in how your audience receives your words. Simple tweaks like standing with open posture, using natural hand gestures, maintaining eye contact, and having expressive facial reactions can dramatically boost your ability to captivate and connect with any crowd.

But how can you use all the tips to improve your next presentation ?

In this guide, we’ll help you understand all the small tweaks you can do to improve your presentation style . From building a strong stage presence to making sure that your audience doesn’t doze off , you’ll be able to become a speaker who naturally commands attention and gains trust.

So, let’s see how you can become a speaker that not only informs but also inspires.

Key Components of Effective Body Language in Presentations

Posture – conveying confidence and authority.

Proper posture is crucial for projecting confidence and professionalism while presenting. Stand tall with your shoulders comfortably back and down to achieve an open, grounded stance. Distribute your weight evenly on both feet, positioned shoulder-width apart in a power pose. This occupies space and subconsciously signals assurance and leadership capability. Avoid closed-off postures like crossed arms and legs, which telegraph discomfort or aloofness. Train yourself to stand upright often outside of presentations, as posture habits inform body language cues .

Keep your chin parallel to the floor and your head upright. This levels your gaze naturally to readily meet the audience’s eyes and establish an engaging connection . Periodically roll your shoulders back to keep your chest open if needed. Use torso twists to limber up before taking the stage. Stand with authority by clasping hands behind your lower back. Small posture adjustments like these will instantly lend you greater gravitas.

Hand Gestures – Adding Emphasis and Clarity

Hand motions are a powerful tool to punctuate words and underscore meaning, so use them with deliberate purpose. Open palm gestures fluidly direct the audience’s gaze, highlighting key points without unnecessary flourish. Sweeping hand motions also reinforce ideas spatially and describe size and shape. Avoid overuse of gestures which distract. Keep hand motions above the sternum where the audience can readily see them.

Prevent anxious habits like wringing hands or touching your face. Instead, drill smooth motions originating from the core that emphasise ideas. Calibrate hand gestures to your message’s tone using palm orientation, speed, size and range appropriate to each point. Well-executed hand motions timed to accent important content, clarify the presentation and amplify impact . But use sparingly, only when meaning is enhanced.

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Practical Application in Presentations

Integrating body language into presentation preparation.

When preparing your presentation , consciously plan how physical presence will complement the narrative. Script instances to stand tall to convey confidence at key points. Note when expansive gestures could underscore important ideas. Plan for natural eye contact with participants throughout the room. Identify areas where facial expressions might heighten engagement.

Practice fluid transitions between postures and gestures. Appropriately time movements and gestures to sync with speech patterns. Review the video to confirm body language aligns with your intentions. Refine through repetition to eliminate distracting motions and polish physical delivery.

Dynamic Body Language During Live Presentations

While presenting, let body language emerge naturally from the content while adhering to openness, purpose and confidence principles. Avoid remaining static, or you may disengage the audience. Move with an intention to occupy the stage using diagonal crossing patterns. Pivot your torso and stance when transitioning.

Continually scan the room, making eye contact . Use sustained gestures more dynamically when speaking passionately to boost energy and enthusiasm. Allow facial expressions to reflect the speech’s emotion. Respond physically to audience reactions. Adjust pacing, gestures, and proximity as needed to recapture wandering attention. An authentic , dynamic physical presence will keep your audience engaged .

Simple Exercises to Enhance Body Language Skills

Daily routines for better posture.

Building better posture requires daily practice. Set reminders so you periodically stand tall and roll your shoulders back to open your chest. Stretches like overhead reaches target tight muscles that pull shoulders forward. Yoga poses that extend the spine help counteract slouching. Perform exercises like planks to build core strength for a balanced stance.

Use visualisation techniques daily, too – imagine balancing a book atop your head as you walk. Adopt grounded public speaking stances like hands clasped behind your back. The more upright postures become an ingrained habit, the more poised and confident you’ll appear when presenting.

Practice Drills for Effective Hand Gestures

Avoid small, jittery hand motions – instead, drill broad, purposeful gestures that fluidly originate from your core. Rehearse synchronised motions in front of a mirror, timed to match speech patterns. Mark words for emphasis gestures on your script or teleprompter.

Vary gesture size and speed to fit the tone of your message. Watch TED talks and replicate speakers’ effective motions to expand your repertoire. With consistent practice, gestures will become a seamless way to emphasise key points and amplify your presentations.

If you are looking for In-House Presentation Skills Training for a group or teams, please see our

Advanced Body Language Strategies for Presentations

Adapting body language for diverse audiences.

Tailor your body language approach based on audience demographics to increase engagement:

• Research cultural norms on gestures and personal space to avoid miscommunicating with international attendees.
• Adjust formality appropriately for executives versus new hires.
• Adjust gestures to be visible and expressions to be exaggerated if presenting to an audience with visual or hearing impairments. Use simplicity, repetition, and descriptive language.
• Make body language inclusive by scanning the full room with eye contact, not just focusing on leadership.
• Naturally pace stance and gestures to resonate across generations.

Responsive, adaptive physical presence fosters audience connection.

Context-Specific Body Language Techniques

Adjust techniques based on the presentation context. Subtle, confined gestures suit lecterns, while expansive motions engage stage audiences. Convey passion facially and physically for motivational speeches. A CEO may feature formal postures, while an engineer can relax formality for tech demos. Conversational gestures engage small groups.

For video conferences, look into the camera when speaking, then pan side-to-side to show attentiveness. Lean slightly forward on intensifying words. Exaggerate nods, smiles and frowns for clarity onscreen. Contextual mastery makes every talk more effective.

Body Language in Digital Presentation Platforms

Challenges and strategies for virtual presentations.

Presenting through video conferencing poses body language challenges:

• Limited mobility due to being seated and on camera can make presentations feel static and disengaged.
• Distance from the camera may mean facial expressions and subtle gestures get lost.
• Lack of audience visual feedback is difficult.

However, some strategic tweaks can help amplify your virtual presence:

• Stand and gesture when possible to emulate live delivery . Incorporate periodic movement.
• Position the camera at eye level and look directly into it to simulate eye contact.
• Use visual aids like slides or images behind you for audience focus.
• Request audience webcams be on for virtual nods, smiles and eye contact.

Effective Use of Body Language in Video Conferencing

When presenting via video chat platforms:

• Properly position the camera at eye level to emulate eye contact.
• Look into the camera when speaking, then pan to side screens to view participants’ faces.
• Project confidence through purposeful posture and avoid distracting fidgets off-screen.
• Convey energy by varying pace, emphasis gestures, and vocal delivery.
• Use exaggerated facial expressions for clarity onscreen.
• Occasionally lean forward subtly on key points for intensified engagement.
• Send “looking to audience” visual cues before asking questions.

Proper use of virtual body language techniques makes online presentations more dynamic and impactful.

Elevate Your Presentation Skills With Impact Factory

Now armed with evidence-based techniques to amplify your body language impact, it’s time to put these tips into practice. Reflect on your upcoming presentations and identify areas needing improvement. Set goals to integrate one new technique per talk until a powerful physical presence comes naturally. Also, continue observing seasoned speakers to expand your skills repertoire .

For professionals seeking to master presentation skills beyond just body language, our Impact Factory Presentation Skills Training Course offers an intensive learning experience. The program elevates verbal delivery, content structure , audience engagement, and physical presence through hands-on sessions with expert coaches.

The course features modules dedicated to body language mastery, including stance, movement and eye contact for gravitas. However, you’ll also be able to identify your strengths, learn how to become less nervous and make your presentations more engaging.

So, whether you need to pitch ideas within the company, win over new customers, enchant stakeholders in a boardroom or talk to the public and media, you’ll become more confident and learn how to craft a presentation that allows you to reach your goals .

To learn more about our transformative presentation training, browse through our offer of courses or email [email protected]. Our knowledgeable coaches provide personalised guidance to dramatically boost your public speaking capabilities .

Contact us today to amplify your presence and confidence as a presenter.

What are soft skills for body language?

Key soft skills for mastering body language include:

• Self-awareness – recognising your natural gestures
• Empathy – reading others’ nonverbal cues
• Adaptability – adjusting body language by context
• Active listening – paying attention to others’ signals
• Authenticity – using gestures that feel natural

What are the 5 P’s of presentation skills?

The 5 P’s are a framework for excellent presentations:

• Planning – research and outline content
• Preparation – create slides, handouts, notes
• Practice – rehearse delivery out loud
• Presentation – deliver material confidently
• Post-Evaluation – review feedback afterwards

What is the 5/5/5 rule for better presentation?

The 5/5/5 rule suggests:

• 5 key points maximum per slide
• 5 words maximum per bullet point
• 5 text-heavy slides maximum in a row before visuals

This technique improves engagement by simplifying slides and varying content types.

Related Articles:

Here are more resources to help you plan your next steps:

• Presentation Skills Training – Browse through our offer to see what you can gain from the training.
• Presentation With Impact – In this course, you can find your unique presentation style and sharpen your skills to perfection. Explore what our course has to offer.
• Tips To Improve Your Presentation Skills From Industry Insiders [link to our piece] – Learn more about small yet impactful tweaks to your next presentation so you can captivate the audience and reach your goals.
• How To Create Impactful Presentation Slides [link to our piece] – The days with slides full of barely readable text are long gone. Explore our tips to make your slides more engaging.

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Seven Top Body Language Tips for Better Presentations [2023]

November 29, 2023

Better Body Language is a Key Presentation Skill

You can use positive body language to enhance your presentations. body language can be a powerful tool to engage your audience, demonstrate gravitas and deliver a more impactful presentation., developing good body language for presentations is a real skill.  and it’s a skill you can improve.  over the last 15 years we’ve coached thousands of people to be comfortable and successful.   if you need help, do please get in touch. we run in-house and online coaching sessions for business executives. it’s fast and good value., our presentation experts have put together a list of great body language tips you can use to improve your next presentation. and we’ve gathered some videos so you can see these body language tips in action., here is a quick guide to good body language and how to use it when presenting:.

Improve your presentation body language – top tips Use your body language to show confidence Use your hands to emphasize points Make eye contact Use your facial expressions to show emotion Use your body movement to add energy Beyond body language: use props effectively Practise good body language and stage presence

1. Use your body language to show confidence

Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart, and make sure your body is facing the audience. This will help you project confidence and command attention. Avoid crossing your arms, as this can make you seem closed off or defensive. Keep the bottom half of your body relatively still and put all your movement in the top half of your body.

2. Use your hands to emphasize points

Our clients frequently ask “What should I do with my hands?”.

Hand gestures are best used to emphasise key points. They also add energy to your presentation, particularly when you use them above shoulder-height. Jill Bolte’s TED talk demonstrates this well. Too much movement can be distracting, however. Lots of tiny movements or flapping your arms around makes you look smaller and unconfident. Go for big, bold, purposeful gestures that you hold for a few seconds. These convey presence, leadership and authority.

When you aren’t using your hands to emphasise what you’re saying, hold your hands slightly in front of you, with bent elbows. That’s what good body language looks like. You may find this feels odd at first – but watch Ken Robinson to see how effective it can be. If you are using a lectern, then above-shoulder gestures will be the only ones your audience can see. If you choose to rest your hands on the lectern, keep them hands loose and relaxed. Avoid looking as though you are hanging on for dear life!

3. Make eye contact

Making eye contact with your audience helps establish a connection and shows that you are confident and engaged. To use your body language most effectively try to make eye contact with different people throughout the room, rather than just focusing on one person.

What would you think if  I didn’t look you in the eye?

Or if I avoided your gaze? Or if I looked down every time I said something? What impression do you get?

You need good eye contact to be a good presenter..

We like people who can make eye contact (remember the last time you were flirting with someone?). We trust people who can   “look you in the eye” . We want to see people “ eye-to-eye “.

When presenting or speaking in public you will get a better reaction  if you improve your eye contact. Eye contact is a learned skill that takes practice.  From extensive work with our clients, here are some easy tips you can apply for powerful eye contact:

• Only talk when you are looking at someone. No more looking into your notes or staring into the middle distance.
• Spend one or two sentences talking to each person. Get some ‘quality time’ with each person.
• Hold your eye contact until the end of the sentence.
• If you are nervous, if you don’t like looking into someone’s eyes, then look at their forehead or nose.
• Practice improving your eye contact. Start with friends. Make them point out each time your eye contact drops.

Just these simple tips for powerful eye contact will make you a more convincing and persuasive public speaker.

This is such a simple body language trick. Many people underestimated how powerful it is.

4. use your facial expressions to show emotion.

Your facial expressions can convey a lot of emotion and help engage your audience. Good body language means using facial expressions to show enthusiasm, concern, or surprise, depending on the content of your presentation.

5. Use your body movement to add energy

Adding some movement to your presentation can help keep the audience engaged and add energy to your delivery. Good body language can be as simple as taking a step forward or backward when making a point, or using your hands to gesture.

As with hand gestures, deliberate movements that emphasise your content work well. But too much movement is distracting. Getting the balance right takes practice.

Aim to stand still for the majority of your talk. This will convey confidence and authority. Plan in advance when you will move, combing those movements with breaks in your content. Express a full thought or point in your new position before moving again. Avoid pacing, which makes a speaker look distressed. Make a point, move to another part of the space and make your next point. Aim to emulate a pleasant countryside walk from viewpoint to viewpoint, rather than a nervous wait outside a labour ward!

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6. Beyond positive body language: use props effectively

Props can be a great way to add interest to your presentation and help illustrate your points. However, be sure to use props sparingly, as too many can be distracting.

7. Practise good body language and stage presence

Your stage presence, or the way you move and present yourself on stage, can greatly impact the effectiveness of your presentation. Practise your stage presence by rehearsing in front of a mirror, or by recording yourself and watching the footage. This will help you avoid any negative body language.

By using body language effectively during your presentations, you can engage your audience and deliver a more impactful message. Remember to pay attention to your posture, hand gestures, eye contact, facial expressions, body movement, and stage presence, and practice using these techniques to enhance your presentations.

As soon as we become conscious of our bodies, they get in our way. When we’re faced with an audience, we become like learner drivers, frozen and unnatural. Advice to ‘act naturally’ isn’t useful, as being watched isn’t natural. Besides, communicating to an audience requires different body language than everyday, one-to-one communication.

Your body language matters when presenting.

We’ve all seen powerful speakers, whether in person or on platforms such as TED.com. We use words like ‘charisma’ and ‘presence’ to describe impressive speakers. But some speakers are uncomfortable to watch. Others use such distracting body language that we cannot focus on what they are saying.

Good body language with strong, positive non-verbal communication can be more powerful. Here, we share our top tips for best use of your hands, eye contact and on-stage movement.

These top tips will help you improve your body language when presenting.

• Take control of your body language
• Ignore ‘Just act natural’ advice
• Get feedback and increase your body language self-awareness
• Establish good eye contact
• Use your hands when presenting
• Command the space where you are speaking
• Start with good content in your presentation

Remember, for Effective Body Language, Take control

Non-verbal communication has three uses , according to David Lambert.

replace speech (e.g. a wink)

Reinforce speech (e.g. nodding while saying ‘yes’) a, give clues about our true feelings (e.g. fidgeting when nervous)..

Successful speakers use open, controlled and strong gestures that reinforce their message . Less successful speakers contradict what they say with their non-verbal behaviour.

For instance, if your body language suggests nervousness when you speak, the audience will interpret this as a lack of confidence in your own message. Equally, if you fold your arms while you speak, you create an implied barrier between you and your audience. That’s why successful leaders learn how to control their posture and gestures to avoid negative or distracting body language.

Better Body Language: Just acting ‘naturally’ doesn’t work

Speaking to large groups of people isn’t a natural situation, so aiming to behave ‘naturally’ is an unhelpful goal. In fact, to transfer energy and enthusiasm to your audience, you need to be ‘more’ than you would normally be in smaller-scale interactions.

For example, to be impressive when presenting you need to be more expressive and more powerful in your command of space.

Positive Body Language: Increase your self awareness

At Benjamin Ball Associates, we film our clients during our coaching sessions. When they watch the footage, they are often surprised to see their body language contradicting their message.

For example, one speaker subtly shook his head in a ‘no’ gesture’ when he was answering ‘yes’ to a question. For a low-tech alternative, try delivering your talk in front of a mirror or recording yourself on a phone.  Learning how to watch yourself and improve from self-analysis is key.

A better presentation is the first step to better delivery

If your presentation is weak, even the best body language will leave audiences unmoved. Conversely, the better your presentation, the more confident you’ll feel about delivering it. You’ll find that your body language naturally improves once you feel confident and comfortable about your presentation.

That’s why we focus on getting that right first. In our presentation coaching We:

• Ensure you have a clear message
• Create a subtle structure that gently guides your audience
• Strengthen the language you use, so it is more powerful.
• Refine the start of your talk and end of your presentation until they produce maximum impact.

Then you’ll find polishing your body language much easier.

Start Improving My Body Language Today

Start your journey to world-class public speaking skills now

First, download our free ebook  to start your journey towards becoming a Powerful Presenter.

You’ll learn our 5-step process for transforming dull, forgettable and un-engaging presentations into your most Powerful Presentations yet: inspirational, memorable and persuasive.

It’s full of practical tips and insightful quotes that will help you make immediate improvements to your leadership talks and presentations, including:

• Increased confidence when you talk and present.
• Improved ability to persuade your audience.
• Greater engagement with your audience.
• Practical ways to plan and structure your talks.
• The inspiration and motivation to change.

Download your free copy of our  Five Steps to Transform your Leadership Talks ebook now.

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We can support you with all aspects of your talk. Not just body language, but also the content of your presentation, your voice and everything else that will make you a successful presenter.

Over 15+ years our award-winning team has helped hundreds of CEOs and senior executives deliver impressive and persuasive talks, speeches and presentations.

We can transform your presenting skills and your body language in as little as a few hours.

Call Louise on +44 20 7018 0922 or email [email protected] to find out more.

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We can help you present brilliantly. Thousands of people have benefitted from our tailored in-house coaching and advice – and we can help you too .

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Body Language During Presentation? Best 14 Tips To Use In 2024

Mattie Drucker • 08 Apr 2024 • 10 min read

What your body language during presentation says about you? Do’s and Don’ts! Let’s learn the best tips with AhaSlides!

So, what is the best presentation posture? Got awkward hands syndrome? You probably don’t because I just made that up. But – we all have moments when we don’t know what to do with our hands, legs, or any part of our body.

You may have a fantastic icebreaker , impeccable introduction , and excellent presentation, but the delivery is where it matters most. You don’t know what to do with yourself, and it’s perfectly normal .

• Tips for Better Engagement
• Personality in a Presentation
• How do you Express Yourself?
• Use  live word clouds  or  live Q&A  to  survey your audience  easier!
• Use  brainstorming tool  effectively by  AhaSlides idea board

Start in seconds.

Get free templates for your next interactive presentation. Sign up for free and take what you want from the template library!

To what extent do you know about a successful presentation? Aside from well-designed PowerPoint templates, it is important to utilize other performance skills, especially Body language. 

Now that you know that body language is an irreplaceable part of presentation skills, it is still far from mastering these skills to deliver effective presentations. 

This article will give you a holistic view of body language and how to take advantage of these skills for your perfect presentations.

Table of Contents

• Importance of body language during a presentation

Consider Your Appearance

Smile, and smile again, open your palms, make eye contact, hand clasping, touching ear.

• Don’t Point Your Finger

Control your Voice

Walking around, frequently asked questions, importance of body language for presentation.

With body language presentations, when it comes to communication, we mention verbal and non-verbal terms. It is crucial to remember that these terms have a relative relationship. Hence, what it is?

Verbal communication is using words to share information with other people, including both spoken and written language. For example, the word “how’s it going” that you choose to let others understand what you are trying to greet them. 

Nonverbal communication is the transfer of information through body language, facial expressions, gestures, created space, and more. For example, smiling when you meet someone conveys friendliness, acceptance, and openness.

Whether or not you’re aware of it, when you interact with others, you’re constantly giving and receiving wordless signals besides talking. All of your nonverbal behaviours—your posture, your intonation, the gestures you make, and how much eye contact you make—deliver vital messages. 

In particular, they can put people at ease, build trust, and draw attention, or they may offend and bewilder what you are attempting to express. These messages don’t stop when you stop speaking, either. Even when you’re silent, you’re still communicating nonverbally.

Similarly, a presentation is also a way of communicating with your audience; while speaking up about your idea, show body language to emphasize it. Thus, understanding the importance of non-verbal and verbal communication skills simultaneously will help you avoid dull presentations.

To make it much more straightforward, we explore elements of body language, a part of non-verbal communication skills. Body language comprises gestures, stances, and facial expressions. When you are presenting, robust and positive body language becomes a powerful instrument for building credibility, expressing your emotions, and connecting with your listeners. It also helps your listeners to concentrate more intently on you and your speech. Here, we give you 10+ language body examples and tips to leverage your 

10 Tips to master Body Language in Presentations

First, it is essential to have a neat look during presentations. Depending on which occasion, you may have to prepare the appropriate outfit and well-groomed hair to show your professionalism and respect to your listeners.

Think about the type and style of the event; they may have a strict dress code. Choose an outfit you’re much more likely to feel poised and confident in front of an audience. Avoid colours, accessories, or jewellery that might distract the audience, make noise, or cause glare under stage lights.

Don’t forget to “smile with your eyes” instead of just your mouth when smiling. It would help to make others feel your warmth and sincerity. Remember to maintain the smile even after an encounter—in fake happiness encounters; you may often see an “on-off” smile that flashes and then vanishes quickly after two people go their separate directions. 

When gesturing with your hands, make sure your hands are open most of the time and people can see your open palms. It is also a good idea to keep the palms facing most of the time upward rather than downward.

It is usually a bad idea to make eye contact with individual members of your audience! Finding a sweet spot for “long enough” to look at your listeners without being offensive or creepy is necessary. Give it a try to look at others for about 2 seconds to lessen awkwardness and nervousness. Don’t look at your notes to make more connections with your listeners.

Check out tips on Eye Contact in Communication

You may find these gestures helpful when you want to conclude a meeting or end an interaction with someone.  If you want to appear confident, you can use this cue with your thumbs stuck out—this signals confidence instead of stress.

Around close friends and trusted others, it’s lovely to relax your hands in your pockets once in a while. But if you want to make the other feel insecure, sticking your hands deep in your pockets is a surefire way to do it! 

Touching the ear or a self-soothing gesture subconsciously takes place when a person is anxious. But do you know it is a good help when encountering difficult questions from audiences? Touching your ear when thinking of solutions may make your overall posture more natural. 

Don’t Point Your Finger

Whatever you do, don’t point. Just make sure you never do it. Pointing a finger while talking is taboo in many cultures, not only in presentations. People always find it aggressive and uncomfortable, offensive somehow. 

In any presentation, speak slowly and clearly. When you want to underline the main points, you may speak even more slowly and repeat them. Intonation is necessary; let your voice rise up and down to make you sound natural. Sometimes say nothing for a while to have better communication.

Moving around or staying in one spot when you are presenting is fine. Yet, don’t overuse it; avoid walking back and forth all the time. Walk when you intend to engage the audience or while you are telling a funny story, or while the audience is laughing

4 Body Gestures Tips

In this article, we’ll spell out some quick tips on body language and how to develop your presentation skills regarding:

• Eye contact
• Hands & Shoulders
• Back & Head

Your body language is crucial because it not only makes you look more confident, assertive, and collected, but you will also end up feeling these things. You also should avoid looking down while talking.

Eyes – Body Language During Presentation

Don’t avoid eye contact like it’s the plague. Many people don’t know how to make eye contact and are taught to stare at the back wall or someone’s forehead. People can tell when you’re not looking at them and will perceive you to be nervous and distant. I was one of those presenters because I thought public speaking was the same as acting. When I did theatre productions in high school, they encouraged us to look at the back wall and not engage with the audience because it would take them out of the fantasy world we were creating. I learned the hard way that acting is not the same as public speaking. There are similar aspects, but you don’t want to block the audience from your presentation – you want to include them, so why would you pretend they aren’t there?

On the other hand, some people are taught to look at just one person who is also a bad habit. Staring at one individual the entire time will make them very uncomfortable and that atmosphere will distract the other audience members as well.

DO connect with people like you would a normal conversation. How do you expect people to want to engage with you if they don’t feel seen? One of the most helpful presentation skills I’ve learned from Nicole Dieker is that people love attention! Take time to connect with your audience. When people feel that a presenter cares about them, they feel important and encouraged to share their emotions. Shift your focus to different audience members to foster an inclusive environment. Especially engage with those already looking at you. Nothing is worse than staring down at someone looking at their phone or program.

Use as much eye contact as you would when talking to a friend. Public speaking is the same, just on a larger scale and with more people. 

Hands – Body Language During Presentation

Don’t restrict yourself or overthink it. There are so many ways to hold your hands incorrectly, like behind your back (which comes off as aggressive and formal), below your belt (limiting movement), or stiffly by your sides (which feels awkward). Don’t cross your arms; this comes off as defensive and aloof. Most importantly, don’t over-gesture! This will not only become exhausting, but the audience will begin to fixate on how tired you must be rather than the content of your presentation. Make your presentation easy to watch, and, therefore, easy to understand.

DO rest your hands at a neutral position. This will be a bit above your belly button. The most successful looking neutral position is either holding one hand in another or simply just touching them together in whatever way your hands would naturally.  Hands, arms, and shoulders are the most important visual cue for the audience. You should gesture like your typical body language in a regular conversation. Don’t be a robot!

Below is a quick video by Steve Bavister , and I recommend you watch it to visualize what I just described.

Legs – Body Language During Presentation

Don’t lock your legs and stand still. Not only is it dangerous, but it also makes you look uncomfortable (making the audience uncomfortable). And no one likes to feel uncomfortable! The blood will start to pool in your legs, and without movement, the blood will have difficulty recirculating to the heart. This makes you susceptible to passing out, which would definitely be … you guessed it … uncomfortable . On the contrary, don’t move your legs too much. I’ve been to a few presentations where the speaker is rocking back and forth, back and forth, and I paid so much attention to this distracting behaviour that I forgot what he was talking about!

DO use your legs as an extension of your hand gestures. Take a step forward if you want to make a statement that connects with your audience. Take a step back if you want to give space for thought after an astounding idea. There is a balance to it all. Think of the stage as a single plane – you shouldn’t turn your back on the audience. Walk in a way inclusive of all people in the space and move around so you can be visible from every seat. 

Back – Body Language During Presentation

Don’t fold into yourself with slumped shoulders, drooping head, and curved neck. People have subconscious biases against this form of body language and will begin to question your capability as a presenter if you project as a defensive, self-conscious, and insecure speaker. Even if you don’t identify with these descriptors, your body will show it. 

DO convince them of your confidence with your posture. Stand straight like your head is connected to a taught string attached to the ceiling. If your body language portrays confidence, you will become confident. You will be surprised by how little adjustments will improve or worsen your speech delivery. Try using these presentation skills in the mirror and see for yourself!

Lastly, if you have confidence in your presentation, your body language will improve drastically. Your body will reflect how proud you are of your visuals and preparedness. AhaSlides is a great tool to use if you want to become a more confident presenter and WOW your audience with real-time interactive tools they can access while you’re presenting. Best part? It’s free!

Conclusion 

So, what does body language during the presentation say about you? Let’s take advantage of our tips and consider how to incorporate them into your presentation. Don’t hesitate to practice in front of the mirror at home or with a familiar audience and ask for feedback. Practice makes perfect. You’ll be able to master your body language and get favourable outcomes from your presentation . 

Extra tip : For a virtual online presentation or wearing a mask, you may encounter difficulties in showing body language; you can think of leveraging your presentation template to capture the audience’s attention with 100+ AhaSlides types of presentation templates . 

What to do with your hands when presenting

When presenting, it’s important to use your hands purposefully to make a positive impression and enhance your message. Therefore, you should keep your hands relaxed with open palms, use gestures to benefit your presentation and maintain eye contact with your audience.

When presenting to a neutral audience, why should I present both sides of the issue?

Presenting both sides of an issue to a neutral audience is essential, as it helps lots to engage with the audience, enables your critical thinking skills, makes your presentation better and also helps to increase credibility.

Which type of gestures should be avoided in a speech?

You should avoid distraction gestures, like: speaking dramatically but not relevant to your contents; fidgeting like tapping your fingers or playing with objects; pointing fingers (which show disrespect); crossing arms and surprisingly and overly formal gestures!

Mattie Drucker

Public speaking trainer at AhaSlides

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Microsoft 365 Life Hacks > Presentations > How to use body language effectively during your presentation

How to use body language effectively during your presentation

Understanding grammar basics will make you a better writer, and mastering prepositional phrases is key. To improve your writing and communicate clearly to your audience, know what prepositional phrases are and how to use them correctly.

Your body has something to say

Body language is a powerful form of nonverbal communication. Whether you’re talking with a friend or waiting for a bus, your body is always sending signals out to those around you. During a presentation, when all eyes are on you, the importance of body language is heightened. Here’s some key areas to be aware of:

• Your facial expressions. You can heighten or emphasize your message as you speak or pause with subtle movements such as raised eyebrows or larger expressions such as a smile.
• Your hands. Your hands might be at your sides, in your pockets or gesturing to illustrate a point or your material. Each position conveys something different to observers.
• Your feet. Are you staying in one place, shifting your weight from foot to foot, or walking around? How fast are you walking? Those are potential clues to your feelings in the moment.
• Your position. How close are you standing to others? Are you standing straight or slouched slightly. Are you in front of, next to, or behind your materials and visual aids? During a presentation, position is key—try standing in front of a projector and see if your message gets across.

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Making body language work effectively for you

If you think about the areas above, you can probably think of strengths and challenges you have with each. Maybe you tend to “talk with your hands” or shrink away from your audience because of presentation anxiety . These tips can help you remember what to focus on and help you overcome some of your natural tendencies that might be distracting your audience. You’re the area of focus, so whatever you do will have a disproportionate impact on those watching.

• Smile. Smiling can help you feel more confident in the moment and eventually raise your level of happiness. Plus, you’ll look more approachable and even glad to see your audience, no matter if you’re still a bit nervous. Of course, if your content is more serious or has a moment where the tone changes, make sure your expression is appropriate for what you’re saying. But a slight smile that says, “I know what I’m talking about, and I want to share it with you” is generally a good default face to have.
• Shift your gaze. It’s totally ok if you’re still at the “look above the audience’s head” stage of presenting, and eye contact is less important in virtual presentations , since you need to be focused on the camera. But if you’re in person and you’re able to direct where you look, doing a slow pan glance over the crowd, or finding a few friendly faces to periodically zoom in on, can help provide that important illusion of confidence and strengthen your connection to the audience overall.
• Think about when you want to gesture. Don’t be afraid to gesture but try to choose gestures that will emphasize your language or your topic in any given moment, rather than wildly waving your hands about. Controlled gestures are a very effective tool, as your audience’s eyes will follow your hands—but not if they realize your hands are going nowhere most of the time.
• Be open and try to stand up straight. Have your shoulders tilted toward the audience rather than away to convey your desire to connect with them. Also, avoid slouching, which can also project a lack of confidence in your words or material, and instead try to subtly point your chest toward the crowd, as if you’re leading with your message. And try to be rooted but ready, not shifting from side to side as you speak.
• Control your pace. While you can stand in one spot while you present, it’s sometimes more impactful to be able to move around slightly when illustrating a point or perhaps telling a story. Try to move slowly and with purpose so as not to look too nervous, like you’re pacing, and so you can avoid being a distraction to those who already have trouble focusing. And, it goes without saying that you want to make sure you’re not talking too fast, particularly if you’re committed to moving around.

You can practice your presentation with an eye toward rethinking your body language, or if you’re working on a new one, look for moments to incorporate strategic body language, as if you’re an actor working through a scene. Have a friend or trusted colleague watch you and take notes so they can share feedback later, and if someone else isn’t handy, the mirror is a tried-and-true way to reflect on how you might be coming across as you speak.

Using body language effectively can take your presentations up a notch. So, start thinking about how you can train your body to be just as convincing and as confident as your words, and soon, the audience will be hanging on your every sentence.

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Importance of Body Language in Presentations (+ Good & Bad Examples)

All eyes are on you.

Before you’ve even spoken the first word, your audience can already read how you’re feeling through your body language.

Nonverbal cues are the key indicators of your true emotions. If you’re a nervous presenter, this doesn’t work to your advantage, but fear not, as it is a skill that can be taught and mastered with practice.

We’ll dive into the importance of body language in presenting, which nonverbal cues are most important when presenting and what not to do when all eyes are on you. Plus, how to use body language in sit-down presentations.

• Why is Body Language Important in Presentations

5 Non-Verbal Cues to Think About When Presenting

What body language not to use when presenting.

• Body Language Tips to Rock Your Next Presentation
• BONUS: How to Use Body Language for a Remote Presentation

Why is Body Language Important in Presentations?

In simple terms, body language can make or break your presentation.

Anyone can get up on stage and talk. But it’s how you present and use body language to convey your passion and authority that will keep your audience engaged in the long run. Your body language can reinforce your points and guide your audience towards the next stage of your presentation.

Before you’ve even said the first word of your presentation or speech, it’s likely that the audience has already decided whether they trust you or not.

There are lots of different aspects that go into acing your body language. We’ll go over 5 of them in more detail.

Body language is heavily influenced by 5 other nonverbal cues that you should be aware of when presenting – trust us, they make a big difference. These include:

• Hand gestures
• Eye contact
• Facial expressions

Let's get started...

1. Hand gestures

The purpose of hand gestures during a presentation is to make your message clearer, not more complicated. Using the right amount of hand gestures is the key. Overly exaggerated gestures can be distracting but using clear gestures can add impact to your points. For example, using gestures to address certain slides, making contrasts or a numbered list – the combination of visual and audio aids will draw in your audience’s attention.

Show your enthusiasm through controlled and natural gestures, not forced hand gestures that can distract your audience.

2. Eye contact

Have you ever heard someone say, “…you could see the emotion in their eyes”? This isn’t a lie. Human beings portray lots of emotion and feelings in their eyes, so much so that many of us can understand what another person is saying just by eye movements alone. Use the audience’s eyes and body language to gauge their reaction to your presentation – if they look bored, make changes to your tone or try to engage them.

When it comes to eye contact when presenting, aim to use 50% eye contact as you’re speaking and looking around the room intently to show your audience your confidence and interest in the subject. Your eyes can also help incorporate the audience into your presentation, making them feel part of the process.

Presentation posture is all about standing tall, chin up and open arms – never crossed. This can be tricky if you’re a nervous presenter. But, if your audience can tell that you’re afraid of them, it’ll be hard to win over their trust and full attention.

Stand with your feet apart, shoulders open and naturally relaxed. This will convey confidence and authority and will invite your audience in, instead of pushing them away. Having good posture will also help you to breathe more easily and project your voice further across the room – particularly useful if you’re presenting to a big group.

Here are several great examples of presentation posture:

4. Movement

X marks the spot. There’s an old myth that every presenter should stand still, feet shoulder width apart and just simply speak – almost like a statue. Now, we see some of the best presenters (whether it be during TED Talks or CEO product launches) walking around the stage with confidence and natural energy. We are human beings after all – it’s not in our nature to simply stand still.

It’s easy to get this confused though. The key is not to walk or pace around as if you’re getting your daily steps in. Instead, walk slowly between your key talking points when describing less important details of your presentation. Use your movements to punctuate your statements and stop to make an impact. Just be sure to match your movements with your presentation slides in the background so your audience isn’t distracted.

Want more body language examples? View our other post on why body language is important in communication for bonus videos.

5. Facial expressions

We, humans, can make over 10,000 facial expressions. When it comes to presenting, your facial expressions can suggest a lot to your audience. For example, a monotone facial expression can suggest a lack of interest or belief in your own ideas to your audience. If you’re not interested in your own words and ideas, you can’t expect your audience to be.

It’s important to fully utilise the power of facial expressions when presenting. Watch the faces of your audience to get an insight into how they’re feeling as you present – then you can make adjustments to your own expressions to keep them engaged. Also, if your audience is a big one, ensure you exaggerate your expressions so everyone can read your face.

1. Slouch or look uncomfortable

We get it, presenting isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But sometimes it cannot be avoided, especially if you hold a senior position in the organisation. Your posture tells a lot more about you than you think. Try to stand up straight, take your arms away from your body and relax your shoulders.

Not only will this make you feel more confident, but it’ll also make you look more confident, and it will tell your audience that you know what you’re talking about giving them a reason to believe you.

Watch this video for an example of a good and bad presentation – see if you can spot the differences! Tag us on Twitter at @UModernGov and tell us what you find.

2. Turn away from your audience

Moving around in the right moments of your presentation can be impactful but be sure to not turn your back on your audience at any point. As 93% of communication is nonverbal, turning your back on your audience means you’ve lost the impact of your nonverbal cues, but you’re also making it difficult for your audience to hear you and understand what you truly mean.

It’s okay to gesture to the screen if you’re talking about a specific presentation slide, but make sure to keep your body language open and turn towards your audience to keep the attention on your point.

3. Use too many/over-exaggerated hand gestures

Although hand gestures can be a great way to show your passion for a subject, using too many or overly extravagant hand gestures can be distracting or even off-putting to some audience members. You don’t want them spending their time calculating which direction their arms are going to go in next – you want them focused on your words and presentation.

3 Body Language Tips to Rock Your Next Presentation

• Maintain eye contact – No matter how big or small your audience is, look them in the eye. No, we don’t mean staring so much to creep them out, we mean looking at them every so often to create a bond and ensure they are focused on you and your words.
• Use open body language – Avoid closing yourself off. If you’re standing still and tense, your audience will feel this. Using open body language will help you clearly express your message in a positive professional and natural manner.
• Get advice or record yourself to see how your body language really looks – it can be difficult to know how your body language really comes across when presenting, especially if it’s not something you do often. Ask a friend to help you practice your presentation or record a practice run to help you see how to improve your body language.

Use this helpful graphic to understand the body language you use and how you can improve.

Bonus: How to Use Body Language for a Remote Presentation

Sometimes you might not have the option of conducting a standing presentation. If this is the case, there are things you can do to still promote positive body language to your audience. Sitting down and presenting your ideas or opinions can offer a great chance to be intimate with your listeners. Use this time to engage in natural sharing in a casual and relaxed tone – putting the listeners at ease.

While you might not have the chance to use your full body to show communication, you can still keep your arms open, and back straight, hand gestures natural and use clear facial expressions and eye contact to support your points.

5 Quick Tips for an Effective Remote Presentation:

• Use vocal variety and modulation to increase your personal impact: A monotonous voice is difficult to listen to so ensure that yours is full of vocal colour. Practice by reading out loud and varying tone, emphasis, and pitch and never forget the power of the pause.
• Become an excellent storyteller : Create a narrative for the meeting so that it flows efficiently. Use examples and stories and ask questions to engage your colleagues in order to get buy-in so that you influence effectively.
• Articulate your message with clarity: Ensure that every word can be easily understood by opening your mouth well and using your articulators - tongue, teeth, lips, hard and soft palate - to maintain clarity. Keep your message short and concise to achieve maximum impact.
• Sit "well" and own your space: Ensure your feet are flat on the ground and that your sitting bones are comfortably in the back of the seat. Sitting too close to the screen can come across as being mildly threatening to the viewer. Use gestures with definition, but also with grace.
• Be aware of your physical presentation: Dress appropriately in single-block colours to avoid distraction. Look behind you to ensure the backdrop your colleagues are witnessing is one you want to reveal.

Your Voice and Body Language Go Hand in Hand – Learn How to Combine The Two Effectively

Now you’ve got your body language in check, it’s time to make sure your words follow suit. Take a look at our upcoming Confidence & Resilience training courses  to present the maximum impact.

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Body language cheat sheet: 30 Tips for a successful presentation

Average: 5 ( 2 votes)

When you give a presentation or talk in front of an audience, your body language will have a major influence on whether or not your message is received. Body language can affect whether the audience believes you are credible, whether your message is valuable and interesting, and whether they should take stock of what you are saying and get on board with your ideas.

Albert Mehrabian , Professor Emeritus of Psychology at UCLA, is a global expert on the importance of verbal and nonverbal messages. His findings confirm that our body language must be congruent with our message because our words convey only 7% of the meaning, our vocal expression 38% and our body language a whopping 55% of what the audience will remember and believe about you as a speaker.

Even if your content is invaluable, the message your body is delivering will be the deciding factor to whether your audience will engage with you.

We’ve narrowed down hundreds of ideas to the top 30 body language tips to use during your next presentation. These tips range from how to draw on your natural charisma to how to get the audience pays attention to your key points. But before we get to all 30 tips, here is a cheat sheet that will make it easy to make a good impression. 

Body Language Cheat Sheet

To make this even easier, here is a cheat sheet with all of the best body language tips for impactful presentations . 

You may be also interested in The Essential Speaker Checklist

Where will a "rock on" sign offend your audience? Plus 9 other gestures to avoid internationally.

Top 30 body language tips for great presentations.

You have seven seconds . Studies found that first impressions matter a lot, people will have largely formed their opinion about you based on the first several seconds of watching your talk, so make sure your intro counts.

Tap into your emotions. True engagement requires a level of emotional involvement, and the best way to cultivate this is to focus on your own emotions. Before your get on stage, ask yourself how you feel about your message. What do you want the audience to feel? By focusing intensely on what you are feeling, your body language will automatically convey it to the audience.

Loosen your shoulders . Keep your back straight but not rigid, and shoulders relaxed. When you are nervous or tense, it usually shows up in your shoulders, which will move up, in and forward. Loosen them up by giving them a small shake, and pulling them down and back.

Keep your arms relaxed at your sides . Your arms are a great indicator as to whether you are an open and trustworthy person, or whether you are insecure or hiding something. Keep your arms uncrossed and avoid standing with your hands on your hips, hiding your arms behind your back, or clutching your hands up by your chest: as these actions can subconsciously alarm your audience.

Use your hands to gesture when you speak . Proper gestures improve your credibility with the audience, while improving your thought process. Your hands can be used to describe something or to add weight to a point you are trying to make. Be cautious about going overboard because it might become distracting.

Balance out good eye contact. Eye contact communicates sincerity and credibility. Avoiding eye-contact might make you seem insecure or untrustworthy. Effective speakers engage one person at a time, focusing long enough to complete a sentence, before moving to a different person, or in case of large audiences, sections of the crowd in front of you. This being said, don’t stare, as maintaining too much eye-contact might make people uncomfortable, generally around 4 to 5 seconds is perfect.

Monitor your voice . Keep your voice at an even level, and don’t let your tones spike too high. By taking a deep breath and speaking slowly and clearly, you will give the impression that you are relaxed and confident: things which will keep your audience engaged.   

Smile often and laugh occasionally. Smiling and laughter will put your audience at ease: people will be more inclined to listen to you if you seem to be a positive person. There is a fine balance between seeming positive and going overboard, laughing too much will it make you seem nervous and needy, while keeping a smile plastered on your face will make you seem insincere. Keep it simple: relaxed and happy.

Avoid fidgeting. It might make you seem nervous and can be distracting for the listeners. Avoid fidgety movements such as tapping your foot, clicking a marker lid, or drumming your fingers against the podium. You’ll seem nervous and it will distract your audience. Slow down and keep your movements focused.

Keep your eyes on the audience . It can be tempting when you get on stage to keep your eyes trained on the ground or to focus solely on your slides, but this might make you seem like you don’t really know what you are doing. Keep your head up straight, and your eyes towards the audience.

Slow down. Speaking and walking slower not only makes you seem more calm and confident, it will also help you feel less nervous.

Keep your neck straight . While standing with a straight back is part of good posture, it’s important to remember to include your neck- don’t let it stoop forward, as this will block your voice, and make it more challenging to maintain great eye contact with the audience. Keep your whole spine straight and aligned.

Make a great entrance . Even if you’ve received an amazing an introduction, your audience might not be ready to start. Their thoughts are still with the person who introduced you, the message they just recieved on their smartphone, or the remark their colleague sitting next to them just made. To be sure your listeners are receptive by walking to center stage and looking at the audience silently for a moment. Smile and nod slightly. Once you feel the audience's attention building, it is the perfect time to start speaking.

Keep your words and your facial expression consistent. Inconsistency causes people to sense that something isn't quite right. They might even begin to suspect that you're trying to deceive them, or that you have no idea what you are talking about. Be conscious about the consistency between your expressions and words.

Avoid exaggerated body language. Not only will it seem disingenuous, but can be interpreted as neediness. For example, people may perceive very heavy nodding as an attempt to show you agree with or understand something that you actually don't.

Working with objects . Whenever you are dealing with props or technology in a talk, from a remote clicker to a flip chart marker, make sure you know what your are doing and that it works! You can easily derail your talk with a malfunction. When you are done using the object, put it to the side: it will reduce the temptation to continue playing with the object after it has served its use.

Amplifying your most important points with gestures. Make your actions appropriate to what you’re saying. Audiences are drawn to movement and you can easily emphasize a point with the right gestures.

Take center stage. Stand front and center on the stage, where everyone in the audience can see you. That spot should be your main position. However you are not locked there, move away from time to time for emphasis or to change direction in your speech. Remember to go back to center stage so the entire audience can see you the majority of the time.

Command the stage by trusting your content . Whatever the content of your message, your physical presence needs to match your material in terms of impact. Understand why you are up there and the story you want to tell: the beginning, middle and end. Confidence is key.

Move with purpose . If you move when you speak, you’ll keep the audience’s attention. Try moving toward the audience before making a key point, and away when you change subject. You can also use the stage to facilitate the movement of your ideas. For example, if you’re presenting three issues, talk about each of them from a different physical position. Make sure you are front and center stage when you are making your most important points. If the room is smaller and the audience is seated in a U-shape, feel free to walk “inside the bay” even if some participants will see only your back for a few moments - then make sure you walk back before the lack of eye contact becomes uncomfortable for anyone.

Don’t grip the podium or microphone stand.  If you're using a podium or microphone stand, place your hands lightly on the top of it or in a relaxed hold, white knuckles will not instill confidence in your listeners and prevent you from using supporting gestures.

Stay steady. Avoid shifting from your weight from one foot to the other. Stand with your feet firmly planted on the floor, with your weight equally distributed on both feet.

Avoid physical blockages. Make sure you are not partially hidden behind a desk, podium or flipchart.  If you are obscured behind something, it will be more difficult for the audience to focus on you and your message. If you must stand behind something, do so with assurance and not as if you are shrinking from the audience.

Be mindful of your blinking. Blinking too much is a sign you’re uncomfortable. Try to relax, and if you find yourself blinking excessively, close your eyes for just a second and opening them again slowly.

Dress for success. Adjust your clothing to set the tone. When it comes to sending signals through your body language, the way you dress can instantly send your audience a plethora of messages. If you are not certain of what the tone should be: find out from the organizer - you don’t want to come across as too stiff or too casual by overdressing or underdressing. Dressing is also affected by the genre of your talk: if you’re the keynote at a corporate event, this may require elegant outfit while being a trainer for a 2-day seminar may warrant a business casual dress.

Pay attention to your palms. Gestures with palms exposed show that you are open and expressive, while palms turned down indicate that you are decisive and feel strongly about what you are saying.

Scripts kill your charisma . Speakers who offer more vocal variety are not only more charismatic, but audience believe them to be more credible. When a talk is too scripted and perfected, audiences generally become bored quicker. Interestingly, even if you are delivering a webinar without video, audiences who only hear your voice can still tell if you are reading it from a paper or talk only on the basis of bullet points but adding your own words.

Widen your stance to sound dynamic. Your voice reverberates up from your entire body, not just your mouth. Open up your stance a little wider than hip distance. This will calm your nervous system, allows you to breathe with ease, and amplify your voice.

Facial expression. Expressions can build a connection with your audience, or undermine your every word. Avoid artificial, unfriendly, or deadpan expressions. Include facial expressions that support your stories and actually reflect your emotions.

Stay positive . Most importantly maintain an open and relaxed attitude. How you feel will come through in your body language, which will have the greatest impact on your talk.

The Do’s and Don’ts When Giving a Presentation

Introducing the Speaking Model Canvas

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15 science-backed ways to level up your non-verbal communication

Where will a "rock on" sign offend your audience? Plus 9 other gestures to avoid internationally

Improve Your Presentation With Body Language

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Why Body Language Is So Important In A Presentation

Expert speakers know how to use body language to their advantage. They’re fully aware of what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. They do this to make sure that their audience is paying attention and understanding them better.

There are some really simple tricks and tips to make sure you use the correct body language when presenting. The first is never let your hands drop below your waistline; you should always keep your hands above waist height in order to project your thoughts through your non-verbal’s.

When a person speaks or moves in a certain way, they emit information about their thoughts and feelings – either consciously or without realizing it. We will cover the dos and don’ts later in the post.

What Is the Importance of Body Language in Effective Presentations

The most powerful tips you can use quickly in any presentation, correct eye contact, eyebrow flash, keep your hand above your waist line and palms out, dress to impress, learn from other presenters.

Many people think that body language is just what you project from your physical body, but it’s a lot more than that. It’s how you communicate with others without words or a ton of gestures.

We communicate about 60% of what we are saying through body language, so if we are not congruent with what we are saying, this can send mixed signals to your audience.

Body language can convey a message to others about what you’re going through and how you’re feeling without any words being said at all.

There are ways to project confidence or positivity when you do your presentation with your non-verbal’s

Public speaking is something that many people dread, but it doesn’t have to be. There are many things you can do to make your presentation more memorable, persuasive, and powerful.

It is important for you to know that the audience takes notice of everything that happens on stage. This may include how well you speak, what you wear, and how confident you are in what you say.

The following are 10 powerful tips for public speaking.

Walking on to the stage or getting up in front of an audience.

Believe it or not, your audience will have already decided whether or not they like you within a fraction of a second. Most people will make that decision within a few seconds when they first see you and you walk onto the stage. That’s why it’s important to dress to impress; everyone knows that the sayings “know, like and true” are true.

Well, the way you dress is super important as a first impression.

You need to walk onto the stage with open body language, hands out, palms open. You are being judged on whether you are good for them or if you should be moved away because they are going to put us in danger.

The Five Minimum Requirements in Order to Win the Crowd

The question people will ask themselves subconsciously is this person going to be a friend? Do they look like someone I already know? If that is the case you are now gathering data, that fits your assumption about how they are like someone you already know.

• Eye contact
• Open hands above the waste with palms out
• Dress accordingly

If you don’t tick the four boxes above, you could be seen as either an energy-efficient person or someone we don’t like. That could turn the audience off or even worse against you initially.

When you walk on stage, try to make eye contact with as many people as possible. Eye contact is one of the most powerful things we have in our arsenal when we use body language. You don’t want to stare at people for too long. For each person, you should spend about two seconds, and then move on to the next person. You also want to count this pattern as you deliver your presentation, constantly looking at your audience will help you deliver your message.

There is a way to read the room through a blink rate. You can tell if your audience are loving what you are saying or becoming bored simply by observing their blink rate. To find out the quick calculation check out how to notice blink rate in an audience and crush it here.

There are two types of smiles: a fake one and a real one called a Duchenne smile. This is a smile that uses your eyes and makes the corners of your eyes wrinkle sometimes known as crow’s feet. We like to call it a true, genuine smile of happiness.

It has been proven that the more you smile, the better you will feel. When you smile, your brain releases neuropeptides that help you relieve stress and calm you down in that moment.

Most people will reflect this back to you through their nonverbal cues, and that’s what you want when delivering a presentation, people on your side.

The eyebrow flash is a nonverbal signal that tells others you recognize them subconsciously. Try this with the next person you see: raise your eyebrows without speaking to them nine times out of ten, they will flash theirs back to say, “We saw you and we’re okay with that.”

This one is not to be underestimated. Most body language is simple as it has been bred into use, but interlingually understanding something is a totally different matter altogether.

Often you need to gain trust quickly and one of the quickest ways is with your hands open or palms showing above the waistline. The universal gesture is called the truth plane, it’s where you gesture from the navel area with palms open. This shows you have no weapons or tools that could hurt them. Yes, it’s basic, but it’s how evolution has structured us to stay safe so we may as well use it.

Have you ever been in a public place and a homeless person walked past or tried to engage with you? Your first instinct is to move away from them or get them away from you as quickly as possible. That’s because they probably smell and are wearing old, dirty clothes.

Now, if you’re reading this, chances are it won’t be you. But I want you to consider what you’re wearing as you will be judged on your appearance.

If you’re delivering a formal presentation, business attire is in order, and maybe a fresh haircut. Being well grooms sends a signal to others you look after yourself so you can look after this project or message you are tiring to deliver.

Stand with your feet about shoulder with apart, stand like a normal person then you wanna put just a tiny bit of weight on the front of your foot.

Stand up straight, put your head straight forward and expose just a little of your neck so you feel more comfortable. Make sure you’re not too exposed or it’s going to look awkward.

If you start to feel tense, squeeze your toes to release any excess energy.

One of the most powerful Ted Talks we have ever seen on body language and presentation is Mark Bowden’s TedX Toronto Talks below. Watching this will give you an idea of how to present. He is using embedded commands and all the tips mentioned above.

Choose your behavior around people. Most of the people you see will be indifferent to you, you were designed this way. You will also notice people who are like you and you feel comfortable with automatically. You need to be aware of your body language and tone of voice in order to deliver a successful message. This will help with establishing rapport and create a feeling of friendship. If you can do this successfully, you will have more credibility as a speaker and be able to better deliver your points and understand why body language is so important in a presentation.

Body Language Matters

Ace the Presentation

11 Best Body Language Tips For Engaging Presentations (#11 is Underrated)

Growing up, we were always taught how we should have manners while talking to others and that there were some things we could not do in front of people like sprawling or even putting our elbows on the table while eating because it was rude.

In the examples above, the rudeness comes from gestures, not from verbal speech. When it comes to public speaking, our body language can also speak and reveal many things that you didn’t know you were saying, or you didn’t want to.

For example, your shaking and trembling or always looking at your notes transmit loud and clear that you are not confident, and therefore it reduces your credibility.

I want you to come off as a credible, confident, assertive, inspiring, and commanding speaker, who exudes confidence, build rapport, and WOWs the audience. 

• Maintain eye contact
• Walk around a little bit
• Widen your stance
• Vary your gestures
• Stand confidently
• Control your face expressions
• Do not lean on the podium or table
• Using your hands effectively
• Use body and space
• Use the power of Pause and breathe slowly

Related Articles that I strongly advise you to Check after this one:

12 Body Language Mistakes to AVOID During a Presentation

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6 Solid Tips on How to Make Eye Contact While Speaking

11 Best Body Language Tips For Engaging Presentations

This tip helps you connect visually with the audience; by looking them in the eye, you will seem more like a person who is confident and knows his stuff.

“Look for a friendly face.” Says many people, I would like to advise you against it.

Staring at one person can be uncomfortable for the person you are looking at because she will feel pressured, and it is also awkward for the rest of the audience because they can understand what is going on.

You can look at different ‘kind’ faces in the audience but don’t stare.

Walking around can take off a little bit of the tension if you get anxious when giving presentations. 

It also allows you to better manage the stage space and get the audience to focus on you rather than any props or visual aids.

How you stand in front of your audience is vital because of how people will perceive you. 

Standing or sitting with a posture that looks like you are lazy or tired does not help build trust, credibility, or engage your audience.

It does not matter if you are sitting or standing; you should lift your shoulders slightly, so you look focused and confident.

We see some people who, while delivering presentations, always talk with their hands, which can get the audience absent-minded and focused only on the movements you do.

To avoid that, you should change your gestures from time to time. For example, you can use your hands and arms to explain something very expressively, nod your head when you are talking about something you agree with.

When sitting, avoid flapping your legs because it can be understood as nervousness or an unconfident sign.

Don’t point to the audience too because that can be very intrusive and you might lose your public.

It’s easy to stand confidently when you are using adequate clothing for the event you are attending. Avoid wearing too tight clothes or even too short.

Don’t wear clothes that are too colorful and have many designs that could distract the audience from the main focus: your presentation and the message you are there to deliver.

Some people don’t like to smile, it is simply not natural to them, but smiling can be quite a remarkable tool to keep the audience engaged when delivering a speech.

Remembering that maybe you are briefing to people you never saw, you need to have a friendly face. Don’t force yourself to smile if you don’t usually do it first in a mirror, so it doesn’t get creepy.

It is essential to have a friendly face because that way, the audience can be much more open and receptive to what you will talk about.

• Control your facial expression

Sometimes you may get lost while delivering a presentation or even making a mistake and saying a word you shouldn’t have.

Anyone can make a mistake, and you are not going to be the first nor the last, so have fun while delivering your message, so your facial expressions are as spontaneous as possible.

The picture above is an example of what not to do in a presentation.

Leaning on that one place will make it hard for you to make your gestures and get to know all the friendly faces you can find in the room.

You can start small; on the first 5-7 minutes, you stay at the podium, and then you start walking a little bit and connect with people.

Look at it as if it was an intense conversation. When you have it, you want to express your passion, so your body simply flows with you. 

• When using your hands keep them open

Keeping your hands reversed and opened while delivering your message can mean that you are receptive to hearing their point of view, so it helps make it conversational.

Another tip is keeping your hands like the speaker in the image above; it means that you are a wise and easy-going person.

As I told you before, you need to command the space you are giving your presentation because it shows that you are confident and comfortable in your own skin and with the topic.

When sitting down, cross your legs as four to make yourself look cordial and a really serious person.

• Use the Power of PAUSE and Breath Slowly

With the last ten tips, you might forget the most underrated body language tip of all – using pause effectively and breathing.

A member of the audience can ask a challenging and intriguing question for you to answer. A deep breath helps you have time to think about it.

Still, if you don’t answer them, remember to make it conversational and ask her and all the members what they think about it. That way, you engage all the audience.

You can also use PAUSE when delivering a speech to cause suspense or call your audience’s attention when they are distracted.

Communicating through effective body language or gestures is as important as verbal communication, and vice versa. 

It is a powerful tool to connect with your audience, relax and calm your nerves, appear more confident, and build credibility.

If you have fun while doing it, your public will feel it, and your message will hit home most engagingly and interestingly, as it should.

References and Further Reading

Barnard, D (2017). Consulted in “ The Importance of Eye Contact during a Presentation ” , October 18th, 2020

Amadebai, E.   13 Ways to Effectively Deliver an Awesome Pitch Presentation .

LowenBraun, N. Consulted in : Duarte Website  “ Remember These 6 Facial Expression Tips When Presenting ” , October 16th, 2020.

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What Are Effective Presentation Skills (and How to Improve Them)

Presentation skills are essential for your personal and professional life. Learn about effective presentations and how to boost your presenting techniques.

At least seven out of 10 Americans agree that presentation skills are essential for a successful career [ 1 ]. Although it might be tempting to think that these are skills reserved for people interested in public speaking roles, they're critical in a diverse range of jobs. For example, you might need to brief your supervisor on research results.

Presentation skills are also essential in other scenarios, including working with a team and explaining your thought process, walking clients through project ideas and timelines, and highlighting your strengths and achievements to your manager during performance reviews.

Whatever the scenario, you have very little time to capture your audience’s attention and get your point across when presenting information—about three seconds, according to research [ 2 ]. Effective presentation skills help you get your point across and connect with the people you’re communicating with, which is why nearly every employer requires them.

Understanding what presentation skills are is only half the battle. Honing your presenting techniques is essential for mastering presentations of all kinds and in all settings.

What are presentation skills?

Presentation skills are the abilities and qualities necessary for creating and delivering a compelling presentation that effectively communicates information and ideas. They encompass what you say, how you structure it, and the materials you include to support what you say, such as slides, videos, or images.

You'll make presentations at various times in your life. Examples include:

Making speeches at a wedding, conference, or another event

Making a toast at a dinner or event

Explaining projects to a team 

Delivering results and findings to management teams

Teaching people specific methods or information

Proposing a vote at community group meetings

Pitching a new idea or business to potential partners or investors

Why are presentation skills important? 

Delivering effective presentations is critical in your professional and personal life. You’ll need to hone your presentation skills in various areas, such as when giving a speech, convincing your partner to make a substantial purchase, and talking to friends and family about an important situation.

No matter if you’re using them in a personal or professional setting, these are the skills that make it easier and more effective to convey your ideas, convince or persuade others, and experience success. A few of the benefits that often accompany improving your presentation skills include:

Enriched written and verbal communication skills

Enhanced confidence and self-image

Boosted critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities

Better motivational techniques

Increased leadership skills

Expanded time management, negotiation, and creativity

The better your presenting techniques, the more engaging your presentations will be. You could also have greater opportunities to make positive impacts in business and other areas of your life.

Effective presentation skills

Imagine yourself in the audience at a TED Talk or sitting with your coworkers at a big meeting held by your employer. What would you be looking for in how they deliver their message? What would make you feel engaged?

These are a few questions to ask yourself as you review this list of some of the most effective presentation skills.

Verbal communication

How you use language and deliver messages play essential roles in how your audience will receive your presentation. Speak clearly and confidently, projecting your voice enough to ensure everyone can hear. Think before you speak, pausing when necessary and tailoring the way you talk to resonate with your particular audience.

Body language

Body language combines various critical elements, including posture, gestures, eye contact, expressions, and position in front of the audience. Body language is one of the elements that can instantly transform a presentation that would otherwise be dull into one that's dynamic and interesting.

Voice projection

The ability to project your voice improves your presentation by allowing your audience to hear what you're saying. It also increases your confidence to help settle any lingering nerves while also making your message more engaging. To project your voice, stand comfortably with your shoulders back. Take deep breaths to power your speaking voice and ensure you enunciate every syllable you speak.

How you present yourself plays a role in your body language and ability to project your voice. It also sets the tone for the presentation. Avoid slouching or looking overly tense. Instead, remain open, upright, and adaptable while taking the formality of the occasion into account.

Storytelling

Incorporating storytelling into a presentation is an effective strategy used by many powerful public speakers. It has the power to bring your subject to life and pique the audience’s curiosity. Don’t be afraid to tell a personal story, slowly building up suspense or adding a dramatic moment. And, of course, be sure to end with a positive takeaway to drive your point home.

Active listening

Active listening is a valuable skill all on its own. When you understand and thoughtfully respond to what you hear—whether it's in a conversation or during a presentation—you’ll likely deepen your personal relationships and actively engage audiences during a presentation. As part of your presentation skill set, it helps catch and maintain the audience’s attention, helping them remain focused while minimizing passive response, ensuring the message is delivered correctly, and encouraging a call to action.

Stage presence

During a presentation, projecting confidence can help keep your audience engaged. Stage presence can help you connect with your audience and encourage them to want to watch you. To improve your presence, try amping up your normal demeanor by infusing it with a bit of enthusiasm. Project confidence and keep your information interesting.

Watch your audience as you’re presenting. If you’re holding their attention, it likely means you’re connecting well with them.

Self-awareness

Monitoring your own emotions and reactions will allow you to react well in various situations. It helps you remain personable throughout your presentation and handle feedback well. Self-awareness can help soothe nervousness during presentations, allowing you to perform more effectively.

Writing skills

Writing is a form of presentation. Sharp writing skills can help you master your presentation’s outline to ensure you stay on message and remain clear about your objectives from the beginning until the end. It’s also helpful to have strong writing abilities for creating compelling slides and other visual aids.

Understanding an audience

When you understand your audience's needs and interests, you can design your presentation around them. In turn, you'll deliver maximum value to them and enhance your ability to make your message easy to understand.

Learn more about presentation skills from industry experts at SAP:

How to improve presentation skills

There’s an art to public speaking. Just like any other type of art, this is one that requires practice. Improving your presentation skills will help reduce miscommunications, enhance your time management capabilities, and boost your leadership skills. Here are some ways you can improve these skills:

Work on self-confidence.

When you’re confident, you naturally speak more clearly and with more authority. Taking the time to prepare your presentation with a strong opening and compelling visual aids can help you feel more confident. Other ways to improve your self-confidence include practicing positive self-talk, surrounding yourself with positive people, and avoiding comparing yourself (or your presentation) to others.

Develop strategies for overcoming fear.

Many people are nervous or fearful before giving a presentation. A bad memory of a past performance or insufficient self-confidence can contribute to fear and anxiety. Having a few go-to strategies like deep breathing, practicing your presentation, and grounding can help you transform that fear into extra energy to put into your stage presence.

Learn grounding techniques.

Grounding is any type of technique that helps you steer your focus away from distressing thoughts and keeps you connected with your present self. To ground yourself, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and imagine you’re a large, mature tree with roots extending deep into the earth—like the tree, you can become unshakable.

Learn how to use presentation tools.

Visual aids and other technical support can transform an otherwise good presentation into a wow-worthy one. A few popular presentation tools include:

Canva: Provides easy-to-design templates you can customize

Powtoon: Animation software that makes video creation fast and easy

PowerPoint: Microsoft's iconic program popular for dynamic marketing and sales presentations

Practice breathing techniques.

Breathing techniques can help quell anxiety, making it easier to shake off pre-presentation jitters and nerves. It also helps relax your muscles and get more oxygen to your brain.  For some pre-presentation calmness, you can take deep breaths, slowly inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.

While presenting, breathe in through your mouth with the back of your tongue relaxed so your audience doesn't hear a gasping sound. Speak on your exhalation, maintaining a smooth voice.

Gain experience.

The more you practice, the better you’ll become. The more you doanything, the more comfortable you’ll feel engaging in that activity. Presentations are no different. Repeatedly practicing your own presentation also offers the opportunity to get feedback from other people and tweak your style and content as needed.

Tips to help you ace your presentation

Your presentation isn’t about you; it’s about the material you’re presenting. Sometimes, reminding yourself of this ahead of taking center stage can help take you out of your head, allowing you to connect effectively with your audience. The following are some of the many actions you can take on the day of your presentation.

Arrive early.

Since you may have a bit of presentation-related anxiety, it’s important to avoid adding travel stress. Give yourself an abundance of time to arrive at your destination, and take into account heavy traffic and other unforeseen events. By arriving early, you also give yourself time to meet with any on-site technicians, test your equipment, and connect with people ahead of the presentation.

Become familiar with the layout of the room.

Arriving early also gives you time to assess the room and figure out where you want to stand. Experiment with the acoustics to determine how loudly you need to project your voice, and test your equipment to make sure everything connects and appears properly with the available setup. This is an excellent opportunity to work out any last-minute concerns and move around to familiarize yourself with the setting for improved stage presence.

Listen to presenters ahead of you.

When you watch others present, you'll get a feel for the room's acoustics and lighting. You can also listen for any data that’s relevant to your presentation and revisit it during your presentation—this can make the presentation more interactive and engaging.

Use note cards.

Writing yourself a script could provide you with more comfort. To prevent sounding too robotic or disengaged, only include talking points in your note cards in case you get off track. Using note cards can help keep your presentation organized while sounding more authentic to your audience.

Learn to deliver clear and confident presentations with Dynamic Public Speaking from the University of Washington. Build confidence, develop new delivery techniques, and practice strategies for crafting compelling presentations for different purposes, occasions, and audiences.

Article sources

Forbes. “ New Survey: 70% Say Presentation Skills are Critical for Career Success , https://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2014/09/25/new-survey-70-percent-say-presentation-skills-critical-for-career-success/?sh=619f3ff78890.” Accessed December 7, 2022.

Beautiful.ai. “ 15 Presentation and Public Speaking Stats You Need to Know , https://www.beautiful.ai/blog/15-presentation-and-public-speaking-stats-you-need-to-know. Accessed December 7, 2022.

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This content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.

6 Body Language Tips Every Virtual Presenter Should Know

Posted by Belinda Huckle  |  On January 4, 2021  |  In Presentation Training, Tips & Advice

In this Article...quick links

• The importance of non-verbal clues

TIP #1: Master your online presence

Tip #2: posture like a professional, tip #3: hand gestures make people listen to you, tip #4: avoid fiddling, tip #5: your listening / resting face can speak volumes, tip #6: don’t forget to smile, bonus tip: don’t forget to amplify, and follow us on social media for some more great presentation tips:.

We all know that when it comes to communication , body language is important. And many would say that body language when presenting online is critically important. In fact, there are some people who think that what we communicate is expressed more through body language and facial expressions than the actual words we use. 

This belief largely stems from the Mehrabian model , a study carried out in 1967 that examined three critical tools humans use to communicate. The results? Words – 7%, tone of voice – 38% and facial clues – 55%. However, to suggest that words only account for a minimal level of understanding is simply not true. In actual fact, the study only examined how we communicate feelings and emotions. It didn’t relate to the communication of information. The study is now, more often than not, referred to as the 7% – 38% – 55% myth!

The importance of n on-verbal clues

Notwithstanding the myths that surround the Mehrabian model, we are all perceptive to non-verbal cues and clues , even if we are not consciously aware of the fact. When we interact with people we constantly assess their body language and how they react to us and other people around them. 

This is fairly easy when we’re face-to-face in a meeting room or presentation setting where we can observe the key, non-verbal cues of a number of people at any one time. Just by glancing around the room we can instantly take account of their posture, arm movements, hand signals, proximity to other people, facial expressions, head movements and level of eye contact and make an immediate assessment, regardless of what they may actually be  saying. Are people engaged or bored? Being honest   or deceitful? And are they open or closed to your ideas? 

At the same time they are also making the same judgements about us.  Our posture, the way we gesture, how we stand, the extent to which we move and how we physically ‘own the room’ all combine to communicate our presence, confidence, comfort, authority and credibility. If you’d like to know more about how to ‘own the room’ then have a read of our blog ‘ Body Language during Business Presentations ’.

But when we’re in a virtual meeting or presenting online we miss out on many of the non-verbal cues – especially if we are faced with a mass of thumbnail views – which makes it harder for us to gauge the audience’s level of interest, and more crucially, harder for us to keep the audience engaged and on our side. So we’ve put together some essential tips on body language when presenting online – what to do and what not to do when you are presenting online so that you can ‘own the screen’ and communicate your ideas more effectively.

6 Tips every virtual presenter should know about body language

This means getting your set-up right.

Imagine the screen as your presentation frame – this is the only view that your audience will see – so make it count. Your camera must be at eye level and the top of your head should be just below the top of your camera frame as you look at yourself on screen. The bottom of your camera frame should sit slightly below your armpits. This framing will ensure you’re maximising your personal presence on camera and also that you can use your hands and arms as key communication tools.

All too often we see people either leaning (more like looming) over their desk and into their camera. If you do this your arms will almost always be crossed in front of you, therefore closing your body off from your audience. You’ll also appear as though you’re staring the audience down – which is a sure-fire way to get your listeners wanting to back away!

The other fault we commonly see is people slouching back, especially if they’re on a couch and using a laptop. This will make you look at best disengaged and passive, or at worst, lazy and unprofessional.

Instead, your body language when presenting online should be positively professional. Sit upright with your hands – when they are in a neutral position – on the table or desk in front of you. Don’t be static though! In Tip #3 there are some techniques on how to use gestures effectively if you’re presenting online. If, on the other hand,  you’re part of an online audience, with your video on, then it’s fine to lean slightly forward e.g. resting your chin on your hand (a la Rodin’s ‘The thinker’) to show that you’re paying particular attention to what’s being said.

If you’re lucky enough to have a ‘stand up’ desk then position your body so it’s not directly facing the camera. Instead turn slightly to the left or the right of it. Then turn your head to look directly at the lens. This body language will prevent your shoulders being square on This will help you to look warmer and more inviting as and presents a friendly, non-confrontational style. 

Gestures are a great way to convey energy, tell a story, emphasise a message and bring your content to life. A study by Holler and Beatie found that gestures increase the value of our spoken message by a massive 60%, and the most acclaimed  ‘Ted Talkers’ use twice as many hand gestures than those with a lower appreciation score.  But we tend to use gestures more when we can’t find the right words to make our point. So prepare your presentation and make sure you know exactly what you are going to say first, then add gestures to amplify key points and engage more effectively with your audience. 

To make sure you can gesture effectively online you need to get your set up right as per Tip #1. You need to think outside of the box but visually stay within the box, or in this case, your frame, and your gesturing frame should be from the top of your shoulders to your armpits if you’re sitting down and from your shoulders to your waist if you’re standing.  If you gesture outside of this frame it will look over-exaggerated and somewhat manic! Equally, if people can’t see the entirety of your gesture then it becomes diluted and perhaps, even confusing. So, if necessary move your camera further away from you to give yourself space to use gestures in a more meaningful way.

Fluidity of movement is key. It’s important that you don’t use flappy, ‘jazz hands’ and meaningless gestures; these will be a visual irritation for your audience. Instead, to improve your body language when presenting online think about how you can use gestures in an intentional way to add emphasis. Here are some techniques to try:

• Count on your fingers to emphasise chapters of your story, or parts of an argument.
• Use your hands to physically reinforce a message and communicate scale (e.g. a big increase in sales; we’ve seen a slight reduction in absenteeism, there’s been a hike in the price of raw materials; this has only had a small impact on our bottom line.
• Use the ‘listen up’ or ‘bottom line’ gesture (open palms with one hand slightly raised) to reinforce key points, but use it sparingly for greater impact.
• Pointing. It can be confrontational, but it can also be used for emphasis, – ‘you know what, I just remembered a great point’.
• Weighing up. Use your hands like a set of balancing scales to communicate alternate scenarios or views.  

Bonus tip : Avoid gestures that push your hands towards the camera as your hands will suddenly become extra-large on the screen of your audience and this could come across as intimidating.

If you want to explore specific gestures and tips on posture in more detail then check out our previous blogs ‘ Where to place your hands during a presentation ’ , and ‘ What should I do with my hands when I’m presenting? ’

Most of us become extra self-conscious when we’re on a VC call, especially when we catch a reflection of ourselves in the onscreen thumbnail. As a consequence, we’re often compelled to make adjustments to how we look. This can mean we start to fiddle with our hair, our beard, remove a piece of fluff or adjust our clothing etc. This can be really distracting for the audience. Likewise, we can subconsciously scratch an itchy nose, or pick at a loose nail, or play with our jewellery. Again, these actions are distracting and can annoy others on the call.

So be mindful of your posture and what your hands are doing at all times. Turn off your own thumbnail view if it helps you to stay focussed and keep your hands relaxed and on the desk when you’re not using them to make a specific point.

If you are not leading the meeting it can be very easy to drift off. Or even worse, become distracted by incoming emails and notifications. Whilst you might think you’re covering this up, hoping that nobody will notice that you’ve become disengaged, it’s almost sure to be picked up by others on the call, especially by those that are presenting. They will see your eyes darting to another screen or window; they’ll spot that your active, listening face has switched to a ‘pretend’ listening face, they might even sense when you’re typing. And when people pick up on the fact that you’ve tuned out, they’ll begin to wonder why you’re there in the first place.  

Oh and if you think you can multitask, i.e. process what someone is saying at the same time as reading something different, think again. Multiple studies have concluded that the brain simply isn’t wired to multitask; it can impair our cognitive ability and have a huge impact on productivity. One notable study by Meyer concluded that even brief, mental blocks created by shifting between tasks can cost as much as 40 percent of someone’s productive time. So work on your ‘listening face’, practice in front of the mirror if you have to, and stay tuned in.

This is one of the absolute musts to improve your body language when presenting online! There’s plenty of scientific evidence proving the many positive effects smiling has on our emotions. Smiling  releases endorphins, natural painkillers, and serotonin. Together these three neurotransmitters make us feel good from head to toe. When we smile we look younger and more attractive. Smiling relieves stress, lowers our blood pressure and boosts the immune system. It also makes us appear more successful and guess what? It’s contagious.  Smiling will create the impression that you actually want to be there, which in turn will help to make the audience want to be there too.

Because we’re presenting to a camera and ‘down the wire’, our body language when presenting online is not as clear to our audience as it would be if we were meeting face-to-face. That means facial expressions, such as a smile, a re more muted than they would normally be. So we need to amplify our smiling so that this positivity is clearly seen by our audience. That doesn’t mean grinning like a Cheshire cat at all times. It simply means that we need to be more tuned into our facial expressions. 

For most of us, smiling to camera, especially when others don’t have their video switched on, can feel truly unnatural. If this applies to you then a good idea is to take a corner of a post-it note (a piece with the sticky stuff on the reverse, draw a smiley face 😀 and then stick this next to your camera. This will act as a reminder to ‘Dial your Smile!’

It is difficult to present to a remote audience online with the same level of energy and connection that you get from sharing a room. But there are a number of simple strategies and techniques you can employ that will significantly improve your ability to convert your attendees from being passive listeners into an active audience. Presenting online with impact requires a whole different set of skills to keep your audience engaged and on your side. 

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Written By Belinda Huckle

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Is Bad Body Language Ruining Your Pitch? Here’s How to Fix It

Briana Morgaine

10 min. read

Updated October 27, 2023

During my sophomore year of college, I took a speech class called Intro to Public Speaking. Our final project was a 10-minute speech on a topic of our choosing. We were allowed note cards, visuals—anything that would help us give an engaging presentation.

Sounds easy enough, right? I thought so, until I saw some of the presentations. I remember both the good and the bad speeches, which were memorable for very different reasons.

The best speaker—let’s call him Eric—was vivacious and captured the audience. He smiled, but not too much; his gestures were well placed, and showed his passion for the subject. He took up space, but was never overwhelming. His voice was confident, yet accessible.

Years later, I can recall the topic of his speech—the importance of good public transportation—because not only did he present interesting information, he was also engaging, self-assured, and totally in his element.

The worst speakers? They ran the gamut: poor eye contact, shuffling feet, trying to appear as small as possible, and so on. Even if they were passionate about their subject, I can’t remember what any of them were—and that’s not a good sign.

• Your body language and your pitch

When pitching your business to potential investors, it is incredibly important to make it memorable and engaging. Pitching your business is very similar to giving a speech, whether you are on stage giving a formal presentation, or at a networking event. So, you can take advantage of several of the same tactics used in effective public speaking—namely, mastering good body language.

How important is our body language?

According to research, incredibly important. Though the actual percentage varies, nonverbal communication through our body language is thought to make up around  50-70% of communication.

So, while the content of your pitch matters, your body language may ultimately have a huge impact on how your message is received by your audience.

As a result, sending the right body language signals can make or break your pitch. So, let’s break it down, highlighting several of the most important aspects of body language you’ll encounter when pitching your business, and we’ll look at what you should do, and what you should avoid doing.

• The handshake

The handshake—I could write an entire article dedicated to this subject alone. It’s become a nuanced issue—it should show authority, but not too much, and it should be firm, but not too firm (I was once told by a boss to lighten mine up a little, as I’d apparently overshot the idea of a “firm handshake,” but that’s another story).

So, what to do? Your handshake should:

Be firm:  A good handshake is firm, but, according to  Etiquette International,  “not bone-crushing.” So, when greeting a potential investor, grasp their hand firmly—but not too hard.

And please—no limp fish hands. There is nothing worse, and this will surely leave a bad impression with potential investors.

Check out this  great TED talk on body language —the first half is exclusively focused on the handshake.

Be authoritative:  A hand offered palm-up is sometimes  considered a sign of passivity and weakness;  however, a downward facing palm can come off as overly superior. Strike a balance by offering your hand sideways, giving the impression of equal footing.

Include eye contact and smile:  When shaking hands, make sure to meet the other person’s eyes. Finally, smile! Make this connection memorable—you may not get a chance to make another good impression.

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The dos and don’ts of the handshake:

Don’t:

• Crush your associate’s hand
• Offer your palm up or down
• Offer a limp hand
• Avoid eye contact
• Grasp the hand firmly
• Offer a sideways-facing palm
• Make eye contact
• Facial expressions

What your audience reads on your face can be just as important as the words they hear. Do your words and your expressions match? Is your face sending the right message? Well-used facial expressions can convey warmth, tell a story, and help your pitch resonate with your audience.

To use expressions to your advantage, keep the following in mind:

Cultivate an “expressive face”:  We all know someone who has mastered the  “expressive face,”  and can tell an entire story with a single look. Its importance should not be devalued; after all, you can have the best business plan, or the most complete industry analysis, but your potential investors are more likely to remember your story.

Avoid the “perma-smile”:  While it is important to demonstrate your passion for your subject, be conscious of keeping your enthusiasm under control. Excessive smiling can make you appear foolish or less professional, so sometimes  maintaining a collected demeanor  will serve you better.

That’s not to say you can’t smile—you should definitely smile!—but the plastered on beauty pageant look will not win over investors, and may ultimately make you look less credible.

Keep your facial expressions suited to the topic:  In the same vein as the point above, your expressions should be  tailored to the topic  at hand. Did your potential investor just ask you a tricky question about a possible financial problem? Keeping a smile on your face while answering a serious question may make you look insincere. Match your facial expressions to your words, and you will appear more genuine.

Beware of the “bobble head” effect:  When listening to a sad story, for example, or empathizing with a friend, a head tilted to the side and nodding along  can indicate sympathy and understanding.  However, it does not connote strength and authority, two things you should hope to embody while pitching your business. Keep your head upright and keep nodding to a minimum.

The dos and don’ts of facial expressions:

• Keep your face bland and impassive
• Smile constantly
• Use inappropriate expressions for the topic
• Nod or tilt your head too frequently
• Use expressions to your advantage to tell a story
• Remain calm and collected
• Tailor your expressions to the topic
• Maintain an upright neck position
• Body positioning

For me personally, the hardest part of giving a speech is figuring out what to do with my body. Sometimes, if I am not prepared well enough, I may freeze, and panicky thoughts like, “where do my arms go?” pop into mind.

Luckily, the subject of body positioning in public speaking has been extensively studied. You can use these tips to your advantage when giving your pitch; not only will you seem more self-assured, but your pitch is likely to go over better with your audience—whether it is one investor that you met at a networking event, or a whole panel of them at a pitch competition.

Here are some key things to pay attention to:

Use power poses:  Have you heard of “power posing”? The  popular TED talk by Amy Cuddy  is a great primer on this topic, and an interesting watch.

The “Wonder Woman pose” is a classic power pose. Image via  Flickr.

The idea of power poses can be used in two ways. First of all and most obviously, while pitching your business, focus on occupying space.

Do not  “physically condense” —for instance, avoid crossing your arms, legs, or in any way making yourself look smaller. Not only does this make you less confident, it lessens your appearance of power.

To combat this, while pitching your business, make sure that you stand tall and confident.

However, power poses are not only good for the pitch itself; they can also be used before you pitch your startup as a way to make you feel  more powerful and in control,  before you even take the stage.

To do this, adopt the “Wonder Woman pose” in private for two minutes prior to giving your pitch. You will feel more confident, powerful, and in control.

Don’t fiddle:  Touching your face, playing with your hair, and tugging at your clothing will  lessen your appearance of confidence.  Avoid these small gestures, as they can make you look nervous and less self-assured.

Use defined gestures:  Similar to the point above,  keep your gestures purposeful,  and avoid excessive hand waving and unnecessary movement. Gestures can be very powerful when used correctly, so make an effort to be deliberate.

Try palm up:  Research has shown  that speakers who use “palm up” gestures are more likely to be received as engaging and warm, and that the content of their message is more likely to be remembered than those who use “palm down” gestures or pointing. To take advantage of this trick, practice giving your gestures with an open palm, facing up.

The dos and don’ts of body positioning:

• Make yourself small
• Fiddle with your hair, clothing, or touch your face
• Wave hands or gesture excessively
• Point fingers or face palms down
• Take up space and use power poses
• Use purposeful, deliberate gestures
• Face your palms up while gesturing
• Use of space and props

We’ve all seen speakers who let their “props” overwhelm them; they might clutch the podium, or become buried in their notes. Similarly, some speakers seem terrified of taking up space, and will give a speech from one position only, without moving.

While props can be helpful, it is important to make sure they don’t override your message. To make your speech memorable and to give yourself the appearance of confidence and ease, pay attention to your space and your props.

To use your space and props well:

Occupy space:  Just as your body positioning should be confident and “big,” so should your use of space. Don’t be afraid to move around, especially if you are presenting on a stage or in front of a group! Command the space around you, and you will be  nonverbally communicating to your audience  that you are comfortable with yourself and your ideas.

Don’t get lost in your props:  Your notes, a podium, any technology you use—they should be aids, not floatation devices. Move away from the podium, look up from your notes, and do not let the use of clickers or other technology take away from your pitch.

Try to familiarize yourself with any tools you will be using as much as possible before your pitch; the more comfortable you feel with your props, the more they will work for you, and not against you.

The dos and don’ts of space and props:

• Stand stock still
• Get lost in your props
• Use your space—walk around the room or stage
• Let your props serve as an aid, but don’t rely on them too heavily
• Finally? Practice, practice, practice.

Have you got all that? This may seem like a lot to remember, which is why practice is essential. Spending time perfecting your pitch material is great, but don’t forget to practice not only to what you are saying, but your body language as well.

So, pull out a camera and film yourself, practice in the mirror, or grab a friend that you know will give you honest feedback. With well-prepared material and good use of body language, your pitch is much more likely to be successful.

See why 1.2 million entrepreneurs have written their business plans with LivePlan

Bri Morgaine is a seasoned content marketing leader with a decade of experience in copy editing, social media operations, and content strategy— having honed her skills at industry giants like Palo Alto Software and Andreessen Horowitz.

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