Public speaking: how to maximize your visual impact

By visual impact we mean the effect of body language, facial expressions, working with the speaker’s support, moving around the presentation area – any of our physical actions that the audience will observe as we present to them. Do all those things influence the perception and interpretation of meaning? Yes, they do and more than we would probably realize.

What impact do they have? Different findings from psychologists and communication experts agree that visual stimuli will actively influence up to 50% of the interpretation of a presented message. Why is visual stimulation so powerful? It has to do with how our mind processes information. Every piece of information we ever receive is stored. Most of it we do not remember or use consciously, but we use it unconsciously. As we receive new information, we compare it to that “old” information to find meaning in it. The interesting discovery was that the mind has a subconscious channel that is much more efficient at this referencing process than the conscious channel, and is especially clever at interpreting sensory input and triggering emotional reactions.

What all of this means is that whatever message we think we are presenting to an audience, it is our visual cues, both deliberate and unintentional, that the audience will consciously and unconsciously observe and interpret.

First things first, how to present yourself visually
Ultimately, the audience’s attention needs to be on the message, but before that, they need to be happy with the messenger…you! Basically, you want them to trust you and like you. So the signals you want to send are credibility, competence, trust, and accessibility. These good clothes will send those signals:

o Relax your whole body. Imagine that you are being gently suspended through your shoulders and up above your head. Feel loose through your legs. Gently shift your weight left and right and between your heel and toes.
or feel tall. Stand tall and straight with your shoulders back and your chin gently lifted.
o Center and rotate from the hips 45 degrees to the left and right.
o Keep your hands away from your mouth.
o Look separately at each and every section of the audience as you present your presentation. Add a nod or smile as if you were greeting them.
o Maintain eye contact and talk with groups of faces. Give the impression that you are talking to each group separately at some point in your presentation.
o Do not stare at the walls and ceiling, it suggests that you are lost or uncomfortable with your words.
o Do not pace excessively without a specific purpose. A little movement will engage the audience, but too much is distracting and will also confuse the interpretation of your message.
o When using notes in a reader, keep them loose. Keep the current and next pages open for a smooth transition. Avoid oxidation of the paper in the microphone.
o Don’t shake the notes, it’s distracting. Keep your hands empty.
o Do not repeatedly look at the speaker support screen. It draws attention away from you and suggests uncertainty, prompting the audience to read for themselves.
o Autocue is great as an indicator of a learned script. Never read an unknown script. Have monitors positioned left, right, and center for eye contact with natural hearing.
o Powerpoint is great to confirm with Keywords what you just said. Never let him tell you or allow the audience to read before you. Have clear linking sentences.

Once you’ve practiced these techniques and established them as good habits, you’ll feel like you’re presenting with the look and aura of an accomplished presenter. With that practice, you’ll also become fully aware of how you’re communicating visually.

Here’s how to visually present your message
Once you are aware and in control, you can begin to communicate visually to maximum effect and add emphasis and meaning to your message. Public speaking at its finest is a performing art! Public speakers who perform at the top of their craft use performance art to convey the meaning as well as the emotions of their message.

visual emphasis
o Facial expressions can show a variety of emotions: Happy, Serious, Curious, Ironic, Surprised and Confused. Practice them in a mirror and create your favorites. Act in faith to get noticed.
o Directed gazes show how you are thinking: look up and to the right when reasoning. Look up and to the left when remembering. Look down and to the side when deliberating.
o Hand gestures confirm your actions and intentions: Count. hammering points. Open arms say acceptance or openness. The joined hands say union or closure.
o Movement on stage shows how you are communicating: center stage or lectern says listen to me. Take a step to the side or forward when you ask them to think about something. He walks straight to the front and says “this is between you and me”. Move to the other side when taking a view of an argument. Go to the opposite side when looking at the opposite view.
subconscious visual emphasis
o Taking advantage of visual stimulation and the opportunity for subconscious communication, we can use the above techniques to anchor a desired mood or perception of the audience. Then, at a time of your choosing, you can trigger that mood by repeating the action.
o EG: You chose a part of the scenario to discuss the benefits of a clean slate approach to difficult problems. Later, you return to that area when you invite the audience to question the issues without your pointing them out, but you want them to apply the same clean slate.
o “Stage props” like a high stool or even a flipchart can be great anchoring tools, as can lighting changes on set.

Additionally, stage props can act as visual metaphors. Red card from the referee indicating expulsion. A very large mobile phone from the 1980s indicating the degree of progress. When visible but not explained, props are great for sparking curiosity. They are also unforgettable images and therefore great for embedding messages.