iLEAP Academia

  Like  we  mentioned earlier,  perhaps the  first  element  to catch  the  audience’s  eye  is  the  nonverbal  signals that  you  convey. Nonverbal signals can vary from gestures to expressions to touch and posture. We shall briefly dwell on some of the important ones.

Eye contact is perhaps the most prominent of the nonverbal signals. Avoid talking to the projector screen and make contact with the audience. While  it may not be  possible to look at  each  individual, look into the  audience  and  don’t  resort  to looking at a  blank spot in the  distant horizon  to control your  nervousness. Connecting  with the audience  also gives you a sense  of their  response,  and  you will be  able  to  quickly act on the  feedback through the body  language  they  convey.

Gestures, again, convey a world of imagination. Use  your  hands  effectively during  a presentation to  perhaps  point  to the  projector  to explain a concept etc. Excessive use of  your hands can be distracting. Putting your hands in your pockets, constantly scratching your chin, or head indicates nervousness. Adjusting your clothes often signifies nervousness. Nonverbal  signals  shown  by the  audience  could be  leaning  forward showing  interest and leaning backwards showing  disagreement  or  boredom. Drumming of your fingers shows distraction. Nodding shows agreement and raised eyebrows show surprise. 

Now that you have  learnt  how  to interpret  these  signals,  you can  also  consider how  you use  some  nonverbal  signals as

a tool  to  convey a certain  emotion  or mood to the  group. Bend your head forward when someone from the audience

is talking, and walk purposefully up to the participant. Mirror the signals to show similarity as this can help gain empathy.

Learning to read and anticipate the nonverbal cues will help you gauge responses. At the same time, it is important to be aware of

what you are conveying through your body. Your verbal and nonverbal message must be in sync to be accepted totally by the audience.

Adding Variety

What are the various ways in which you can make your presentation memorable? Besides using rich content, how will you add that edge

that makes your presentation stand apart from others?

Listed are some suggestions you could consider:  

• Start with a bang - a story, a short performance, a high energy ice breaker, startling statistics anything that immediately hooks the audience.
• Make your session interactive - involve the audience, ask them to relate personal experiences, get them to be creative, involve them in activities.
• Use interesting props like music or puppets. See how you could  effectively link  them to the  content you are using
• Add panel discussions, involve the audience in analyzing data rather than your reeling it out, and allow them to come up with solutions.
• Bring in unusual elements that will add spice to the presentation.

Summary:

• Remember eye contact is the most prominent and important of non-verbal cues.
• Read the non-verbal cues of the group. Keep them in sync with your audience.

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