At a police and local authority seminar recently, where the topic was police and business crime. The local MP decided it would be a right and proper place to promote the direct election of police commissioners. This got him a less than warm welcome from the audience.
What made it worse for him was the way he used his eyes when speaking to us. At no time when he was selling his idea did he look any of the audience in the eye. He looked at their faces, out of the window (a lot) and looked for inspiration on the floor. But not once did he look anyone in the eye.
In a western society we associate looking someone in the eye with truth, veracity, honesty. When you don’t look your audience in their eyes you loose so much as a presenter or speaker. You have to work so much harder to win the audience over a second time. It’s best if you don’t fall into that trap to start with. There are some great techniques to insure you achieve this first time round.
Firstly one I call ‘Lock Jaw’. Lock Jaw is where you lock your jaw unless you are making eye contact with a member of your audience. A simple thing to do once you have practiced it – you become good an you will see people actively reacting to your connection.
Second: Your body language tells the audience a lot about you. The politician I mentioned earlier folded his arms every time he was about to use the phrase ‘elected police commissioner’. This was almost always followed by time spent looking at the floor or out of the window.
Third: When you find yourself in-front of an audience you don’t know, smile. This simple, natural act of smiling breaks barriers, and helps people who don’t know each other connect. Look as humans we are friendly towards each other. A smile is a great way to introduce yourself to people who don’t know you.
Follow these three steps every time you present and you will not end up like the MP who looked and sounded false.
If you’d like to improve your public speaking and presentation skills – get in touch! Feel free to comment if this tip has helped you, share your own ideas or ask a public speaking question Paul will try to help!
About the Author
Paul M Johnstone is a Professional Communicator, Speaker, Executive Coach and PowerPoint Guru! He works with companies, organisations and individuals, helping them improve their communication skills. Paul helps people want to speak and present more effectively, to improve their personal and professional success. He can be reached at +44 (0)7711 324362or through his website at http://www.pmjohnstone.co.uk/©Paul M Johnstone
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