MARKET YOURSELF THROUGH BODY LANGUAGE

Audiences tend to hear with their eyes. So when communicating in public, what your body says silently can mean the difference between successfully delivering your message and failing to make an impact. The total impact you make during a presentation will many times depend more on how you express yourself, than on what you actually say. An audience will naturally decode your message by interpreting it through tone, voice and body language. Surprisingly, studies indicate that the total impact of any public communication is 55 percent body language, including hand gestures, facial expressions, posture and movement. Tone, inflection and volume contribute to 38 percent of the total impact. Words themselves, or the verbal component of any presentation, only account for a mere 7 percent. Body language is also a fundamental part of leadership. It can suggest positive or negative attitudes, such as genuine empathy or total indifference. When former President George Bush pointed his finger at th...