Hello Rahul,
You have a very valid point, body language is critical in public speaking. There's a reason why it is said that "actions speak louder than words". Tell me something, do you find nodding your head whenever you answer a question in affirmative? Or do you find yourself cowering back whenever you feel threatened or dominated? You see, your body is talking all the time. It doesn't matter if you're sighted or, low vision, or blind, your body does communicate. So when you say that you don't make gestures while delivering a presentations, it just shows that you are not completely relaxed. For example, when I stood to deliver my first speech, I made two important discoveries. One, I had two hands, and two, I had no clue what to do with them. So, I did what every self-respecting school boy does, I folded my hands and started reciting my speech from memory. I guess that I must have looked like a talking statue, for I swear, the only things moving in my body, besides my heart which was beating like an automatic machinegun, were my lips. Over a period of time, I have become somewhat better at public speaking, and in my body language. So how do you go about working on your body language? 1. Know what you are speaking. It is crucial that you know everything about your topic of presentation. This does not mean that you memorise your speech word for word. It just means that you should know your content well enough that if need be, you should be able to convey the message in your own words. 2. stick to your style. Do you use ornamented language in your day-to-day interactions? If no, don't use flowery language in your speeches. As the saying goes, keep it simple silly. 3. modulate your voice. Ok, this needs some work. Try to modulate your voice in your regular interactions consciously. Once you start doing this, modulation will become a habit and will come through in speeches naturally. This will make your speeches more engaging. 4. Pay attention to your hand gestures, and use them often when you generally talk to people. This habit will make it easier for you to have an engaging body language in your presentation. 5. Be relaxed while giving presentations. Don't overburden yourself with expectations. In fact, think that you are the biggest idiot in the room. Now, you cannot go any lower in the pecking order, can you? Being freed from any performance pressure, go ahead and deliver an excellent speech. Lastly, remember that you should have good content in your presentation. An ineffective body language will not destroy a presentation, but poor content will surely do. So have crisp and relevant content. Warm regards & all the best for your future presentations, Apoorv Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
