THE TOOLKIT
Movement

A speaker’s movement during a presentation can help emphasize an important point for the audience. And for the speaker, movement can help alleviate extraneous stress.

Distinctive movement also forces your audience to keep their eyes open, as they have to concentrate on a moving object. Movement can also show that you have energy and enthusiasm. But executed incorrectly, movement can also distract the audience from your message. Make your movements succinct and purposeful; otherwise, your movement will exhaust your audience.

Keep these additional effective movement tips in mind:

• Pacing is observed as submissive, distressed, and nervous.
• Pacing deters from the message you are attempting to tell your audience.
• Don’t rock or sway back and forth, as your audience will think you are nervous.
• Don’t “dance around” when you’re in front of your audience.