The Myth of Body Language
One of the biggest red herrings when it comes to presentation skills is body language. Whole books are written on body language but in my opinion it is largely a non-issue for presenters. People have been led to believe, over years of pedalling these ideas, that there is some subtle "wink & elbow" code of the body which will make you utterly believable and fascinating to any audience. This is almost all rubbish.
Am I saying that body language is not part of how the presenter communicates? No. Am I suggesting that the way you say something (your tone of voice as well as your physical manner) is not as important or even much more important than the words you use? No I am not. Certainly these things are important; in fact they are very important but that is not to say that focusing explicitly on body language is the route to successful delivery.
I heard a question on a quiz once that went: "What is the cause of all human death?" The answer was: "lack of oxygen to the brain." The logic behind this answer is that death is pronounced when the brain is dead, and this happens when there is no longer enough oxygen delivered to this vital organ to sustain its function. So, if you have a heart attack, the heart stops pumping blood around the body, the blood brings oxygen to the brain, so the brain stops functioning, and you die. Therefore, would it not be logical to conclude that if we wish to prevent death on the roads, or due to war or famine, the solution is simple.. invent a device that keeps brains oxygenated so that they don't die.
This is of course absurd, but a similar argument is used in regard to body language. The signs that our bodies give off tell an audience that we are knowledgeable, confident, enthusiastic, honest; so if we learn enough about these signs we can have our audiences believe that we are any of these things. This is all very well, but have you ever tried to feign enthusiasm and confidence? Have you ever tried to control your own body language as you are speaking? This is a akin to keeping your brain oxygenated at all times. It's looking at the immediate causes rather than the more deep-rooted ones. Body language results naturally from how you feel about what you are doing. If you want to look honest then BE honest. If you want to look knowledgeable then BE knowledgeable.
Our bodies speak all of the time and usually without our conscious intervention. Trying to control these movements directly, and choreographing them into some dance that expresses a certain style is both extremely difficult and utterly unnecessary. Even the greatest actors would not attempt to control their body language directly. Rather they "get into character". They imagine the moods and emotions of the person they are playing and allow their bodies to move, as naturally as they can, with these emotions. There have been several famous, extreme examples of this including Robert de Niro piling on over fifty pounds in weight to play washed up boxer Jake La Motta in Raging Bull and Dustin Hoffman going for days without sleep to perfect the frazzled look for his role in Marathon Man.
There are a few things that you can learn about stance and hand gestures and there may also be a some bad habits that you will have to train yourself to eliminate, but these will all be at a very general level. And although your demeanour is a symphony of subtle gestures and nuances, it is not one that it is very easy or wise to try and control directly. It is far easier to simply believe in what you are saying and deliver this with conviction.
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Am I saying that body language is not part of how the presenter communicates? No. Am I suggesting that the way you say something (your tone of voice as well as your physical manner) is not as important or even much more important than the words you use? No I am not. Certainly these things are important; in fact they are very important but that is not to say that focusing explicitly on body language is the route to successful delivery.
I heard a question on a quiz once that went: "What is the cause of all human death?" The answer was: "lack of oxygen to the brain." The logic behind this answer is that death is pronounced when the brain is dead, and this happens when there is no longer enough oxygen delivered to this vital organ to sustain its function. So, if you have a heart attack, the heart stops pumping blood around the body, the blood brings oxygen to the brain, so the brain stops functioning, and you die. Therefore, would it not be logical to conclude that if we wish to prevent death on the roads, or due to war or famine, the solution is simple.. invent a device that keeps brains oxygenated so that they don't die.
This is of course absurd, but a similar argument is used in regard to body language. The signs that our bodies give off tell an audience that we are knowledgeable, confident, enthusiastic, honest; so if we learn enough about these signs we can have our audiences believe that we are any of these things. This is all very well, but have you ever tried to feign enthusiasm and confidence? Have you ever tried to control your own body language as you are speaking? This is a akin to keeping your brain oxygenated at all times. It's looking at the immediate causes rather than the more deep-rooted ones. Body language results naturally from how you feel about what you are doing. If you want to look honest then BE honest. If you want to look knowledgeable then BE knowledgeable.
Our bodies speak all of the time and usually without our conscious intervention. Trying to control these movements directly, and choreographing them into some dance that expresses a certain style is both extremely difficult and utterly unnecessary. Even the greatest actors would not attempt to control their body language directly. Rather they "get into character". They imagine the moods and emotions of the person they are playing and allow their bodies to move, as naturally as they can, with these emotions. There have been several famous, extreme examples of this including Robert de Niro piling on over fifty pounds in weight to play washed up boxer Jake La Motta in Raging Bull and Dustin Hoffman going for days without sleep to perfect the frazzled look for his role in Marathon Man.
There are a few things that you can learn about stance and hand gestures and there may also be a some bad habits that you will have to train yourself to eliminate, but these will all be at a very general level. And although your demeanour is a symphony of subtle gestures and nuances, it is not one that it is very easy or wise to try and control directly. It is far easier to simply believe in what you are saying and deliver this with conviction.
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posted by Barry Brophy at 11:51 AM
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