In 1895, French brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière held the world premiere of the first film with moving images, a short silent clip of Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory, an event widely considered to be the birth of cinema. More than three decades later, nearly a century ago today, Warner Brothers held the world premiere of “The Jazz Singer,” the first motion picture with synchronized dialogue and music. In the time between those two events, the film industry grew exponentially to become a major force in business, culture, and society—and it did so with silent films. Along the way, it made Douglas Fairbanks, Rudolph Valentino, Mary Pickford, Greta Garbo, and Charlie Chaplin, household names, and they all did it without uttering a word.
The point here is to underscore the power of physical expressiveness as a communication element, a fact supported by four current sources:
- James Fallows, a respected national correspondent for The Atlantic, who specializes in presidential debates, once wrote: “…the easiest way to judge ‘victory’ in many debates is to watch with the sound turned off, so you can assess the candidates’ ease, tenseness, humor, and other traits signaled by their body language.”
- Researchers at the business schools of Stanford, Michigan, and the University of North Carolina conducted a study that examined “how investor perceptions of management influence firm valuation” by showing videos of their IPO roadshows to select audiences. The Wall Street Journal’s report on the study went right to the bottom line: “The more a chief executive’s gestures and manners exude competence during investor pitch sessions, the more likely he or she is to have a higher-priced IPO.”
- The UCLA Department of Psychology conducted an often-cited study that ranked nonverbal communication higher than verbal (content) and vocal (voice).
- Bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell, in his book, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, discusses first impressions, or how people make snap judgments during the “first two seconds.”
So you can see from these many sources how important your appearance and behavior are when you present. The irony is that most presenters spend most of their time and effort on their content. This is not to suggest that you should focus all your attention on your delivery skills and forget about your story. Put equal effort on both sides of the equation, as much on the messenger as on the message.
There are reams of advice on the usual primary aspects of body language, gesture, and voice, but all those begin after you say, “Hello.” For now, let’s focus on Gladwell’s, “first two seconds”—those first two silent moments—and how you can optimize them with two simple solutions. The first is from your mother; the other from Dale Carnegie, the great granddaddy of presentation skills and the author of How to Win Friends and Influence People.
In his book, Carnegie said, “The value of a smile at the right time, the warmth of a handshake, the look straight in the eye—these are priceless.” You may not be able to shake hands with a large or a virtual audience, but you can smile and look the actual people or the virtual people—via the webcam—right in the eye.
And of course, you’ll remember your mother’s immortal words: “Sit/Stand up straight!”
When you present sitting, whether to a webcam, or in person across a conference room table or desk, plant your feet on the floor and lean forward. This simple step provides three benefits: it shortens the gap between you and your audience, it creates an erect, poised posture, and best of all, it expands your chest (rather than contracting it, which occurs when you sit back) and allows your lungs to pump more air, producing a fuller voice.
When you present standing, distribute your weight evenly on both feet to produce a balanced, poised posture. Drop your arms to your sides when you’re not gesturing, which will bring your shoulders back and give you an erect posture. Standing has an additional benefit in virtual meetings because being upright not only allows your chest to expand, it adds a kinetic energy to your stance.
So whenever you deliver your message, remember what your mother told you, “Sit/Stand up straight!”