8 Dynamite Non-Verbal Communication Strategies
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Today we are talking about 8 Non-Verbal Communication Strategies. This is something a lot of my clients ask about and potential clients want to know about. Can you help me with my body language and how I deliver my ideas, not just writing out the stories?
So I put together a few really simple strategies and tactics that you can start using to improve your communication. I am going to be referring to speaking on stage for a lot of this podcast but these techniques can be used on video, when you’re speaking on Zoom, and even often when you are speaking in conversation.
We discuss:
- [01:43] Kyle recommends first building a solid foundation of stories and teaching content. No amount of body language is going to make up for a dull story.
- [02:22] The beginning is really mastering your story.
- [02:37] Strategy #1: Don’t look back at your slides. Often speakers rely heavily on their slides and it really diminishes the engagement when they speak.
- [03:11] If you are looking away from your audience this is going to create a gap between you and them. This is a sign of an ill-prepared speaker.
- [05:21] Design your slides to support your audience and their experience.
- [05:57] Strategy #2: Make eye contact as much as possible with the audience. Make eye contact with one person for each idea you are sharing.
- [07:45] Strategy #3: Smile! We want to be charismatic and engaging from the stage and one of the ways to do that is to keep a smile going. Practice a subtle smile while you speak.
- [09:17] Strategy #4: Use pauses. Strategic pausing throughout your presentation is essential to both allow the audience to internalize the ideas you are expressing and process the feelings and emotions along with their ideas. Pauses are best right after completing a big idea or sharing something with an intense emotional charge.
- [10:18] Combine the pause with eye contact and a nod for the best effect.
- [10:44] Strategy #5: Mind your tone and your rhythm. We want to be able to have our voice have a musical quality and contrast to it. We want your voice to rise and fall with the emotions and ideas of your story and teaching.
- [11:58] Learning on the side of overdoing it when you practice is very powerful. The pace of your speech should also rise and fall.
- [14:05] Strategy #6: Mind your posture. Mastering and understanding your posture is one of the most essential elements of looking confident and engaging when speaking.
- [15:06] Changing your posture is one of the easiest and most effective ways to keep yourself in the right state. By upgrading your posture you can actually upgrade how you feel inside as well. Assume an open posture while you are on the stage.
- [16:45] Strategy #7:Move with purpose. How you move on stage or on camera can have a very large impact on how effective your communication is. When you are moving it should serve a purpose. No pacing. Your movement can actually distract from your ideas if they are not in sync with your ideas.
- [17:39] Start by working the room. This means you move to one part of the stage and connect with one person with eye contact while you are sharing your idea. Then move to another part of the stage when that idea is complete.
- [18:26] Move to illustrate the passage of time. Illustrate a conversation between yourself.
- [19:05] Strategy #8: Use emblems and illustrations. Emblems are a type of body language that has a universal meaning with a specific culture.
- [20:24] Illustrators are gestures that we use to illuminate the meaning of our words. Find a way to be comfortable with your illustrators and practice.
- [22:36] Most of the communication we do is nonverbal. We say much more with our bodies and movement than we do with our words. Taking the time to practice and master a few of these techniques can make you a much stronger presenter.
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