Are You Fluent In Body Language?

Communication extends far beyond what we say in conversation with one another. Our posture, facial expressions and overall physical appearance sends messages that often speak louder than words. Not having a firm grasp on the language you subconsciously use everyday puts you at a huge disadvantage. While you may be communicating one thing verbally, your body may be sending a completely different message.

As public relations professionals, we may find ourselves preparing to speak in front of others on our client's behalf. On the contrary, we may find ourselves preparing our client to address the public or media. It is crucial that this preparation include mention of body language. The right words delivered in the wrong manner could just have easily gone unsaid.

PR Daily recently posted an article on 10 body language tips every speaker should know. Before you or your client deliver a message in front of as audience, consider these tips to brush up on your body language.

1. Making direct eye contact with the audience forces them to pay attention, and makes you seem more likable. Looking down or at a prepared speech can come off an inauthentic.

2. Vary your hand gestures to keep the audience's attention, especially if you are delivering a longer speech or presentation.

3. Positive gestures will reinforce a positive mood, and make the audience feel more positive as well! Smiling or showing a "thumbs up" after staying something good are positive gestures that the audience will respond well to.

4. Do not confine yourself to a podium or mic stand, make use of all of the space provided to you. Walking around and using space keeps the audience engaged by physically giving them something to follow: you!

All of these tips should be taken in context. Gauge your audience, determine how they are responding to you and make necessary adjustments. For the full list of tips, read PR Daily's Article featuring a downloadable infographic,

How To Give A Presentation

Over the course of my internship at Publicis Healthcare Communications Group, I have learned a lot about presentation skills. While participating in my fulfilling internship experience, I had to work on an intern pitch at the advertising agency I was with over the summer. While working on the presentation, I have come up with 4 great tips for presentation skills I have learned through personal experience:

1. Speak slowly and speak up

It is extremely important in a presentation for a presenter to be clear and loud. You could have the best presentation but it will mean nothing if the judges/professor can’t hear what you are saying. It is always better to be too loud than quiet in a presentation.

2. Team chemistry is vital

It is easily visible during a presentation when a team does not work well together. It’s really important from day one to establish roles and goals and make sure everyone is on the same page. Similarly, the groups with the best presentations are always the groups that enjoy working with each other and avoid conflict during debrief sessions. Always remember to smile and laugh during a pitch/presentation, it makes everything much more enjoyable for yourself and the judge.

3. Make eye contact

Although you might be nervous, having confidence is essential to the success of the presentation. Even if you may not know what you’re talking about, act like it! Go in confident and well prepared and your presentation will be a hit! Always remember to have good posture and make eye contact with the audience.

4. Come prepared

It is extremely important that you are prepared with all of the necessary elements one needs in order to present such as index cards, laptop, print outs, etc.

Remember, if you ever have a pitch/group presentation, these six skills will be essential to gaining that blue ribbon!

This blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Jessica Mancuso. 

Cat Got Your Tongue?

According to several studies, public speaking is the number one fear among adults, topping the fears of flying, heights, sickness, and even death. What is it exactly that has so many people nervous about speaking in public? Is it the fear of being judged? Or is it the fear of being unprepared?

Whatever the reason may be, public speaking is something that everyone must do at some point in their career - no matter what their vocation may be. Whether you are an engineer, an accountant, or a public relations director, knowing how to confidently present to your colleagues and clients is an incredibly important skill to possess.

To conquer the number one fear of adults, I’ve created a guideline that I’ve titled “The 3 P’s of Public Speaking.” These are little tricks and strategies that I have learned through various public speaking classes along with my personal experiences of presenting.

1. Prepare. Many people lack confidence when addressing audiences because they do not feel comfortable and knowledgeable about the information they are presenting. This can easily be conquered by conducting as much research as you can gather. The more educated you are about your topic, the more confident you will be when presenting it. Also, draft several outlines of your speech, making sure that your points are easy to follow and your transitions are clear and concise. Audiences naturally drift in and out of presentations and you want to make sure they can jump right in to where they left off. This can be done by using recognizable (yet smooth) transitions and key words that are repeated frequently throughout your speech. The more prepared you are for a speech the less anxious you’ll feel.
2. Practice. Practice as many times as you possibly can. Many people make the mistake of thinking they can just “wing” their speech, but often times those mistakes lead to discombobulating, confusing, and unorganized speeches. It is important to practice because the old saying is true; practice does make perfect (or at least brings you a lot closer to it). The more you practice, the more comfortable you will feel with the material. The majority of presentations have a time limit and even in the professional world presentations are expected to meet allotted time slots. With practice you can establish your rate and delivery techniques so that your speech is both time efficient and effective. Stand up and deliver your speech out loud several times, finding out what you need to improve on, whether its your tone, pitch, rate, or volume. The more you practice the more it will show when presenting.
3. Present. Take advantage of every public speaking opportunity you come across. The more you present, naturally the more comfortable and confident you will become. You can gain more experience by joining organizations or clubs that provide opportunities for you to present or by seeking out opportunities within your job or internship. It is also important that after every presentation you gather feedback from your audience because critiques only help to strengthen your skills for the next presentation.

Even if I didn’t cure your fear of public speaking I hope that I offered some valuable and helpful advice for future presentations. If worse comes to worse, you can always rely on the age-old trick of imagining your audience in their underwear (although I don’t always recommend it!).