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Body language is a non-verbal technique that can be used to enhance your presentations. Body language includes gestures, movements and mannerisms that people use to communicate. As with the use of vocal techniques, body language comes more easily to some than to others. Again, body language is something that can be learned.

There are 4 elements of body language that you must pay attention to as you practice or make your presentation. They are:

1) Eye contact

Look your audience in the eyes. The number one reason to use good eye contact is it involves your audience in your presentation. If you look directly at a member of the audience, they are likely to return your gaze, and keep looking at you rather than looking at a paper on the table, staring out the window, or daydreaming.

The second reason to use good eye contact is it leads people to trust you. Studies show that when people are lying, they tend to look up or look down. Looking people in the eyes demonstrates that you’re being sincere. The third reason to use good eye contact is that it shows confidence. Think about it. Who are you more likely to follow? Someone who looks you in the eyes or someone who talks to their shoes? Listeners are more likely to believe you and trust you if you seem confident in yourself and your position on your topic. When speaking to a room full of people, you must speak to the whole room, not just one person. Thus, you must engage in eye contact with the whole audience, as well. Rather than staring down one audience member, scan the room, and be sure to include people sitting to your far right and far left who are often neglected.

2) Gestures

It is the movement of your body or limbs to illuminate and emphasize the meaning of your words. Simple hand movements such as holding up the number one with your fingers when you say “my first point is,” are appropriate. Gesture can be used to demonstrate how something looks or acts, as well. Some people naturally talk with their hands. Nervousness can accentuate this characteristic. Beware of gesturing too much as it can be distracting. On the other side, please use some gestures. I’ve seen presenters give thirty minute long speeches, desperately grasping the podium throughout. It is also important to vary your gestures.

3) Posture

Posture is the bearing of your body, your stance. When speaking to an audience, stand straight with your shoulders back, your head centered above your body and your feet shoulder-width apart. Don’t slump. Don’t lean against the wall. If the situation absolutely calls for it (for example, you’re asked to give an impromptu presentation during a business meeting), you may sit ­ but sit up straight.

4) Movement in the speaking-space

When you are provided with a podium or lectern, the tendency is to remain directly behind the lectern for the entire presentation. This can be appropriate. However, do not be afraid to walk around a bit to get closer to the audience. If you’re speaking to a particularly large audience, it may be appropriate to mingle with the audience talk-host style during your presentation. Your movement or lack of movement will help set the tone of your presentation. If you stand behind the podium, you’ll be perceived as more formal, and possibly somewhat removed from the audience. If you move around the front or place the lectern off to one side rather than standing behind it, you’ll be perceived as less formal, and probably more accessible to the audience members.

If you are concerned with your ability to integrate body language into your presentations, plan and practice gesture, eye contact and movement as you prepare for your speech. Gestures should look natural, not contrived, and should mirror or help explicate the words of your message. If you’re not sure whether you’re using body language during your presentation, practice in front of a friend or family member and have them give you a critique. Better yet, have someone video tape a practice presentation. Watching yourself on tape can be painful, yet very illuminating. If all else fails, practice in front of a mirror.

You are facing the decision-makers who can put a lucrative contract in your pocket. You are about to get your PowerPoint presentation rolling. It’s a make-or-break moment. They have been pitched to with PowerPoint from other companies with big reputations and experienced sales departments but they are interested in you and your company. Will the weeks you have put into your preparation pay off?

Let’s rewind a few days and look over your shoulder…

While we watch, you fire up PowerPoint and head for your previous best presentation. Skip to slide 2. It is headed: ‘We have the best solution for your needs’. Great start! But then you begin to think…they don’t know us yet, so I’d better tell them who we are and what we have done for other clients. You delete the out-of-date bullets and start typing. Bullet 1… Bullet 2… Ah! You hit Bullet 8, and the text shrinks so that it is too small to read. Easily solved! You start a new PowerPoint slide and carry on.

Three slides later and you’ve completed the list. What’s next? A diagram! You set to work on slide five…

Lets press ‘Stop’ on that scene and consider the slippery slope you are on.

PowerPoint’s slippery slope

You moved off down the slope by making the assumption that because bullet points are the default slide mode in PowerPoint, they are the way to go. A quick web search will find you lots of reasons for not using bullet lists (or PowerPoint at all) but the most important is that audiences have become ‘blind’ to bullet lists and switch off when they see one. Its not called ‘Death by PowerPoint’ for nothing!

You picked up speed with the second assumption, that PowerPoint is easy. It’s a common trap when people have had little or no training. And most of us haven’t.

You rushed towards the PowerPoint abyss when you went off the point of the objective and turned it into information about your company; not about your potential client’s needs.

PowerPoint success factors

Lets rewind to a different scenario…

Long before firing up PowerPoint you consulted colleagues. Together, you constructed a shortlist of reasons why the company you will be pitching to may be letting the contract. You’ve identified how your company can meet their objectives in a unique and advantageous way. Based on this, you’ve mapped out the structure of your PowerPoint presentation. Its also what you did to put your successful proposal together.

Yes! Your first PowerPoint success factor was the realization that your presentation does not need to tell them anything new. Its purpose is to remind them why they were interested enough in your proposal to ask to see you. Watching you manage your PowerPoint gives them an opportunity to assess you and to prepare questions. It’s a test masquerading as an information-giving session!

Your second PowerPoint success factor comes when you recognize that the people you are presenting to are not interested in what your company has done for other clients. They only care about whether you will solve their problem better than anyone else. So put your company information in a handout, not in your presentation.

Your third PowerPoint success factor is that your presentation is going to keep your audiences attention and focus them on your message with more impact than your competitors. To do this you have invested in some good PowerPoint training. It is not difficult to find, but be aware that the learning curve has only just started when you are taught how to apply PowerPoint animations!

Eight stages of personal PowerPoint development

There are at least eight stages of development people go through if they are persistent with PowerPoint:

1) Using Microsoft wizards and templates.

2) Introducing animations and graphic elements, such as clip art.

3) Discarding clip art in favor of photos.

4) Experimenting with PowerPoint’s more advanced features, such as multiple template masters.

5) Going minimalist or rejecting PowerPoint altogether for fear of getting it wrong.

6) Introducing storytelling techniques to structure presentations.

7) Developing new graphic approaches to the expression of ideas.

Getting right the balance between 5, 6 and 7.

If you can get to the sixth stage your confidence will be greatly increased and so will your chances of having ‘make’ rather than ‘break’ PowerPoint moments.

Get to the eighth stage and you will be head and shoulders above your competitors!

I’m a Christian so I thought an article on ethical negotiating tactics might be in order. When you talk about negotiating tactics, some people feel uncomfortable thinking about how to negotiate better, especially when they aren’t thinking in terms of ethical negotiations. Chances are, it’s because someone who knew these kind of tactics used them to take advantage of them or someone they knew, instead of using ethical negotiating tactics to create win-win accords and make all parties happy with the solution agreed upon. Either way, whether you want to know how to negotiate better or protect yourself from the unethical types among us…you’ll like reading this article on ethical negotiations.

31. Remember, addendums supersede the main agreement.

32. Negotiation tactic for big deals: Hire good attorneys and pay them what they are worth. Few know how to negotiate better than skilled attorneys.

33. Read George Ross’s (Donald Trump’s attorney, you might know him from the Apprentice early seasons) book, called Lessons of a Billionaire Investor .

34. Always leave the door open to counter-offers. Future circumstances bring new choices.

35. If you say you’ll call/email/respond at a certain time, do it. If you want to know how to negotiate better, learn how to communicate better.

36. “If this will cause you to lose sleep at night, I’d rather not do it. Is it going to be a problem?” Let people know it needs to work for them AND you, not just you.

37. Always create value. Create value. Create value. Put a value on it, describe it, make them want it, and give it to them. They don’t have to know it a. didn’t cost you anything or b. you didn’t want it in the first place or c. they would have gotten it anyway

38. Negotiation is a game. Why choose to be on the sidelines, when so little work is required to become a player? Now, if you want to be an all-star…

39. “What’s more important, X or Y?” Let them choose and hold them to it. Someone who uses ethical negotiation tactics expects the other person to do the same- but is prepared if they don’t.

40. Creative problem solving leads to big profits. Be a problem solver.

41. Become known as a businessperson whose word is their bond.

42. If they can’t or won’t, always ask “Why?”

43. “OK, I’ll give you your price, but you’ll have to meet my terms”. Tit for tat.

44. Remember, “every problem has a price tag” when you’re buying. If there’s a problem, quantify it, run the numbers and offer that much less.

45. Never say “Take it or leave it”. This is NOT a power play; in fact it is a sign of INSECURITY. Usually anyway, but it’s much better to say “never” than to list and explain in detail the few exceptions when this would be advisable in ethical negotiations.