Relax, goddammit! Four non-verbal body language hacks

Thumping heart, sweaty palms, shortness of breath, and trembling body when you’re presenting? These reactions are nothing to be ashamed of, but they do signal that you might be nervous, which is damaging to your audience’s confidence in you.

Here’s what you can work on to put everyone in the room at ease…

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Go Wide: It’s human nature to fold or cross our arms around ourselves for ‘protection’ in a scary situation. Relax and open up your arms and palms to make your audience feel included rather than shut out.

Smiley Face: A smiling face and happy energy goes a long way to making everyone relax. You might have to practice smiling publicly so that it doesn’t look strained, but it’s worth it. And you’ll probably find your audience naturally wants to smile back. Win-win.

Hands Down: Face-touching is a classic signal that you’re shy or nervous. If your hands won’t stay down while you’re talking, maybe try planting them in your pockets until you are used to controlling this textbook reaction to feeling exposed.

Look Into My Eyes: Eyes that flick around or keep steady contact signal fear. Even if you can’t manage full-on eye contact, holding a steady gaze around the room will command a lot more confidence both for yourself and for your audience.

Congratulations: if you succeed in having a conversation or presenting to a group while practicing these four body language tips, you’ll come across as a ton more confident - and immediately put your audience at ease, too.