Match your gestures to your words. We are visual creatures, and any movement used in the right way in this direction will spark the attention of your audience. Just try not to abuse this rule.

Match your gestures to your message

Contrary to popular belief, body language in the context of public speaking is more than hand and arm gesture.It means adjusting the way we stand, move and smile to capture and hold the attention of an audience.

Misunderstanding body language

To become great at public speaking, you have to practice becoming tuned in to your everyday body language. Become familiar with your usual gestures and movements and then you will be able to start making improvements.

Practice

When you’re trying to show empathy, you tilt your head to one side. And good listeners are head tilters. You can give the same impression by tilting your head even when you're the one that's doing the talking.

Signaling empathy

<ul>
<li>We indicate that we are feeling threatened when we take a step back or we show any sign of a closed body language.</li>
<li>Crossing our arms also shows nervousness and it puts our audience in a defensive mode.</li>
<li>Your end up showing that you feel superior to the rest of the room if you tilt your head backward.</li>
</ul>

What puts an audience off

Most of us don't really know what to do with our hands while talking. And this may add the nervousness of the public speaking experience. It's ok to just leave them by your sides when you’re not using them.

Give your hands a break

Smiling with your whole face will make your audience feel more at ease and will get them to respond positively to your message. Don't fake it though. Just visualize happy things or think of a person that usually brings the smile on your face.

Genuine smiles

Even if you don't remember what you have to say next, don't act on that fear that hits you and avoid to tense up. To recover from this moment, adopt an open posture, take deep breaths, talk slowly and smile. It will make you feel more comfortable.

Don’t panic

This post is part of TED's "How to Be a Better Human" series, each of which contains a piece of helpful advice from people in the TED community; browse through all the posts here.

Genuine smiles

7 ways to be a better communicator - by tweaking your body language

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