Connecting with an audience through a screen

• Speak slowly. Visualize the slow, emphatic tone of a judge delivering a verdict.
• Pause. Those who show confidence often pause for a second or two between sentences.
• Drop intonation. Lowering the tone of your voice at the end of a sentence sounds confident. You can even lower your intonation midsentence.
• Check your breathing. Try not to breathe through your mouth as it can make you sound breathless and anxious. Instead, inhale and exhale through your nose.
• Smile. Smiling projects more warmth in your voice. It's even worth doing when on the phone.

The use of imagery increases charisma.

Research shows that a high imagery speech resulted in higher ratings of charisma that a low imagery speech.

• Pursed lips: an indicator of distaste, disapproval, or distrust.
• Lip biting: signals people are worried, anxious, or stressed.
• Covering the mouth: used when people want to hide an emotional reaction.
• Turned up or down: When the mouth is slightly turned up, it might mean that the person is feeling happy or optimistic. A slightly down-turned mouth can be an indicator of sadness/ disapproval.

• A clenched fist indicates anger in some situations or solidarity in others.
• A thumbs up and thumbs down: gestures of approval and disapproval.
• The "okay" gesture: "okay" or "all right." In some parts of Europe, the same signal is used to imply you are nothing. In some South American countries, the symbol is actually a vulgar gesture.
• The V sign: peace or victory in some countries. In the UK and Australia, the symbol takes on an offensive meaning when the back of the hand is facing outward.

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

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.

Steve Jobs's intro sentences were so great because they clearly outlined what the product did while creating intrigue.

Rather than rambling on, he used them to perfectly convey his message as compactly as possible.

Examples of one sentence summaries of the product he was presenting: "Mac Book Air: the world's thinnest notebook", and "iPod: One thousand songs in your pocket."

Whether you're networking or presenting, it's important to realize that it should never be a one-sided conversation.

Your audience is in the room for a particular reason. It's critical to understand why they're listening to you so you can tune your presentation in a manner that makes them more receptive listeners,

Frowning, grimacing, glowering, and other negative facial expressions send a signal to your brain that whatever you're doing is difficult. That causes your brain to send cortisol into your bloodstream, which raises your stress levels. Instead, force yourself to smile. It works.

...don't back away; just shift to a slight angle - so you're standing at an angle--much like models who almost never stand with their bodies square to the camera.

And if you wish to appear less confrontational, approach the person and stand at a 45-degree angle (while still making direct eye contact, of course).

The way you frame your information matters – the language, terms, and examples you choose to use will have a huge impact on what your audience remembers and understands.

So, paint a verbal picture. By sharing information, you make the problem tangible, and the solution appealing.

The less you try to impress your listeners with your knowledge, the more they'll respect you.

Cut out specialized vocabulary and speak to your audience in their language.

Your posture, gestures, and facial expressions influence how you feel.

So stand up straight, weight on both feet. Keep your chin up. Chest out, Open up and smile. Those actions make you look and feel good.

• Use video, but also provide an audio dial-in-option,
• Test the equipment you are going to use before the meeting.
• Make sure people can see each other properly.
• Set an agenda, set some rules and clearly outline the next steps.
• Make sure presentations take very little time.
• Set a facilitator and call on people individually to speak.
• Capture feedback in real-time and tackle difficult issues.

Quieter people tend to make themselves small, tight. You don't have to make yourself large, just centered.

• If you’re standing, get in a strong stance: put one foot slightly in front of the other to avoid swaying.
• If you’re sitting, sit so that you are able to move forward, backward, and side to side without shifting your weight, leaning on your arm, or twisting your body.

You may struggle with eye contact and need to learn how to focus your gaze to build leadership presence.

But controlling your gaze is not about going eyeball to eyeball. You have to try and make eye contact with each person, for at least five second.

Injecting physical activity into your working day could reduce some of the health risks that are elevated by being sedentary.

• Cycling to work has been linked with a reduced risk of death from all causes, and a lower cancer risk.
• Both cycling and walking to work have also been associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
• People who walk or cycle to work have a lower body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage in midlife than those who commute by car.
• Those who actively commute to work also benefit from improved well-being and report feeling more able to concentrate and under less strain.