Public Speaking Course:
Stand Still
A common mistake I see presenters make all the time is not standing still when they should. It is
extremely distracting to the audience to pay attention to what someone is saying
when they're wandering and swaying all over the stage. You can practice
being still while taking your public speaking course.
I have said in another public speaking course article that you should move at least three steps in a particular direction -- and for a purpose -- whenever you
move on stage. That type of movement is not what I am referring to in
this article. Small
to and fro movements while you are on stage is very annoying and
takes away from your important message.
As we move towards more and more distance learning and TV training, keeping still
will be even more important when you're presenting
to an audience where cameras are sending your message out to many
people.
When you are on TV or video your movements are magnified. I got a good
reminder lesson in keeping still while doing the weather and traffic
report for a broadcast station in Orlando, Florida. I was all set to
be my highly animated self. They put me at an anchor desk and turned
me loose with a set script on the teleprompter.
What was my normal performance looked completely ridiculous.
In fact, it wasn't even close to being acceptable for the tight shot
they used. I had to stay perfectly still with the exception of my head
and eye movement and facial expressions.
You can practice this at home with a simple video camera zoomed in
to a tight close up shot. Either stand or sit and don't move your shoulders
and arms at all. Talk to the camera and only allow movement from the
neck up. To do an el cheapo simulation of a teleprompter, tape a script onto the bottom of the lens of the camcorder.
Once you master this technique and can convey all your non-verbal information
with only head movement and facial expression, and remember folks communicate
with their eyes, and in a close up, so should you. You can add small
amounts of body, arm and shoulder movement as the video shot gets
wider. From your public speaking course you will learn to adapt to the stage you are on,
live on stage or live on camera. Home
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