Henry, a fictional CEO of a mid-size software company, needs his team to generate creative ideas for a new project. At the team meeting, he sits behind a large desk. His mouth is set in a tight line, his shoulders slightly hunched, and his arms are crossed in front of him. In a flat tone, he says, “Okay, everyone, I want you all to feel free to float your ideas to the group.”

Compare Henry with Eleanor, a CEO of a different fictional software company. She also needs her team to brainstorm. As each team member enters the room, she smiles warmly and thanks them for coming. She is standing straight with her shoulders slightly back. Her palms are open as she welcomes people. In a confident tone, she invites her team to brainstorm their ideas.

Which CEO’s team is more likely to come up with the big idea that transforms the company?

While the examples are exaggerated, it’s clear that team Eleanor will win. Other factors being equal, Eleanor’s nonverbal behavior bespeaks a leader who is self-assured, open-minded, and likely to succeed.

As a speaker, your body communicates as much as your words. Your facial expression, vocal tone and inflection, posture, gestures, and even attire have a powerful effect on your audience. Body language, also known as nonverbal communication, is a key element of impression management at work because people form snap judgments of your personality and professionalism based on the nonverbal cues they perceive.

Where Do Body Language Habits Come From?

Nonverbal communication has three primary sources. First is instinct. Facial expressions like smiling, grimacing, and crying are universal. Even toddlers understand them. You can greet an audience from any culture with a smile and they will know you wish them well (as long as the smile is sincere).

The second source of nonverbal behavior is the repetition of actions you have seen in the past. Deborah Shames and David Booth, cofounders of presentation and communication training company Eloqui, note that you might have been told to put your hands behind your back or you unthinkingly imitate a beloved teacher who always counted on his fingers as he taught. Whatever the source, once you have internalized other people’s ideas about appropriate gestures, you tend to mimic them.

A third source of nonverbal communication derives from unresolved emotional issues. Perhaps you want to look happy and relaxed, but deep inside, you feel anxious and sad. You can only fake it for so long before people begin to get a sense of the person behind the mask. Until you resolve the internal issues that drive your body language, you might find it challenging to bring your nonverbal cues up to your desired level.

“You can have the most beautifully written speech, but if your body language doesn’t sync, it’s all for nothing.”
—Eden Gillott

Given the strong impulses that drive nonverbal communication, how can you unlearn body language patterns that no longer serve you? Shames recommends that you videotape yourself giving a presentation and watch the video. You might be amazed to see that you are flapping your arms like a bird or staring down at the floor when you thought you were speaking straight and strong. You can also ask a trusted friend or colleague to watch your presentation and give you frank feedback.

Another way to transform your body language is to cultivate greater self-awareness. Note that this differs from self-consciousness, which is an unhealthy focus on yourself and what you might be doing wrong. Self-awareness is a nonjudgmental perception of your thoughts, feelings, and body sensations. When you practice self-awareness, you develop the “observing self” that simply sees what is happening. Once you become conscious of your mind and body, you create the space in which you can change.

How Does Body Language Impact Business Presentations?

When CEO coach and keynote speaker Glenn Gow works with business leaders who present their company’s data to stock analysts, he tells them to stand up straight, smile, and say out loud, “It’s showtime!” before they take the stage. He notes that if a leader is hunched over, disheveled, or sour-faced, employees might doubt the future of the company. He refers to research about body language and the brain: “The smile muscles create positive neurochemicals. If I use these muscles, my brain says, Oh, something good is happening here. A similar thing happens when we gesture openly with our hands.” There is a feedback loop between our bodies and our brains: When we smile and stand up straight, we have a real effect on our brain function.

Crisis public relations consultant Eden Gillott has seen business leaders both succeed and fail at using body language in high-stakes situations. She recalls an executive trying to reassure her team that the company was doing well while pacing rapidly back and forth across the room; her body language contradicted her words. Gillott notes, “You can have the most beautifully written speech, but if your body language doesn’t sync, it’s all for nothing.”

Gillott likens body language to the volume knob on an amplifier. Your posture and motion can raise the amplitude of your words from a five to a 10 or even, as in the classic film This is Spinal Tap, to an 11. In other words, your actions can make the difference between a ho-hum speech and a blockbuster.

Body Language Do’s and Don’ts

Do:

• Allow your gestures to emerge naturally. As speaking coach Shames points out, “If you don’t gesture naturally, you don’t bring oxygen into your lungs. When you gesture freely, you will breathe easier.”
• Adapt your body language to your audience. As in all cases, understanding your listeners is paramount. If you are speaking to a conservative crowd, keep your hand gestures smaller than if you are pumping up a team of sales representatives.
• Stand tall but don’t be rigid. Good posture brings oxygen and energy into your body. Booth, the presentation coach from Eloqui, advises, “Avoid standing with your legs crossed.” This creates a defensive position and detracts from your professional image.
• Speak conversationally, with a well-modulated, varying tone of voice. Avoid “upspeak”—inflecting upward at the end of each sentence.
• Wear comfortable clothing. Communications consultant Gillott suggests that speakers practice their speech while wearing the outfit they plan to wear on their big day. She says, “Make sure you can raise your hands without ripping your jacket.”

Don’t:

• Don’t hide your hands; allow them to move naturally in conjunction with your words.
• Don’t script your body language and gestures. Avoid telling yourself things like, When I say this word, I will move my hands. Let the words guide your gestures.
• Don’t obsess about whether you’re doing everything right. The more self-conscious you are, the more likely you are to commit a gaffe. Keep breathing. Keep your posture open. Be natural. And remember that if someone in the audience does not like what you say, it’s not the end of the world.
• Don’t strive to be formal. As Booth and Shames recommend, focus on being authentic, whether you’re talking to 10 people or 1,000.
• Don’t freeze. If you notice you’ve been standing in the same position for a while, move around. Stand up. Sit down. Step toward the audience. Let your face relax if you’ve been striving to look suitably serious.

The best way to improve your body language is to create opportunities to practice. Volunteer to give presentations at work, even if the prospect terrifies you. Stay loose and have fun. When you learn to master your movements, the impact of your speaking will soar.

Click here to read more articles on how body language can benefit or hinder your message.

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Have you ever read a report at work or listened to a club speech, and at the end, had no idea what the writer or speaker was saying? We all have. When communicators do not know how to express themselves clearly and succinctly, everyone suffers.

I love language and the power words have to persuade, request, inform, or entertain. In fact, I founded Worktalk Communications Consulting specifically to train people to become clear, confident writers. And of course, language skills extend to the spoken word as well. Before founding my business, I worked as a freelance writer, editor, and speechwriter. I saw people struggle to express themselves clearly, and I knew that you don’t have to be a “natural writer” or a “natural speaker” to write and speak successfully. Communication is a skill, and like all skills, it improves with practice. Moreover, applying a few basic principles can transform your writing, and thus your speeches.

Here are 10 tips to help you wield words for results.

1 Eliminate the obvious.

While it pays to touch on ideas your listeners are familiar with, stating something they already know will make them tune out. Eliminate the phrases that will make audience members say, “I know that!” For example, if you are speaking to a group of finance experts, you would not explain what a debit is.

2 Make one point.

The title of my book Get to the Point! says it all: Proficient writing makes one central point. When you try to make multiple points, you may end up delivering none. Supporting points are fine, but they must aim toward your goal. Remember, audience members should be able to summarize what you said in one sentence. Your listeners will not be able to sum up your message succinctly unless you deliver it clearly. And you cannot deliver your message clearly until you crystallize it for yourself. That is why I encourage the people I train to know their primary point before they start to write. Ask yourself, “If listeners could remember only one thing from my speech, what do I want that one thing to be?”

3 Take your readers on a journey.

Good writing tells stories. Listeners or readers want you to take them from here to there. For example, this article takes you from wondering how to write well to understanding valuable tools that support your writing success. Take your readers on a journey from inaction to action, from confusion to clarity, from wherever they are to the place you want them to be.

4 Be choosy with your stories.

Have you ever remembered a brilliant TV advertisement but couldn’t say what product was advertised? That’s a case of telling the wrong story. The advertiser caught your attention but failed in the ultimate goal: to impress the product’s name on your memory. Similarly, when you choose a juicy but irrelevant story, you waste precious attention on words that won’t carry you to your destination. Instead, have a reason for including every story in your writing or speech. Stories are your most powerful tools; use them wisely.

5 Choose vigorous language.

Using active verbs rather than passive ones will make your writing more vibrant. (An active sentence would be, “The speaker presented her ideas.” The passive form would be, “Ideas were presented by the speaker.”) When you have a choice between a word that ends with -ation, such as consideration, choose the verb that hides within the long term, in this case consider. Avoid long, flowery, convoluted sentences. Your listeners will yawn. For example, let’s look at this sentence: We are pleased to inform you that your application has been received and that it is being taken under consideration. This sentence takes 20 words to deliver this message: We have received your application and are reviewing it.

6 Cut! Cut! Cut!

In writing, and in speaking, less is more. You may have a wordy rough draft—that’s normal. Just be sure to follow the writing advice of British author and literary critic Arthur Quiller-Couch to “murder your darlings.” If you think a phrase is just too brilliant, you should probably delete it. Deleting your favorite phrases is tough, but attention spans are shrinking all the time. Edit yourself ruthlessly and your readers and listeners will reward you with their attention.

7 Put your draft aside before you present it.

We’ve all had the experience of writing a speech in a day and congratulating ourselves on how brilliant we are. Then we look at it the next day and are amazed that we had been so mistaken. You can improve everything you write if you let it rest for a day or two and return to it with fresh eyes. You will also benefit from having “a second set of eyes.” Ask a trusted friend or colleague to give you feedback before finalizing your draft.

8 Speak authentically.

As the Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde wrote, “Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.” No one can be you, and you cannot be anyone else. You may learn from other peoples’ styles but never mimic them. If your favorite speaker is crisp and concise, model your speech after their approach, but don’t try to fill their shoes. Otherwise, you might sound phony or affected. You can ask friends or fellow club members for their opinions, but your writing or speaking has to sound like you.

9 Keep it simple.

“Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler,” said the world-renowned physicist Albert Einstein. Your readers and listeners are distracted and overwhelmed. If what you write or say is difficult to understand, they will tune you out in a nanosecond. Instead, hook their attention with a fact or question about their interests and make your point simply, but not simplistically. Simplicity is elegance. Being simplistic is condescension.

10 Have something to say.

Blogger Jeff Hadeen wrote, “Without something to say, no one is a good writer.” Ideas may need to marinate for a while before they’re ready for expression. Don’t rush. Wait until you have something to say.

Then, once you know your point, you can return to point number one and start writing.

Click here to read more articles on business communication

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Think about some of the most successful leaders you’ve known—perhaps a boss, a teacher, a Club President, or a committee chair. Chances are they share some common traits. As you develop your leadership skills, it’s helpful to reflect on leaders whom you have most respected, and try to verbalize what made them so impactful.

During my many years working as a consultant for business communications, I’ve found three characteristics that nearly all strong leaders share: a sense of integrity, the ability to respond to feedback, and strong communication skills.

Integrity

Successful leaders show integrity in all their actions, meaning they behave consistently with their values and take responsibility when things go wrong. This kind of integrity leads naturally to authenticity, which makes people feel that when the leader speaks, they reflect their true thoughts and values within the boundaries of professional presentation. Having integrity shows up in other behaviors too, such as being on time for meetings and not interrupting others.

Ability to Receive Feedback

Effective leaders welcome input from other people in the organization. They show a willingness to receive feedback by asking open-ended questions such as, “How do you feel about what I’m saying?” or “Can you tell me more about that?” and using inclusive language that incorporates “we” and “I.” If there’s a disagreement, they don’t get upset or dismiss the person’s observations. A good leader will pause and try to assess what their team members are trying to convey, perhaps by saying, “Let me be sure I understand you. What I think you said is ‘XYZ.’ Is that right?” or “Can you help me understand that better?”

Strong Communication Skills

Perhaps the most crucial trait of a good leader is that they are able to get people to listen when they speak. Strong communicators use clear language to ensure everyone understands the message, and they avoid trite buzzwords and jargon.

Ivan Rosenberg, Ph.D., who has trained over 4,500 leaders in his leadership development workshops, says, “A leader creates the possibility of a future that wasn’t going to happen and enrolls others into taking action to fulfill that future.” In other words, strong leaders create a concept of a future outcome and draw people toward it through their example and their language. It isn’t just the verbal part of communication that makes a difference, the nonverbal part is just as important. Rosenberg emphasizes that leaders’ behavior sets the tone for the whole organization. If leaders make excuses when they make mistakes, they create a company of cover-ups. If they are always late, others assume it’s okay to be late, too.

Verbal Behavior of a Leader: What Do You Say?

As you develop your leadership skills, the most impactful tool you can use is your words. Your words matter, and that includes not only what you say but how you say it.

If you’re trying to connect with a new team, ask questions or play appropriate games to figure out what the interests and strengths of your team members are. Try ice breaker activities to learn more about people’s experience and ways of communicating. Another effective strategy is to use storytelling to bring people together. This is particularly useful if you have stories that align with the goal of the team or can describe a challenging situation that ultimately led to a successful outcome.

Successful leaders behave consistently with their values and take responsibility when things go wrong.

Jargon and buzzwords, such as “low-hanging fruit” and “thinking outside the box,” can lead to confusion or a sense of not belonging for people who don’t know the terms. You will win more confidence using clear and straightforward language than spouting the latest business jargon. The same rule applies to acronyms: Be sure to identify them the first time you use them. For example, don’t describe the program year and refer to the “DCP.” Explain the Distinguished Club Program so new members can understand it, then introduce the acronym.

How you say your words can be just as important as what you say. When you are addressing a group—even during a simple get-to-know-you session—speak clearly and audibly, pronounce your words clearly. If you are in a diverse group, avoid using local dialects that may not translate to your entire team.

Vocal tone is key. To project a sense of leadership, your tone should be strong. A hesitant tone implies uncertainty or lack of confidence. End declarative sentences by pitching your voice downward at the end of each sentence. Treating statements as if they were questions leads to a damaging speaking habit called “upspeak.” People practicing upspeak seem to be asking for the listener’s approval with every sentence. For many listeners, this habit is distracting, even annoying. Drop the last syllable; do not inflect upward.

Your vocal tone says volumes about your feelings. Imagine all the ways that a person could answer “fine” to the question of how they are feeling. Someone might brightly say, “Fine!” and you’ll know they’re having a good day. Another might say “Fine” curtly and you instantly know that they are not fine at all. If you struggle with people misconstruing your words, try listening to recordings of yourself speaking or asking for feedback from your Toastmasters network.

Physical Presence: Looking the Part

Verbal communication is only one aspect of the language of leadership. When you stand in front of people, your audience or team is making snap judgments about your competence, professionalism, and credibility before you even open your mouth. These judgments happen instantaneously, usually at a subconscious level. Your posture, clothing, facial expression, gestures, and other factors must present a consistent sense of leadership.

A leader’s physical presentation should be consistent with the culture and values of their organization; for example, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, is well known for wearing hoodies to major meetings. However, those hoodies are of excellent quality, clean, and fit him well. When he was called to testify before U.S. Congress, Zuckerberg donned a suit—demonstrating that he knows how to dress appropriately for his environment and is able to adapt as a leader.

Your physical appearance can be empowering or disempowering. To project an image of power, stand up straight, but don’t be rigid. Keep your hands open at your sides unless you are gesturing naturally. Be sure to smile at your audience—sometimes it helps to choose a friendly face in the audience and smile at them. Make your smile genuine, however; plastering a grin on your face will make everyone wonder what you’re hiding. That said, you need to understand the situation and circumstances in which you’re speaking. If you’re addressing something serious, such as a bereavement, disaster, or impending layoffs, a smile would be inappropriate. The secret is to read the room and respond authentically.

Movement is another powerful tool for leaders. Move intentionally. If you stride across the stage, do so in order to speak to both sides of the room—not because you’re feeling antsy. As you move, keep your hands loose at your sides.

Eye contact is another key for connecting with people. In large groups, scan the room and focus on just a few individuals. Then, scan again, noting whether people are still paying attention or have started surreptitiously staring at their phones. If you feel you are losing the audience, change your physical position—stand up if you are sitting down or vice versa. Take a quick poll. Ask a question. Jolt them out of their apathy. In smaller groups, look at individuals with a friendly expression, smiling authentically when the occasion suits.

To retain a strong presence, avoid fidgeting, keeping a stiff posture or facial expression, or playing with your hair, jewelry, or clothing. If you ask others to share their thoughts but then stand with your arms crossed and a stern expression, your listeners are likely to clam up. Whenever your body language contradicts your words, people will believe your body language.

If you feel that maintaining a straight, open posture is uncomfortable—and many beginning speakers feel this way—try practicing in front of a mirror or at your Toastmasters club. Most people are not born knowing how to present themselves professionally. It’s a learned skill, and Toastmasters is an ideal place to practice and master various techniques.

Dealing With Sensitive Issues

If you’re wondering how best to speak to team members under challenging circumstances, remember three words: professional, friendly, and respectful. If you include those three factors in your communication, you won’t go wrong. For example, suppose a team member is upset that they did not receive an expected promotion. You can listen actively and empathetically, showing you comprehend their frustration. Encourage open dialogue, letting the person express their feelings and thoughts. Respect their sentiments.

You can then calmly explain some factors that went into management’s decision without disclosing confidential information. Then, you can respectfully offer to work with the person to create a career development plan that might lead to future promotions.

This approach—listening, reflecting the other person’s message, explaining the situation, and looking toward the future—will help you deal with a wide range of potentially distressing issues.

Developing the language of leadership requires self-awareness. Be mindful of your strengths and weaknesses. Work to improve yourself. As the Toastmasters year gets off to a start, integrate this knowledge into every speech, meeting role, and club officer interaction. By consistently maintaining the personal, physical, and verbal qualities of a leader, you will discover that the language of leadership becomes natural—because you are becoming a leader.

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Henry Pavel (not his real name), the CEO of a midsize software company, needs his team to generate creative ideas for a new product. At the team meeting, he sits behind a large desk. His mouth is set in a tight line, his shoulders are slightly hunched, and his arms are crossed. In a flat tone, he says, “OK, everyone, I want you to all feel free to float your ideas to the group.”

Compare Henry with Eleanor Gunther (also not her real name), the CEO of a different software company. She also needs her team to brainstorm. As each team member arrives, she smiles warmly and thanks them for coming. Her posture is relaxed and open. In a pleasant tone, she invites her team to share their thoughts.

Which CEO’s team might be more likely to come up with the off-the-wall idea that turns the company into a unicorn?

While the examples are a bit exaggerated, it’s clear that team Eleanor will gain the day. Other factors being equal, Eleanor’s nonverbal language bespeaks a leader who is confident, open-minded, and flexible.

Many articles recommend that executives pay attention to nonverbal behaviors such as facial expression, vocal tone, gesture, proxemics (distance from other people), handshake, and other factors. These elements compose much of what employees perceive as the leader’s personality.

However, as somatic coach Thomas Rosenberg points out, the congruence between a leader’s actions and words reflects their level of authenticity and trustworthiness. Rosenberg explains that somatics holds that we are what we practice (how we sit, stand, walk, breathe, carry tension, the language we use with ourselves and others) and the way we hold our bodies in everyday activities.

According to this theory, if a leader attempts to convey “executive presence” but is inwardly uncentered or insecure, their efforts are likely to be perceived as inauthentic. If the leader’s words describe openness, but their facial expression and posture say the opposite, people will usually believe the nonverbal over the verbal.

Executives may sabotage themselves by physically communicating characteristics contrary to what they hope to convey. It can be difficult to control some nonverbal communication because, without our realizing it, our bodies reflect a lifetime of experience. Were we taught as children to tuck our chin or hunch our shoulders? Even when these habits no longer serve us, they persist in the form of our adult body language.

While leaders might benefit from cultivating the nonverbal cues they can control consciously, Rosenberg suggests fostering awareness of our physical sensations and thoughts to produce long-lasting transformations in nonverbal communication. For example, the executive who habitually leaned forward, giving an aggressive impression to his listeners, might learn to sit straight. As Rosenberg says, “Executives need to be conscious, to reconnect to themselves so that they can more easily connect with others.”

Develop executive presence from the inside out

Executive presence begins with self-awareness–getting in touch with your internal physiological signals.

One way to bring in some somatic awareness is by cultivating awareness of our breath. At the start of a meeting, take a deep breath and ask yourself what you are feeling. If your breath is shallow and high in your chest, this may be a sign of anxiety, which can be communicated to others.

Next, be aware of your body. Put your feet flat on the floor and feel what is happening inside you. Are you holding tension somewhere? Perhaps one shoulder is higher or your fist is clenched. Simply noticing tension may be enough to help you release it.

Do you feel a frequent urge to break eye contact? Look away for a moment and travel inside yourself. Ask yourself what your instinct is trying to tell you.

This is not to say that other aspects of nonverbal communication don’t matter. They do. You must dress for the role you play, modulate your vocal tone, arrange physical space to fit your agenda, and manage your gestures.

However, true executive presence stems from an authentic connection to your core self.

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