“Body language can be tricky when you are presenting. Sometimes, you just don’t know what to do with yourself, but your body is always speaking,” says Karin Reed. “How do you ensure that your body is saying what you want it to?” she asks. In this episode, Karin explains the critical role of body language during presentations. She opens with a common dilemma faced by speakers—what to do with their hands—and shares insights from her coaching experiences. She challenges the advice of keeping hands at one’s sides, advocating instead for natural gestures that complement and reinforce the speaker’s message.
Karin emphasizes the importance of not overthinking gestures, noting that focusing on the presentation content will naturally lead to appropriate hand movements. She discusses how forced or unnatural gestures can distract the audience and detract from the message.
Discussing the use of space, Karin provides actionable advice on adapting gestures for different settings—from virtual presentations, where the camera frames the speaker, to larger, in-person stages. She explains how strategic movement can be used effectively to transition between topics, while recommending that speakers remain still during the delivery of critical points to emphasize their importance.
Karin also addresses how to interact with presentation slides effectively. She advises against the distracting use of laser pointers and suggests ways to integrate slides seamlessly into a presentation, ensuring they support rather than overshadow the spoken content.
