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Introduction
When you wish to instruct, be brief; that men’s minds take in quickly what you say, learn its lesson, and retain it faithfully. Every word that is unnecessary only pours over the side of a brimming mind
(Cicero).
The body language is an integral part of communication. It is a blend of various body movements such as facial expressions, eye contact and gestures, mannerism and behavior while communicating with others. Body language builds charisma. Most charismatic leaders are conscious about their body language either directly or indirectly and demonstrate right postures to influence, impact and inspire others.
Body language and public speaking
According to Albert Mehrabian, a professor that dedicated his life to communication science and the psychology of verbal and non-verbal messages – up to 55 percent of impression we leave is based on our body language, 7 percent are spoken words, and 38 percent is our diction. To become a successful public speaker, it is essential to concentrate on this aspect. The audience mostly observes the body language as it gets registered quickly in the human subconscious mind. Even if the oral language is not clear to the audience, the body language helps them understand the message effectively.
There is an ancient Chinese proverb that the body never lies and the body never keeps quiet. Additionally, research shows that humans tell lies orally but the body gestures rarely signal wrong. Any misalignment between them leads to communication gap or miscommunication. For instance, if an authoritarian leader says that s/he believes in participative or consensus style of functioning by thumping the desk aggressively, it reflects that s/he believes in dictatorial or authoritative attitude although s/he declared himself as a democratic leader orally.
The social psychologist and Harvard professor, Amy Cuddy discussed the importance of body language in her Ted Talk. She talked about the impact of posture and how more powerful poses can help us feel better, get better jobs and can make us more successful overall. Cuddy underscores her research on how power posing can increase an individual’s level of testosterone and lower his or her levels of cortisol. Cuddy[1] conducted a test involving two groups of people. One group was asked to hold a “power pose” for two minutes while the...