Your words account for only 7 percent of your effectiveness when making presentations. It’s time to spend some time on body language.

What makes one presenter persuasive and powerful, and another weak and ineffective? Contrary to popular belief, the answer is not your content.

In his classic book Silent Messages (Wadsworth Publishing, 1971), Albert Mehrabian reveals three elements that most influence an audience when discussing feelings and attitudes, likes and dislikes. Mehrabian ranked these elements in order of importance to the audience. Here’s what he found:

• Your verbal ability, or your content and knowledge about your topic, counts for only 7 percent of the audience’s perception of you.

• Your vocal ability, or how you speak, including your tone, pitch and inflection, counts for 35 percent of the audience’s perception of you.

• Your visual presence, or how you physically look while presenting, counts for a whopping 55 percent of the audience’s perception of you.

This means audience members may make snap decisions about your credibility and level of expertise based on how you look and sound, not on what you say. Your physical conduct and how you manage your body while communicating can have more of an impact than your actual words.

Granted, body language can only take you so far—if you want people to be engaged with your presentation long-term, you will need to say something meaningful. But since body language sets up the initial perception, you need to know the following rules about communicating strong body language to your audience. Mastering these skills will give your message more meaning and impact, which in turn will lead your audience to respond faster.

This is particularly important for those of you in sales. Your physical presence during meetings, how you are seated, where you look and how you demonstrate your product will make a significant impression on your client.

Sales professionals often find themselves racing to pull information together. They scramble to produce a proposal and supporting materials with little thought to how they will actually present the information. How many times have you left a sales meeting and realized that you talked too much, fumbled with notes or slides, and even noticed your client getting bored? All of these problems result from not taking enough time to consider how to deliver your information physically, and how to speak with conviction.

When you give an important presentation, it is critical to practice what you will say and how you will say it a few times prior to the meeting. This will increase your confidence and the flow of ideas, as well as enable you to think about how best to present the information.

Seven rules for effective presentations

Strong body language indicates confidence in your content. Practice these seven guidelines, and watch your audience’s perception of you improve dramatically. Once people see your confident body language, your message will have a greater impact and move your listeners to action more quickly. (Note: The following guidelines assume that you will stand as you present. However, you can still use all of them when giving your presentation from a seated position— simply modify them as needed. )

• Look at one person when you make an important statement. Avoid looking down at your hands or your notes; instead, look at the individuals in your audience for at least three to five seconds to really connect. Once you have connected with one person, slowly move your eyes to another person and repeat the process. When you are seated in a boardroom, try to position yourself near the end of the table to allow yourself the opportunity to visually connect with the most people in the room. Wait until you see someone nonverbally acknowledge you before moving to the next person.Take your time working your eyes from one person to the next. Slow, decisive eye contact communicates confidence. When you use it, you will notice that people pay closer attention to you. It also helps you think more clearly and slows your speaking pace—which makes you sound more authentic—and allows your body to gesture naturally.
  

• As you look at someone, physically address that person. This is known as “squaring up” to the person you are addressing. Make sure your toes, shoulders and hips all face that person. You want your body in total alignment with one or two people. When you first attempt to square up, it may feel a little robotic and stiff, but as you practice this new skill, it will become more natural and will enhance your overall physical presence. If you are seated, you want to sit forward in your chair and turn your upper body to face the person you are looking at. Make sure your hands are on the table in position to gesture, if appropriate. This stance sends the message that you’re confident, strong and in control. When your body faces the person you’re addressing, it also becomes easier to gesture naturally.

• Stand tall, with your weight even on both feet. Slouching or shifting your weight from leg to leg sends a message of uncertainty. When you lean from side to side, you probably notice that your hands lock in a folded position. Standing tall tells the audience you believe in what you are saying. It also helps your upper body stay relaxed and open, which promotes more natural gestures.

• Keep your hands free of objects, such as notes or a pen. When your hands are free, they are available to gesture naturally, which helps you convey your information with more conviction.

• If you choose to walk while you present, that’s fine—but after you move around to address someone, stand still and speak a few sentences without moving, so you create a sense of command and power with your body language. You may choose to walk across the room or take one step toward a person. Just remember to address the individuals in the room with your whole body. If you are in a small room, space may be limited. Try to walk back to the screen and then forward to the people, so your movement will be front to back, instead of side to side. When you walk, walk with a purpose. There are only three reasons to walk during your presentation: a) Walk to the computer, so you can change slides; b) Walk to your screen to point to something important; or c) Walk to an audience member, so you can address that person directly. The right amount of movement demonstrates excitement and commitment to your information, but too much movement may seem fidgety or overpowering.
  

• Vocal projection also demonstrates enthusiasm and knowledge. You want your voice to be strong, with an element of variety. The easiest way to accomplish this is by using people’s first names, telling stories and possibly reliving moments that relate to your information. If you know you have a soft voice, start out by speaking to the back of the room. The natural tendency is to speak louder when people are farther away. These techniques will help your voice project more energy in an authentic way.

• Avoid leaning on things, such as a table, the wall or a lectern. Stay away from any behavior that could be perceived as distracting, such as playing with change in your pocket. It is best to be front and center whenever possible. Avoid standing off to one side, unless standing center means you will block the presentation slides. However, even when standing and presenting with slides, I encourage you to walk in front of the projection on occasion to make sure you connect with both sides of the room.

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Sheri Jeavons is founder of Power Presentations (power-presentations.com), a company that specializes in presentations and communication skill-training programs and products.