If you only had a few moments to create a positive first impression, where would you put your energy? Choosing the right words? Managing your behaviour? Or simply smiling at the right time?
For years, communication training leaned on a simple percentage-based framework (Mehrabian) to explain how much meaning is conveyed through words, tone and body language. While memorable, that model was drawn from narrow experimental scenarios and has since been widely questioned when applied to everyday business communication.
What has stood the test of time is the central insight behind it: when spoken words and visible behaviour don’t line up, people tend to believe what they see rather than what they hear. Modern research explains this not through rigid ratios, but through how audiences form rapid impressions, assess credibility, and decide whether a speaker seems trustworthy. In presentation contexts, non-verbal signals remain central to how confidence, clarity and authority are judged, especially in the opening moments.
Research into first impressions and so-called “thin slicing” (Ambady & Rosenthal) shows that people make fast judgements about competence, confidence and credibility based on very limited behavioural information. These snap assessments are influenced far more by posture, eye contact, facial expression and movement than by carefully chosen wording.
Cognitive load research (Sweller) adds another layer: when verbal and non-verbal signals reinforce each other, messages are easier to process and feel more believable. When they clash, attention drops.
The takeaway for presenters is straightforward. Don’t spend all your preparation time perfecting slides, scripts and data while overlooking delivery. How you physically communicate plays a powerful role in whether your message lands as intended. This isn’t about theatrics or adopting a fake ‘presenter mode’. Small, deliberate behavioural choices- how you stand, where you look, when you move- can significantly lift presence and impact, both in the room and on screen.
In this blog, we’ll share practical, behaviour-based techniques that help your message come across with credibility, confidence and authenticity, without rewriting a single slide.
Stand Tall: Building Confidence from the Ground Up
Strong delivery starts with how you stand. A balanced, neutral posture sends an immediate visual signal of confidence and gives you a greater sense of physical stability.
Aim for alignment through the head, shoulders and hips so your body feels supported rather than tense. When posture collapses- slouching, locked knees or a forward head position- breathing becomes shallow and tension rises. This often shows up in the voice as strain, speed or reduced clarity. An aligned stance supports steadier breathing, clearer vocal projection and a calmer nervous system.
Quick reset (takes about 3 seconds):
- Place your feet hip-width apart
- Roll your shoulders up, back and down
- Imagine the crown of your head being gently lifted
Do
- Stand with weight evenly distributed
- Keep your knees relaxed
Don’t
- Lean heavily onto one hip
- Cling to the lectern for reassurance
Why presentation posture is important: Posture directly influences breathing, vocal quality and perceived confidence, making it easier for your audience to engage with what you’re saying.
Use Gestures That Support Meaning (Not Distract from It)
Gestures are most effective when they serve a purpose. Well-timed, illustrative movements help audiences follow structure, emphasis and meaning, particularly when explaining contrasts, processes or key ideas.
Unplanned or repetitive movement, on the other hand, pulls attention away from your message. Habits like fiddling with notes/clicker/clothing or ‘washing machine hands’ usually signal nerves rather than confidence.
Gesture cues that build trust
- Open palms suggest openness and trust
- Upward gestures signal growth or possibility
- Symmetrical gestures convey balance and control
Do
- Gesture on key words and ideas
- Let gestures start and finish cleanly
Don’t
- Wave your hands constantly
- Hide them behind your back or in your pockets
Why gestures are important: When gestures reinforce what you’re saying, they make ideas easier to follow and remember. When they compete with the message, they distract the audience and reduce communication effectiveness.
Make Eye Contact That Feels Natural and Inclusive
Eye contact is one of the quickest ways to build connection, but only when it feels genuine. However it needs to reflect cultural and corporate norms.
A helpful guideline in countries like Australia, UK and the USA,is the three-second connection: hold eye contact with one person for the length of a sentence or complete thought, then move on. This creates intention without intensity. Research in social psychology and conversation analysis shows that:
- Very brief eye contact can read as avoidance
- Prolonged, unbroken staring can feel uncomfortable or overly dominant
In natural conversation, eye contact tends to happen in short, meaningful moments; often when finishing a thought, emphasising a point or handing over the conversational turn.
In larger rooms, think in zones rather than individuals. Online, look into the camera when delivering key messages, and back to faces when listening or responding.
Do
- Complete a thought before shifting your gaze
- Look at people, not walls or floors
Don’t
- Rapidly scan the room
- Fixate on one ’safe’ face
Why good eye contact is important: Used well, eye contact helps audiences feel acknowledged and included. When it’s too fleeting or too intense, it can undermine trust and comfort.
Let Your Facial Expression Work for You
Audiences read facial expression before they fully register words. A clenched jaw, furrowed brow or blank expression can unintentionally signal tension, uncertainty or disengagement.
Small adjustments go a long way. Softening the jaw, relaxing the eyebrows and allowing natural expression makes you appear more approachable and credible.
Smiling is useful- particularly at the opening or when offering reassurance- but it needs to suit the message. A fixed or flat expression, where the face doesn’t change with content, reduces emotional connection.
Do
- Let your expression reflect your message
- Use facial cues to highlight key moments
Don’t
- Freeze your face under pressure
- Over-smile during serious or complex content
Why facial impressions are important: Facial expression is one of the strongest emotional signals a presenter sends. When it aligns with content, it builds trust and engagement; when it doesn’t, it creates distance.
Move With Intention to Maintain Focus
Movement can enhance delivery when it’s deliberate. The aim isn’t to stay rigid or to pace nervously, but to use movement to support structure and connection.
Research into non-verbal communication, including analyses of high-impact talks, shows that audiences often judge credibility and confidence as much by physical presence as by content.
How to move with purpose
- Set your start: Pause, breathe and make eye contact before you start to speak
- Move between ideas: Small steps signal a transition from one line of thinking to another, which reinforces content structure
- Deliberately move forward and backwards: Moving forward towards the audience drives their engagement with you. Moving backwards to the screen, shifts their attention to your slides.
Do
- Use moment to direct the audience’s focus.
- Use stillness and pauses to underline key points
- Anchor your stance when delivering important messages
Don’t
- Pace aimlessly
- Rock, sway or fidget
- Walk backwards while speaking
Why movement is important: Purposeful movement keeps attention where you want it and helps manage nervous energy, making delivery appear calm and controlled.
Get Ahead of Nervous Habits
Even experienced speakers develop habits under pressure; adjusting clothing, tapping fingers, playing with a clicker or shuffling notes. While natural, these behaviours can distract and dilute credibility.
The solution is awareness and substitution. By swapping unhelpful habits for simple, controlled alternatives, nervous energy becomes manageable rather than disruptive.
Examples
- Rest a hand briefly at your side, or at waist level, between gestures
- Hold the remote firmly and deliberately
- Replace restless movement with clear, illustrative gestures
Do
- Identify habits through practice and recording
- Choose one simple swap at a time
- Pair with posture and breathing resets
Don’t
- Try to freeze completely
- Use props as a substitute for preparation
- Ignore nervous energy -redirect it instead
Why managing nerves is important: These swaps channel adrenaline into purposeful behaviour, helping you appear composed and communicate more clearly.
Match Your Physical Energy to Your Message
Effective energy is about harmony, not volume. High energy can lift engagement, but serious or complex messages often benefit from a more contained physical presence.
The key is alignment. Energy through body language and voice should support the emotional intent of your message. Stillness combined with vocal variation can be just as engaging as animated movement.
Increase impact by
- Standing still for important points
- Using vocal highs and lows instead of vocal monotone
- Allowing pauses to shift energy and land key messages
Do
- Adjust energy, movement and pace to suit the content
- Match the energy of your voice with the energy of your body language
- Reset your energy by taking a deep breath or adjusting your posture
Don’t
- Maintain high energy throughout
- Let low energy come across as though you’re disinterested in the content or your audience
- Allow nerves to dictate speed or movement
Why managing your energy is important: Energy that’s mismatched -too flat or too much – reduces communication clarity and personal impact. When physical presence suits the message, delivery feels confident and credible.
7 Simple Fixes You Can Use Straight Away
If you have an upcoming presentation and don’t yet feel confident applying all of these techniques at once, the seven practical actions below can be used immediately to improve your delivery.
- Drop your shoulders before you start
- Pause before your first sentence
- Smile intentionally at the opening
- Plant your feet for key points
- Gesture to add meaning to your content
- Slow down transitions between ideas
- Make eye contact with real people, not the back of the room
When Professional Support Makes the Difference
Awareness is a strong first step, but some situations benefit from expert guidance, particularly when feedback points to a lack of presence, presentation demands increase, or leadership visibility grows.
With virtual and hybrid delivery now a core skill, presenters also need to manage body language, voice and engagement on screen as effectively as in the room. Professional presentation skills coaching helps embed confident behaviours so they hold under pressure, ensuring delivery supports rather than undermines the message.
By investing in support, you’re not just learning techniques – you’re building a presentation toolkit that consistently strengthens credibility, influence and impact.
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How SecondNature can help
No matter if you’re updating your team, pitching to a client, presenting at a high-stakes meeting, or speaking at an industry conference, the ability to present ideas clearly and with impact, build audience trust and pitch complex ideas are must-have skills in today’s business climate.
No matter your role or experience level, presentation training is a smart investment in yourself, your team, and your future, so please get in touch. We’ve been coaching people for nearly 20 years, and we’re known as the Business Presentation Skills Experts, training and coaching thousands of people in an A-Z of global and local organisations. We’ve got the experience and expertise to help you and your team become the confident, compelling, and memorable presenters they want to be.
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