Body Language Oozes Testosterone

We know that body language sends messages. Those messages are not always clear to your audience. There are intended and unintended messages that body language might convey.

But did you know that your physical body language also sends chemical messages to your own body?

Here is an excerpt from an article in the Burnside News.
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Amy J.C. Cuddy, assistant professor at the Harvard Business School, has performed extensive research in various human areas of behaviour, feelings and control in the workplace. Her findings can help many managers become better presenters and overall more confident professionals at stress-inducing periods, like employment interviews, meetings and all in-person events.

Working with co-authors Dana Carney and Andy Yap from Columbia University, Cuddy completed a definitive study that became a wonderful article, Power Posing: Brief Nonverbal Displays Affect Neuroendocrine Levels and Risk Tolerance, which appeared in an issue of Psychological Science magazine (September 21, 2010).

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The interesting point from this research was that when you stand more powerfully your body cooperates by producing more testosterone - which makes you feel more powerful.

Stand proud and you will feel proud. Look good and you will feel good.
Body language is not only what your audience reads into your message. It is also how you feel about yourself and your presentation. This is critical when you might feel anxious about presenting. If you want to feel more confident - look more confident. Then drink the testosterone.

Read the full article Improving Presentations Skills with Power Poses


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Does the Bigger Man Win?

When speaking in front of an audience, does size matter? Specifically, do you appear more powerful and thus more persuasive when you are taller and/or larger than your competition.

On his NeuroScience Marketing Blog, Roger Dooley states, "There’s data from business showing that tall men are more likely to be promoted than shorter guys, and that they also earn more money."

Dooley provocatively suggests "Politics is Simple: Vote for the Tall Guy".

He justifies that statement with this opening:
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"Our decisions aren’t always as rational as we think, and choosing a presidential candidate is no exception. Researchers at Texas Tech have found an innate preference for candidates who are more physically imposing. This tendency is considered to be an example of evolutionary psychology, in which modern-day humans still exhibit behaviors developed in our hunter-gatherer days. (Or, simply put, “caveman politics.”)"
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Politically incorrect or not, there appears to be a correlation between an individual's height and possibly body size and their perceived leadership abilities.

In my experience observing, training and coaching speakers, I've noticed this same relationship. Specifically a speaker who appears to be larger often projects more power and thus is more effective as a presenter.


Regardless of your size, how might you use this information?

The key to remember is "relative size". How large or tall or powerful do you appear to your audience as compared to your competitiion. Even if you are not a political candidate you are still competiting.

If you are a large person, flaunt it.

If you are a smaller person, you can appear to be larger by:

• Standing closer to the audience
• Standing as tall as you can
• Walking confidently
• Talking in a deeper voice
• Moving your arms in bigger gestures
• Speaking from a raised platform
• Not hiding behind the lecturn
• Speaking slower
• Moving about the stage to consume all the space

My friend and mentor, Peter Urs Bender, used these techniques to appear much larger on stage than he was. He remarked to me that after people watched him speak on stage they often approached him to speak with him. Peter noticed that many people did a double take in suprise when they realized how short he was.

When he was on stage he appeared powerful because of his presentation skills. Because he appeared powerful people assumed that he must be tall.

If you want to appear more powerful when presenting, use these techniques to appear larger.

Read the full article Politics is Simple: Vote for the Tall Guy by Roger Dooley

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Steve Jobs: How to Live Before You Die

Steve Jobs delivering graduation speech at Stanford University in June 2005.

Steve Jobs has been cited as an effective presenter - especially when he announced the new Apple products.

This presentation seems to show a shy, wounded and reluctant presenter.

The words are powerful. It was a well written speech. It is an amazing speech to read. The best way to enjoy this speech is to read it or listen to it - but not to watch it. You will notice that Steve Jobs read this speech - almost entirely.

That seems strange because he only told three personal stories. He knew those stories, yet he felt compelled to read his speech. When the audience reacted to his words, he did pause, but failed to look at them. He was clearly lost in his own emotion and discomfort.

Notice the lack of emotion on his face and in his body language. Although his message was important to his audience he was clearly telling it for his own personal cleansing.

Notice how he strokes his chin at personal moments. That is likely a sign of self comforting because of pain.

The man was likely in a swamp of personal pain during this presentation.








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Poll on What you remembered about the last speaker

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Absolutely: Are you feeling queasy yet?

Words drive thoughts. Thoughts drive emotions. Emotions drive decisions.

The use of the right words can move your listeners in the right direction and the use of the wrong words can move them in the wrong direction. Right, meaning in the direction that you want them to go and wrong meaning the opposite.

It’s not just the choice of words that lead to your success or failure but the abuse of words.

When you present you want your audience to remember the most important words that reinforce your message. You don’t want them to remember words that detract from your message.

The speaker was talking about coaching. So you would think that the words that the audience should remember the most would be about coaching – the process and the results.

Instead, the word that I remember most from this presentation was “absolutely”.

I heard it so many times that I started to feel sick when I heard it. Sometimes it was uttered three times within two minutes.

Absolutely, Absolutely, Absolutely.

The speaker was using the word, “Absolutely” instead of “yes”. I did not hear the speaker say “yes”. Curious, what was she hiding?

Superior speakers use shorter words and short sentences to get their message across. Absolutely is four syllables while yes is one syllable. Which do you think is the better word to use?

If you mean yes – say yes.

Job interviewers and police interrogators will tell you that the more words a person uses to answer a simple yes or no question – the least likely that the answer is true.

Did you complete your degree? Absolutely
Did you kill John Doe? Absolutely not.

Do you love me? Absolutely.
Did you have sex with that person? Absolutely not.

Did you mean yes or no?

If you mean no – say no.

Why would a speaker say absolutely when they mean yes?

Perhaps they think that “absolutely” sounds sexy, modern or intelligent. In each of those cases they are talking insincere.

Perhaps they are uncertain about their information or position. “Yes” would sound much more certain.

Perhaps they are mimicking a word that they just heard which suggests that they are not thinking about what they say or how it might affect their message.

Do you want your listeners to remember your key message or do you want them to remember an annoying word like absolutely?


George Torok


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The Torch has been passed

The inauguration of John F. Kennedy Januarary 20, 1961.

John F. Kennedy was a great speaker. Watch his presentations and learn from them.







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For example or for instance?

For example or for instance? Choose well

Do you use examples in your presentations? It might work against you. Perhaps you should use an instance instead.

Confused? So was I until my good friend and scholar, John Robert Colombo explained the difference so clearly.

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An "instance" is an actual occurrence. An "example" is a hypothetical occurrence.

"In 1929 the stock market collapsed." That is an occurrence that actually happened. It can be discussed by historians and economists.

"Let's say the stock market collapses in 2011." This is an example of what may or might have happen. It can be imagined by commentators of all types, including historians and economists.

The distinction between instance and example is a minor one, but I find that preachers, teachers, moralists, bureaucrats, censors, politicians, etc., work in the field of "examples," whereas scientists and scholars work in the field of "instances."

In the field of public speaking and human motivation, we fear examples far more than instances. "Suppose this happens ... " is worse than "Guess what did happen."

I often think we would be a lot better off in everyday life if we ignored examples and dealt only with instances.

John Robert Colombo
Colombo & Company
Professional website www.colombo.ca Personal website www.colombo-plus.ca
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If you want to build a logical argument use instances. If you want to base your argument on emotions, use examples.

Now listen to your last or next presentation and check to see if you are using examples when instances might work better.

If you are delivering a technical presentation your credibility will be undermined if you only deal in examples.

I suspect that examples are not bad – but if your whole argument is based only on examples it might be a weak argument. Instances though based on the past ground your logic.

If you have a weak argument based on the facts, then use examples and hope nobody knows the difference between example and instance. (Of course that last sentance was an example.)

Thank you John Robert Colombo for explaining the difference.

George Torok
Executive Speech Coach
Presentation Skills Training

Executive Speech Coach, Business presentation tips from George Torok, the Speech Coach for Executives.