There is a young man I know, an entrepreneur with his own importing business, who has been working on his speaking skill. He is a large, powerfully built guy, with a strong voice, but he has always come across in his speaking as a bit shifty.
I have no doubts about his personal or business integrity, but that never came through in his demeanor. As he spoke, he shifted his weight from side to side, shuffling his feet, rocking his shoulders and fidgeting with his hands. It was hard to even focus on what he was saying because my attention was always drawn to his restless movement.
We spoke briefly about it a couple of times, but I have never worked with him directly. And as any fidgeter can attest, such habits are hard to break
Then a few weeks ago, I saw him speak again, and the change was remarkable. He stood front and center, his feet firmly planted under his large frame, his body erect, still and calm, his shoulders squared, and he absolutely commanded the room. He was confident, authoritative and very persuasive.
Of course, in a perfect world, his physical demeanor would have no real bearing on the validity of his persuasive argument. I’ve often heard academic and technical speakers lament that their presentation style is irrelevant. It is the quality of the data and the logic of the argument that matters.
Yet, I can’t for the life of me remember what it was my friend was talking about in the earlier speeches. His fidgeting and shuffling so overwhelmed his argument.
I’m not sure what he did to change so dramatically, but this latest speech came from a place of power, confidence and authority. And it came through loud and clear.
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