Movement is a big issue. It's one of the many discussions we have on our fear of public speaking course in London.
It draws a heavy interest each time.
Should I stand still, or should I move around?
The answer is, it depends.
If you're making a speech or presentation in a meeting room, you'll find that there isn't much of a stage to move around on.
For health and safety reasons, I always place a table covering wires and computer cables.
In my IT training career, it was too dangerous to stroll around the room because of all the cables.
I would say that in a team meeting with an audience of 10 to 12 people, 90% of the time, you'll be static.
For me, static is fine, but not static and rigid. If you're rigid in the upper body your vocal capacity will diminish in no time.
You must have a good posture and strong breath control.
What about speaking at conferences on a wide stage?
Sure, I'd say that if you have a stage and it's danger free, use the stage if you're comfortable with it. But it's not essential.
If you're doing a good job without movement and that's your authentic style, I'd stay with it.
However, I love conference speaking and I usually have two flip charts separated by three yards or so.
That gives me a reason to move.
If you must move, move with purpose. At first, the movement can seem mechanical. Make the movement look like it's necessary and do it deliberately and tidily.
We often see a lot of unconscious vacillation or oscillation on the stage with nervous speakers. There's movement, but it's distracting.
The idea of movement on a big stage is that the audience's eyes will be drawn to the movement and follow you.
Whatever is authentic for you is fine, especially if you're talking at a conference. After a while, the movement will flow naturally.
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