Using non-verbal language in trainings addressed to students

Today, more and more employers require their employees to have impeccable communication skills, for reasons that make perfect sense from their perspective that of having efficient employees who can develop the company and bring profit. Unfortunately, this ideal of communication can have some unwanted side effects, as some very good ideas may come across unnoticed exactly because they are not presented efficiently, while some very good presenters may find themselves on leading positions even if they do not have the necessary competencies for them. s a result, it becomes imperative for everyone desiring to become employed on any position that requires human interaction to possess at least some basic communication and public speaking skills, which can also help substantially from a personal point of view. !e are required to make speeches very often- from wedding toasts to school presentations, so the fact that "#$ of people fear public speaking in a way or another %glossophobia& is hardly of any help. The fear of public speaking, even though rather irrational at first sight, comes from the need of prestige and social status, which may be eroded by failures of communicating efficiently and embarrassing events. 'n today(s world, in which ensuring basic survival has become much simpler and physical dangers are reduced, the importance of prestige is increased, so those who need to deliver a speech expect the worse results, as they fear having a bad speech. )ut what exactly is a bad speech* bad speech can take many shapes, from presenting inaccurate information or that the public already knows to using non-verbal communication incorrectly. The public usually gets these cues very fast and the speaker may lose credibility in +ust a few seconds. This is why several trainings were created for this purpose of empowering people in order to deliver good speeches and communicate efficiently. ,ome of these are devised for the corporate environment, like the ones offered by -ale .arnegie Training, which cost up to "// 0uros. 1owever, there are also free alternatives for students preparing to enter the +ob market, giving them some basic skills in this regard, some of which ' have delivered myself, learning the basics both by practice and by using the theory offered to me academically and individual study. There are some general lines regarding non-verbal language which are applicable to any kind of training, but there are also some small differences regarding trainings for students, which require some preparation in this regard especially in international frames of work. ,o, the following lines will present the main non-verbal language elements and the manner in which they can be adapted to students and not only, in order to deliver a good speech2training2presentation.

Facial expressions are extremely important in any form of communication, from simple conversations to pricey trainings. They are usually very hard to fake, appearing whenever one feels one of the basic emotions disgust, contempt, sadness, +oy etc. They can be controlled to a certain extent by experts, but average people, regardless of culture, express and recogni3e them simply. They are embedded in every person and not socially learned, as even people born blind have them. ,o the state of mind before a training2presentation is extremely important, professional trainers being advised to leave their personal problems at the door of the training room. -ue to these easy-to-read facial expressions, the public can easily detect if the speaker wants to be there, likes what he2she is doing, en+oys having the public close etc. 1aving emotions and showing them do not ruin one(s training, but on the contrary- by showing emotions like fear and yet continuing the speech flawlessly, the public will most likely empathi3e as this is a very common fear they can relate to. Thus, ,usan .ain(s speech on introverts on T0- was the most popular of the year, even though she was highly emotional throughout the entire speech. 4evertheless, the biggest mistake one can do in this regard is try to fake emotions through forced smiles and fearlessness, which are usually detected very fast by the public, which will sanction the speaker accordingly. 0specially students look for a role model they can identify with and have high expectations. They are also keener on 5testing6 the speaker by complaining or talking in the background, behaviors that may be increased by faking emotions or a superior attitude. Body movements and posture are +ust as important, especially in large rooms where not everyone can see the face of the speaker. There are a few tips in this regard, the first being again not to contradict the words one speaks by using the opposite gestures. Thus, explaining that something is very large while bringing the hands together will create a dissonance, especially for visual learners. 7irst of all, the back should be held straight, which increases credibility in front of the public, attracts attention and helps the breathing process, thus the voice will not vary. 1and gestures should not be forced and exaggerated, usually these gestures being sanctioned %even mentally& by the public students included. 't is preferably for the speech not to be made behind a desk8 even though very good speeches can be made in a static posture, by walking in the room one can make eye contact with more people and can get closer to the public. 4evertheless, this needs to be practiced before in the room, as walking too much or too fast can make the message harder to get across. 0ven though mentioned before, gestures are crucial in getting the message across, especially without other visual aids. 9estures should be natural and should fit the message or the state of mind of the speaker. lso, they should be researched, especially before talking in an international conference2event, as for different cultures, the same gesture can mean opposite things. 7or example, in 9reat )ritain, showing number : by using the index and the middle finger can be considered offensive, which can definitely hinder communication.

Eye contact is also crucial in delivering a speech, even though it is also hard to achieve as well for people who cannot do it naturally. Thus, by making brief eye contact with as many people in the public as possible, the speaker can engage them in the speech, making them feel relevant. lso, it can be used to maintain the attention of people who start doing something else. 0ye contact is necessary to be used or the public will feel neglected, ignored and, especially in the case of students, may start engaging in other activities like checking the phone or talking to the neighbor. 7or speakers who cannot make eye contact easily, they can center their look at the top of the nasal pyramid of a person, thus simulating eye contact and gaining their attention. 0ye contact should be made with people around the room, as centering on +ust :-; people can also bring the same affect. The speaker can thus look at the public by in the shape of the letters ! or < to cover all the room. Touch is another means of communicating, but one which has to be used after gaining more experience as it can bring both very good and very bad results. .ulturally, some peoples are very open to physical closeness, such as the Turkish, while sian peoples like the =apanese or .hinese engage harder, for example the =apanese preferring a bow instead of a handshake. )ut touch can bring in a presentation another way of engaging the public. 7or example, a shy participant can be engaged in an exercise with a pat on the shoulder, which is aimed at encouraging him2her and showing that his2her input is welcome. 1owever, the same pat on the shoulder can be used to signal a participant to stop checking the phone during the presentation- it all depends on the context. Physical proximity is another very important aspect related to the one presented before. Thus, by moving in the room, the presenter can get closer to the public and thus engage them more. >n the other hand, getting too close may make the participants in the first row feel uncomfortable, which can make them pay less attention due to someone invading their personal space. Thus, getting closer than ?,: meters to a person means entering his2her personal space, while getting closer than #/ cm means entering the intimate space- which usually makes everyone feel uncomfortable. gain, some cultures react better to physical closeness, while others avoid it. This information can be used in case of noisy participants- entering briefly their personal area should usually be enough, this method being used often in training with students, working much better than announcing one verbally to stop doing something. The last element on the list is represented by using the voice to send a particular message and engage the public. Thus, there are several elements that need to be considered when using one(s voice@ Aro+ection- being able to be heard equally well around the room rticulation- pronouncing the words clearly and correctly

Bodulation not having the same tone of voice all the time Aitch- the voice should not be too high, as it disturbs the listeners, but should not be slow either 0mphasis- talking more rarely and loudly when presenting some important piece of information ,peed- have an appropriate speed for the public to follow- neither too slow nor too fast.

ll these elements can help the public be more interested in that is presented, especially as after half an hour the attention span starts to drop significantly8 this also helps the public remember more information, while also en+oying the presentation as well. )y practicing with these elements and knowing very well the content to be delivered, one can easily reduce the fear of public speaking and gain more perspectives, both professionally and personally, these skills making the difference on many occasions. )ibliography .ain, ,usan 5Cuiet6, )roadway )ooks ://?: nderson .hris, 51ow to give a killer presentation6 1arvard )usiness Deview, =une :/?; http@22hbr.org2:/?;2/E2how-to-give-a-killer-presentation2ar2? 1elpguide.org http@22www.helpguide.org2mental2eqEFnonverbalFcommunication.htm 9lossophobia.com http@22www.glossophobia.com2