If you plan on being a successful stockbroker, then you are going to need to have some solid skillsets under your belt, one of them being public speaking. Because you will be expected to speak on stage as well as in front of the media, it will be your responsibility to learn how to present yourself in a professional manner. One key component will be your body language as this plays a vital role in how you are perceived.

How natural is your body language? 

According to John Rogan of Motivational Speakers, “Many people are obsessed with the notion of having to perform specific movements during their speeches. They believe that they have to prepare a presentation and then practice the movements that go along with it. Nothing could be further from the truth. The actions of your body should emphasize the words you speak in a natural way. The speech and the speaker together with your movements is all one and is unique to you.”

Remember that your presentation is also a performance. Up on stage or in front of 500 or more people, you need to accentuate your gestures, so that people in the back rows can see them. These movements should be natural and easy, not learned and forced.

Your Body Language is Uniquely Yours

The more passion and knowledge you have for a subject, the easier it is to present your ideas in an effective way. Your posture will show confidence, your gesture will appear natural, flowing and help encourage your audience to listen and follow your thought patterns. Your face will mimic your words exactly; your audience will be able to see your emotions.

Sean Adams, a very well known motivational expert from MotivationPing.com, says: “People will not remember what you say as much as they will remember what they see, when you say it!” Your audience easily senses insecurity, through bad posture, frowned face, no eye contact, which will make them feel uneasy. They can see through fake smiles and rehearsed arm and hand movements. They will think that you are not sincere or not competent in this subject.

Very simple guidelines to what you need to do:

• Walk confidently to the front or onto the stage.
• Stand square, arms by your side
• Face your listeners
• Smile.
• Eye contact with people in the audience
• Express your thoughts by showing your passion of the subject with your whole body

Some speakers, especially beginners, who tell a sad story or fact and keep smiling. This is very confusing to your audience. When your presentation is serious, frightening or sad, your face has to mirror that emotion perfectly. Otherwise your audience will be wondering if you are joking, because you can’t be serious, or honest, if words and facial expression do not match.

There are movements you need to avoid:

• Keeping one or both hands in your pockets,
• Crossing your arms in front or in the bac
• Adjusting your hair constantly
• Rubbing your nose or eyebrows often

These are all signs of nervousness or insincerity that will make your audience doubt you. Make a video recording of yourself speaking. When watching the playback, put it on fast forward. This will reveal the body movements that are a nuisance and distract from your message.

Body language is something unique. Every speaker has his own way of transmitting information. Energetic speakers tend to move around more and use their hands and arms to illustrate their point. People with low energy can be awesome speakers too. They usually deliver strong content with vivid facial expressions.

There are no clear rules for body language. The more passionate and knowledgeable about a particular subject you are the more confident and expressive you will be. And the more your audience will listen and appreciate all the valuable information they receive from you. And this is all you can hope for!