Public Speaking involves Silent Signals that affect whether people: 1) listen 2) understand 3) care about what you’re saying 4) care about YOU.
Your posture, facial expressions, body language, and presence show your personality and quietly tell the audience whether to trust you, ignore you, or remember you in a positive or negative light.
Whether you are on stage or in a group Zoom meeting, people are watching you and gaining an impression. So, don’t blow it!
Let’s look at some examples and hope you don’t “see yourself” in them!
While Engaged in Public Speaking,
Check Your Appearance & Behavior
When You Think No One Is Looking
Let’s use online meeting behaviors as an example to illustrate the point, but the same thing applies during in-person speeches, training, and other gatherings.
- Are you yawning or eating and not covering your mouth?
- What we see is your gaping mouth with all its cavity fillings, and it might be full of half-chewed food.
- What we really see is your lack of manners and a lack of interest in whatever or whoever is talking.
- Are you dressed for cleaning the garage or going to bed, even though you want people to think of you as a business professional?
- Reminds me of the old saying, “Dress for the job you want, not for the job you’ve got.”
- Potential sponsors or employers view you not just as they see you now, but also in connection with the impression you would make on their customers, funding sources, board members, etc.
- Would they be embarrassed to be seen with you on important occasions because of how you look or act?
- Speaking of which …
- Have you combed your hair recently? I’m amazed by how many people show up in business meetings looking like it’s morning and they haven’t even gotten out of bed yet.
- Their hair is “all over the place,” and their bra straps are hanging off their shoulders
- The men are sharing their hairy armpits with the camera.
- It’s true. Styles changed during the pandemic, and most people don’t “dress up” often these days. But, people at least need to look clean and attentive when they want to be taken seriously, whether for friendships or for business, dontcha’ think?
(I’m sure some of you don’t think so, but I agree with myself!) 
There’s More!
- Are you slouched over or lying down, playing with a pet, or whispering to someone in another room while the speaker is talking?
- Your inattentiveness is potentially insulting to hosts and presenters.
- It also gives the impression that you are unprofessional, rude, exhausted, scatter-brained, or not worthy of being listened to unless you demonstrate extraordinary powers as a speaker when your turn comes.
- What do you do with your phone or other device when others are speaking?
- Do you exhibit the same courtesy toward others that you want for yourself when you are talking? If not, why not?
When You ARE Speaking
- When you are presenting, do you ramble endlessly? Do you punctuate every sentence with an “Um…?” Do you repeat the same points so often that your talk just seems like junk “filler?” Is there a beginning, middle, and end – or even a primary point to what you are saying?
- Also, when it’s your turn to share in a group setting, do you talk incessantly, leaving no time or space for other participants to share? Is your conversation all about you, instead of the topic at hand?
- In both cases, what the audience sees is your unpreparedness, your egocentricity, your inability to “read the room,” and your insensitivity toward all participants, whether they are speakers or guests.
- What do you do with your hands? What do you do with your eyes? Answer both questions for when you are and are not the presenter.
Let’s review the details and get some tips to use whether we are in Zoom meetings or addressing an audience of thousands.
What Do People See When You Speak?
The Hidden Language of Public Speaking
“Confidence is communicated before the first sentence.”
“The audience can see you – before, during, and after – even when you are silent.”
Most people think public speaking is primarily about words.
It is not.
Words matter, of course. But audiences are constantly evaluating much more than vocabulary or information. They are reading your confidence, posture, pacing, facial expressions, breathing, gestures, eye contact, pauses, and emotional steadiness.
In many ways, an audience “decides” how credible you are before you finish your second sentence.
That may sound intimidating, but it is actually good news. Speaking effectively is not about becoming perfect. It is about becoming aware.
And awareness can be practiced.
Whether you are teaching a class, leading a meeting, speaking in church, presenting online, conducting a workshop, or answering questions on a panel, your audience is asking itself several silent questions:
Can I trust this person to: tell the truth / know what they’re talking about / have my best interests as the priority?
Does this speaker believe what they are saying?
Is this person calm and prepared?
Do they respect the audience?
Would I listen to them again?
Ironically, many beginning speakers focus almost entirely on memorizing words while ignoring the larger “performance” already taking place.
As one speech coach joked:
“The audience forgives nervousness much faster than they forgive boredom.”
That line may be humorous, but it contains a great truth.
In Public Speaking, Body Language Is Constantly Communicating and Greatly Affects Your Audience’s Comfort with You
How Great Speakers Command Attention
Your body is never “off stage.”
Before, during and after one’s presentation, audiences observe the speaker’s:
- posture
- eye contact
- nervous movements (touching face or hair, etc.)
- hand gestures
- facial expressions, especially around the eyes and mouth – even tiny, subtle movements
- and physical tension.
Unfortunately, many speakers accidentally distract audiences through repetitive behaviors:
- jingling keys
- pacing excessively
- swaying
- tapping fingers
- gripping the podium
- or repeatedly saying “okay?” or “you feel me?” or other phrases every few sentences.
People are not usually aware of those small, but annoying habits, so it’s good to watch yourself on a recording after events to see what you ACTUALLY DID AND SAID versus what you thought you did and said.
I’d be happy to critique one of your presentations (past or proposed), if you would like to engage me to do so. We can discuss it for free if you want to schedule me. (Email MyPersuasivePresentations@gmail.com.)
Public Speaking Includes What You Are Doing While Others Are Speaking!
Those Silent Signals Affect Your Audience’s Perception that You are a “Good” or a “Bad” Person
These may be some of the most overlooked factors in how people judge you. In panels, interviews, conferences, or group discussions, audiences continue watching you even when someone else has the microphone.
Many speakers unintentionally:
- frown
- look bored
- check phones
- stare into space
- interrupt
- whisper to others
- or visibly rehearse their next answer instead of listening.
Audiences notice this immediately.
Professional communicators practice “active stage presence.” That means:
- maintaining attentive facial expressions
- listening respectfully
- nodding naturally
- making eye contact with the current speaker
- and remaining emotionally engaged.
Ironically, some speakers appear most trustworthy when they are listening rather than speaking. Listening well communicates confidence and respect. Desperately waiting to speak often communicates insecurity.
Asking Questions the Right Way
Silent Signals Affect Your Public Speaking Effectiveness When You Are Asking or Fielding Questions
Questions are one of the fastest ways to engage audiences. However, not all questions work equally well.
Weak audience questions are often:
- too vague
- too complicated
- or obviously rhetorical.
Strong audience questions invite reflection.
Examples:
- “Have you ever noticed how quickly audiences sense nervousness?”
- “What makes you trust one speaker more than another?”
- “How many of us have sat through a presentation that felt painfully endless?”
Questions create mental participation. It’s a great technique to use, because, once audiences mentally participate, attention increases dramatically.
Public Speaking – Your “Presence” Matters
Silent Signals Affect Your Self-Confidence
Great speaking is not about perfection. It is about connection.
Audiences rarely expect flawless delivery. They do, however, appreciate authenticity, preparation, clarity, warmth, and emotional steadiness.
People may forget individual sentences. Yet, they remember:
- how you made them feel
- whether they trusted you
- and whether your presence matched your message.
In the end, public speaking is not simply the transfer of information. It is the transfer of energy, attention, and human connection. Long after the words fade, audiences often remember one final impression:
“How did this person make me feel while they were speaking?”
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AI Disclosure Statement: In the interest of transparency, I, Nancy Wyatt, note that I used AI to find resource links for this presentation after I gave it the concepts. I maintain full responsibility for the final content. I affirm that this tool was used as a supplemental resource, not as a replacement for original thought or professional judgment. The content is a composite of words and phrases originating in my mind, along with input (especially resource and research links) from AI.
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