There is a pecking order in society, and like it or not, you rank somewhere on that order. People rank each other in status anywhere between high and low, and the ramifications of your status can be liberating or limiting. While it may seem unfair, this process is hardwired into our brains. When you give a presentation, the way we communicate on subtle levels will instantaneously communicate our status to the audience. Here are 5 tips on how to raise your perceived status.
Posture
The way you hold your body during a presentation says volumes about how you feel about yourself. This non-verbal communication is instant and sub-conscious. Pull those shoulders back, keep your chin and eyes up and off the floor. This posture exudes confidence.
How Quickly You Move
A person of high status will move more slowly than their low status counterpart. This goes for all movement; walking across the room, reaching for water, all of it. Quick movement says “This is scary, I want to get out of here!” Breathe, allow yourself to slow down.
How Much Space You Take Up
Take a page out of Amy Cuddy’s book, Presence, and allow your body to take up more space! If you roll your shoulders inward, knees together, and head looks down, you show you are trying to hide. Instead, pick your head up, use large gestures, drape your arm over the chair next to you. This shows you are comfortable being seen.
The Volume of Your Voice
Do people strain to hear your words during a presentation? If so, you are projecting low status! Allow your voice to fill the room. Seriously: FILL the room. You want to hear a subtle echo off the walls. Your voice is a sonic representation of how large you feel. Being physically small doesn’t mean you can’t command a room with your presence. Pick up the volume of your voice to where the furthest person should hear you very comfortably.
Eye Contact
When people are afraid of other people, they avoid eye contact with them. Audiences subconsciously notice this from speakers. Make lasting eye-contact with your audience members, one by one. Not only will you be seen as more confident, this has the added benefit of creating connection with them as well.
Who is in Reaction to Who?
When we feel high in status, we easily brush off challengers. When low in status, we are quick to react to everything in our surroundings. Even when it comes to hecklers, if you let them get under your skin, your status goes down, regardless of how justified you are for your anger. President Obama had a great example of this during his State of the Union Address. Despite being called a lair by a Senator, he kept his cool, and chose not to even acknowledge it.
Projecting high status will help you tremendously while speaking. While you may not feel as confident as you look, take solace in knowing that no one ever does.