Albert Mehrabian  the Educational Psychologist published ground breaking work on the subject of verbal communication. Albert Mehrabian has a famous formula for how speech presentation and communication works. It has become known as the 7%-38%-55% rule.

• 7% relates to the importance of the words we use
• 38% refers to tone of voice and inflection
• 55% refers to the importance of body language/face.

Imagine, that you are invited to give a speech or presentation at work.

A nerve-wracking experience , so what do we do? Well, we concentrate on learning the content, covering all angles, Q&A sessions, knowing what we’re talking about gives you credibility, doesn’t it ?

But remember, only 7% of what you say will be retained in the words alone. This is a disappointing statistic.

38% of our message reverberates in how we say things. Subtle changes of pitch and pace add life, sparkle and colour to our message. Do we want our key message to be memorable?

55% body language and facial expression, again this is a telling statistic.

The Alexander Technique can give you a real tool box to address many of the difficulties associated with public speaking.

Here are a few easy tips.

It’s important to change the pitch and pace. Pause for longer, look the audience directly in the eye, lower your voice slightly. Be very clear about the key points you want to convey.  Make sure there is emotion and humour in your talk, not just quickly getting through the content, facts and statistics.

Being present, which will convey presence.

Present yourself as a genuine person.

There are tips to appearing genuine:

1 Relax; 2 Be yourself; 3 Don’t tell lies.

Relaxation is the basis of confidence. Constructive Resting is a great Alexander Technique tool to help with posture, body language, stress and breathing.

It’s not what you say, it’s the way that you say it that scores with the audience.