Facial expression and eye contact, also known as oculesics, are both important aspects of communicating with an audience and provide important social and emotional information to the listener. The eyes can indicate interest, attention, and involvement with audience members, while failure to make eye contact can be interpreted as disinterest in some cultures.
For many Western English-speaking audiences, making eye contact is an important form of direct communication.
A gaze includes looking while talking and listening. The length of a gaze, the frequency of glances, fixation patterns, pupil dilation, and blink rate are all important cues in nonverbal communication. In many Western English-speaking cultures, those who make eye contact are perceived as more credible, honest, and friendly, while a lack of eye contact seems rude or inattentive.
Different cultures have different rules for eye contact. Certain Asian cultures can perceive direct eye contact as a way to signal competitiveness, which in many situations may prove to be inappropriate. In some cultures, people lower their eyes to signal respect; for example, eye contact is avoided in Nigeria and between men and women of Islam. However, in Western cultures, lowered eyes and avoiding eye contact could be interpreted as lacking self-confidence. Be sure you understand the culture of your audience before you deliver your speech!
try it
Here are some tips for maximizing your use of eye contact in a typical Western English-speaking context:
Make eye contact with your audience members, and make sure not to stare at your notes the whole time.
If you have a large audience, alternate talking to the audience members to the right, left, and in front of you.
When you begin your speech, do not look at your notes; look at your audience! You know your topic and who you are, so introduce yourself and your topic as you would introduce yourself when you meet a new person.
Practice looking at the audience while rehearsing.
Avoid skimming over faces in your audience.
term to know
Oculesics
A subcategory of kinesics, the study of eye movement, eye behavior, gaze, and eye-related nonverbal communication. Often used interchangeably with eye contact.
2. Facial Expression
The face as a whole indicates much about human moods. Specific emotional states, such as happiness or sadness, are expressed through a smile or frown.
There are seven universally recognized emotions shown through facial expressions:
Fear
Anger
Surprise
Contempt
Disgust
Happiness
Sadness
Your facial expressions can often make the difference between effective and ineffective speech.
Regardless of culture, these expressions are the same. However, the same emotion from a specific facial expression may be recognized by individuals in a specific culture, but the same intensity of emotion may not be perceived.
Facial expressions, more than anything, serve as a practical means of communication. Using all the various muscles that precisely control the mouth, lips, eyes, nose, forehead, and jaw, the human face is estimated to be capable of more than 10,000 different expressions. This versatility makes nonverbal facial expressions extremely efficient and honest (unless deliberately manipulated).
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People smile when they are happy. Smile before you begin speaking to show the audience that you are happy to be there, and they will smile back. Smiling is contagious.
3. Movement
Kinesics is the study of body movement and expression, such as waving, pointing, touching, and slouching.
The movement of the body conveys many specific meanings to an audience but can be misinterpreted in an intercultural setting.
term to know
Kinesics
Kinesics is the interpretation of body language such as facial expressions and gestures—or, more formally, nonverbal behavior related to movement, either of any part of the body or the body as a whole.
3a. Body Movement Can Support the Message
You can use your body to communicate positively with the audience. Hamlet's advice to the players in Shakespeare's Hamlet (1601) has merit today: “Suit the action to the word, the word to the action, with this special observance, that you o'erstep not the modesty of nature.” In other words, don’t overdo it—your body language and words need to match in intensity.
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Consider some examples of how you might naturally support your delivery.
Upper body toward the audience: You might want to lean into the audience to bridge the space of separation.
Feet and legs: You may move purposefully from one side to the other to show a transition from one point to another.
Arms and chest: If you cross your arms in front of you, what does this mean to the audience? It could be construed as aggressive or that you are in deep thought about a question from an audience member.
Stand still without movement: If you are listening to a question, you can stand still to show interest.
3b. Body Movements Can Distract From the Message
Just as natural body movements can strengthen the message, unnecessary movements can distract from delivery.
Here are some examples of movements that distract:
Swaying back and forth: If you sway back and forth at the lectern or podium in a pattern without purpose, the audience may follow the movement rather than the message.
Pacing from one side to another: If you pace from one side of the front of the room to the other meaninglessly, the audience will follow the movement.
Moving a hand repetitively: If you constantly use your hand to move your hair out of your eyes while speaking, the audience will focus on the movement rather than what you are saying.
try it
Here are some tips to help you work on your body language:
Have a friend observe or record you while you speak. Review the recording for distracting, repetitive movements.
Remember to strive for natural movements of the body. Body movements that are planned and mechanical will distract your audience.
If you are having difficulty focusing while speaking, you might consider mind-body exercises, which combine body movement with mental focus and controlled breathing.
term to know
Lectern
A lectern is a desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading or speaking aloud. Lecterns are generally used while standing.
4. Gestures
A gesture is a form of nonverbal communication in which visible bodily actions communicate particular messages, such as the open gesture of Desmond Tutu in the following image.
Desmond Tutu gestures with his hands wide apart in an open body position during a speech at One Young World.
Gestures may be made with almost any movable part of the body. Our focus will be speech-related gestures, primarily of the hand and arm. Gestures can be categorized as either speech-independent or speech-related.
Speech-independent gestures depend upon culturally accepted interpretation and have a direct verbal translation. A wave or a V for a peace sign are examples of speech-independent gestures.
Speech-related gestures are used in parallel with verbal speech. This form of nonverbal communication is used to emphasize the message. Speech-related gestures are intended to provide supplemental information to a verbal message, such as pointing to an object of discussion.
term to know
Gesture
A gesture is a form of nonverbal communication in which visible bodily actions communicate particular messages, either in place of speech or together and in parallel with words.
4a. Natural Gestures Can Support the Message
A speech-related gesture is an outward expression of an inward condition. It is merely the effect of a mental or an emotional impulse expressed physically. You may rarely know in advance what gestures you will use to make a point. You may use one gesture to support your message one day and another on a different day.
The gesture is subordinate to the message. You might count off the points on your finger, you may point with your full arm extended to some object or direction, you may outline sizes and shapes, or you might use a gesture to show emphasis.
4b. Unnatural Gestures Can Distract From the Message
You may develop a repertoire of gestures for different purposes, but remember the most natural gesture is motivated by the content of your message. It does not call attention to itself but flows naturally with the message.
If you are troubled by your gestures, or a lack of gestures, attend to the cause, not the effect. It will not help matters to tack a few mechanical movements onto your delivery.
try it
Here are some tips for working on your gesturing:
Make sure that the audience can see your hands above the lectern. Hold your hands at least waist-high, and make sure to put your notes or other objects on the lectern, so your hands are free to move.
Hold your hands at least waist-high throughout your entire presentation. This will increase the likelihood that you'll gesture spontaneously at least once in a while.
summary
In this lesson, you learned that eyes can indicate interest, attention, and involvement with audience members, while failure to make eye contact may be interpreted as being disinterested, inattentive, or rude. Different cultures have different rules for eye contact. The face as a whole communicates emotional states, such as happiness or sadness. The seven universally recognized emotions shown through facial expressions are fear, anger, surprise, contempt, disgust, joy, and despair. Human faces are capable of more than 10,000 different expressions.
You also learned that kinesics is the study of body movement and expression and that body movement can help support your message. However, repetitive, unnecessary movements can distract the audience from your message. Like body movements, gestures can either support or distract from your message. A gesture is a physical, outward effect that is connected to a thought or emotional impulse.
A gesture is a form of nonverbal communication in which visible bodily actions communicate particular messages, either in place of speech or together and in parallel with words.
Kinesics
Kinesics is the interpretation of body language such as facial expressions and gestures—or, more formally, nonverbal behavior related to movement, either of any part of the body or the body as a whole.
Lectern
A lectern is a desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading or speaking aloud. Lecterns are generally used while standing.
Oculesics
A subcategory of kinesics, the study of eye movement, eye behavior, gaze, and eye-related nonverbal communication. Often used interchangeably with eye contact.
