Body language

Wouldn't it be great if you could get inside the minds of your audience and know what they are thinking about you and your presentation? Actually, you can-by reading their body language. Once you know what they're thinking, you can respond and have a successful presentation. Learning a few simple body language signals can help you discover the answers to the following questions.

Do they understand?

When audience members are confused, they will move in a random way, picking things up and putting them down. They will shift in their seats or shuffle their feet. Their brows may furrow and they may rub their eyes or face, typically downward as if they could clear their head of the confusion. Or they touch their temple or forehead, symbolically pushing the "on" button for their brain. Their eyes may blink open and close as if they hope they could see more clearly. Also look for cues that look asymmetrical, conveying "I'm a little off the mark." They may tilt their head to the side, lean to one side, shut one eye and squint, or show one facial expression on one side of the face and another on the other side. If someone wants to ask a clarifying question but isn't sure it's safe, she may cover her mouth with her hand.

Are they bored?

Look for signals that show they have shut down or turned off. An audience member may turn away from you or slump in the chair. Sometimes people will lean backward and lazily rest their arm around the back of the chair, or-in mock naptime posture-slump forward in their chair and lean or lie across the table. They may also put their head to the side or down, break eye contact, fix their eyes into space, or close their eyes for brief or even long periods. They may have a vacant look on their face because they aren't tuned in.

Are they frustrated, impatient, or ready to go?

If they have gone from boredom to irritation, there may be big hints that they want to move on to another point or are ready to leave the room, such as reading a newspaper or checking their watches or PDAs. If they are extroverted types such as salespeople, they may symbolically run from the room by crossing their legs and moving the dangling foot quickly up and down, jiggling the crossed-over knee, or tapping a foot.