Have you ever sat in front of the television and watched a public official step up in front of a camera and deliver a speech? What did they look like? How did they carry themselves? Were they nervous, tense or fidgety, or did they present themselves with comfort and confidence? The ability to step up in front of an audience and speak without trading the body’s natural carriage for a rigid, uncomfortable stance is known as poise.

Poise is probably the most difficult technique of public speaking for students to master because it is something that cannot be learned through practice. Rather, poise requires the speaker to be perfectly at ease before addressing an audience. Regardless of how well presented their material is, speakers who lack poise will never be able to command the attention of a group long enough to effectively convey any type of message.

How can a student or a novice to the arena of public speaking develop poise if it is something they lack? Practice makes perfect, and while poise itself cannot be learned through practice it can be developed indirectly as the speaker gains confidence in the material they are presenting and in their ability to stand up before a crowd, presenting said material without allowing their nerves to gain control of their actions.

The fundamental principle of poise is relaxation. A relaxed mind that is comfortable with the material is not suffering from anxiety. When the mind is not suffering the face will be able to maintain a cool, calm edge of composure that suggests complete and total confidence in the speaker’s abilities in the arena of public speaking. The body’s stance should command attention, standing erect (but not stiff) with the muscles relaxed and the feet naturally placed to allow the speaker to balance comfortably. The legs should be far enough apart that the speaker appears to be slightly straddling, with the feet a comfortable distance rather than pressed together in military attention.

The speaker’s hands should be allowed to rest lightly on the edge of the podium if one is present or, lacking that, allowed to hang naturally at the sides. The position of the hands says more for the speaker’s poise and ability in public speaking than virtually any other part of their body; hands crossed across the chest conveys a “closed off” or “stand-offish” impression that the audience is going to react to negatively, as does shoving the hands into the pockets. Clasping the hands to the front or to the back makes the speaker appear to be insecure or uncomfortable. Once the speaker has mastered the art of gesturing the hands can be used to express a point, but until gesturing effectively has been learned the hands should be allowed to take a break when the speaker is presenting. 

Poise is something that cannot be learned and it cannot be imitated; rather, it must be developed over the course of extensive practice in the art of public speaking. Speakers who truly wish to develop professional poise when they are presenting should make an effort to spend as much time as possible in front of an audience, increasing their comfort level and allowing them to obtain the relaxed stance that conveys everything they want their audience to hear.

My Name Is Christopher Carlin And I Want To Give You Twenty Free Public Speaking Tips