Andy | Business Speaker

5 body language mistakes that kill authority. Authority is decided in the first few seconds, often before you have finished your opening line. In the video I walk through the mistakes I see most often, and every one of them is fixable today. Where you stand comes first. Hiding mid-stage puts distance between you and the room, so come to the front. Then your balance: weight on one hip looks unsteady, and feet planted too wide makes you lean away from the very people you are trying to reach. Your chin matters more than most people realise. Lifted, it can read as aloof or exposed. Slightly lowered, you look more engaged and more approachable. Your gestures belong above the waist, opening towards the audience. Below the waist they disappear, and hands that point down or away send the energy out of the room instead of into it. And finally your eyes. Holding eye contact with real people beats looking at the floor or the ceiling every time. The floor reads as doubt, the ceiling reads as searching for your lines. Film yourself for one minute and check all five. Most speakers find at least two they never knew they had, and fixing even one changes how the whole room reads you from the moment you walk on. Which of these five do you catch yourself doing? #PublicSpeaking #BodyLanguage #Gestures #Authority #Presenting