I feel a compulsion when I see new speakers to walk up to them, put my finger in the center of their back and push their other shoulder back.  Why?  Because I want to correct their posture.

As a presentation creation and coaching professional, it’s probably the second gospel I want to spread to the masses (first being rehearse until you can go into autopilot).    Why?  Because bad posture can hurt your credibility almost as much as umming and forgetting what you’re going to say.  So I give you a quick list of the benefits of good posture, when presenting and networking:

  • You’ll be perceived as more confident.
  • It will help you breathe better, which in turn helps your volume.  It also prevents you form passing out.
  • You’ll be in less pain.  Most disc herniation comes from bad posture.  (I have herniated discs.  And since I like you so much for reading my blog, I wish you health, not pain. Ouch!)
  • Your clothes will look better on you.  Making you seem more stylish and thus the object of envy of your audience.
  • Your mic will work better.  You’ll be less likely to have lavalier issues caused by fidgeting, etc.
  • You’ll feel more confident!  Check out my previous post about power posing.

Yup, I’m a broken record on this, but I swear, it’s really important!