4.Speaking for Global Business and Tourism. Speaking to inform

4.Speaking for Global Business and Tourism. Speaking to inform

Non-verbal communication

In public speaking, how you say something can matter as much as what you say. This section explores the vital role of nonverbal communication—including body language, eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, and posture—in delivering clear, confident, and engaging presentations. Especially in technical fields, strong nonverbals help you connect with diverse audiences, reinforce key ideas, and build speaker credibility. Mastering these cues will elevate your presence, clarity, and impact when presenting complex content.

Beat the word!

Gesture

Gestures aren't just random hand movements—they are a powerful part of how we structure ideas, emphasize points, and make abstract or technical content clearer. There are four key gesture types speakers often use, consciously or unconsciously.

 

Why It Matters:

  • Helps visualize ideas (e.g., showing size, direction, contrast)

  • Emphasizes key points

  • Makes the speaker look more dynamic and confident

  • Keeps the audience engaged and focused

Beat Gesture
1. Beat Gestures
🔹 What they are:

Simple, rhythmic hand movements that match the cadence or emphasis of speech, without carrying specific meaning.

 
Why they matter:

  • Help keep the audience’s attention synchronized with your message

  • Reinforce important transitions or key phrases

  • Make your speaking rhythm more natural and engaging

 Example:
“First, we install the antennas. Then, we run tests. Finally, we calibrate the signal.”

The speaker might make a small downward hand tap or pulse at each step.

 Tip:

Use beat gestures to punctuate lists or emphasize logical steps.

iconic gesture
2. Iconic Gestures
🔹 What they are:

Gestures that visually represent a physical object, shape, or movement related to what you're describing.

 

 
Why they matter:

  • Help the audience picture technical systems

  • Strengthen explanations by creating visual analogs

Example:

“The antenna array spreads out like this” (hands move outward in a fan shape)
“The signal bounces off the building and reflects back here” (tracing a path with a finger)

Tip:

Use iconic gestures to draw shapes, demonstrate motion, or mimic tools.

metaphoric gesture
3. Metaphoric Gestures
What they are:

Gestures that represent abstract ideas using symbolic movement—not a literal object.

 

Why they matter:

  • Make complex or invisible concepts (like data, systems, risk) feel tangible

  • Reinforce metaphors or figurative speech

 

Example:

“We’re trying to bridge the gap between ethics and innovation.” (hands move outward and connect in the middle)
“AI can feel like a black box—you input something here, and something mysterious comes out.” (hands enclose an invisible box)

Tip:

Use metaphoric gestures to express ideas, growth, conflict, or uncertainty.

deictic
4. Deictic Gestures (Pointing)
What they are:

Gestures that involve pointing to a place, person, slide, or object—real or imagined.

 
Why they matter:

  • Direct attention to specific content (on a slide, in the room, or in a mental “space”)

  • Help structure speech spatially or visually

 
Example:

“This chart on the left shows the baseline signal strength…”
“Let’s look here at how latency drops in rural areas.”
“We’ll compare this method (points right) with that one (points left).”

Tip:

Point deliberately, not vaguely—make it clear and purposeful.

MAKING CONTACT: ENGAGING AUDIENCES WITH YOUR EYES

eye contact

Eye contact is a key part of building a connection with your audience. It shows that you’re confident, trustworthy, and engaged—and it encourages your listeners to stay focused and involved.

In technical presentations, making eye contact helps:

  • Reinforce your credibility (ethos)

  • Make complex content feel more personal and accessible

  • Help you read audience reactions and adjust your delivery

Rather than staring at your notes or slides, looking at your audience—section by section—helps turn a presentation into a two-way interaction, not just a one-way speech.

YOUR FACE SAYS IT FIRST

Facial Expressions

Facial expressions are key to making your message believable, relatable, and engaging. They give your voice emotional tone, signal confidence, and help the audience interpret your intent and energy.

In technical presentations, your face:

  • Reinforces clarity—smiling, raising eyebrows, or showing concern all support your words

  • Helps you connect with non-expert audiences by showing enthusiasm or concern

  • Prevents monotony and makes even complex topics feel human and relevant

In short, when your face matches your message, your audience listens—and trusts—you more.

CONFIDENT POSTURE, CONFIDENT MESSAGE

Posture

Posture is the foundation of confident public speaking. The way you stand, move, and hold your body tells your audience whether you’re prepared, credible, and in control—before you even speak a word.

In public speaking, good posture:

  • Projects confidence and authority

  • Supports clear breathing and voice projection

  • Helps you look focused and professional

  • Keeps your audience engaged, especially when explaining complex ideas

Standing with intention—feet grounded, shoulders open, and body balanced—shows you’re not just delivering information, but owning your message.

  Before Watching

  • What comes to mind when you hear “body language” in a presentation?

  • How do you usually stand or move when giving a talk?

  • Do you think your body language can affect how others see you? What about how you see yourself?

Speaker 1
speaker 2
Speaker 3
Speaker 4

WATCH THE TALK

  TED Talk: Your body language may shape who you are (Amy Cuddy)

  Post-Watching

  • What surprised you most about Amy Cuddy’s talk?

  • What is a “power pose,” and how does it affect both the speaker and the listener?

  • How might this apply to technical presentations or oral exams?

 Talk breakdown
Time What does Amy Cuddy say or do? Posture /Body Language Effect on audience
1:00
6:30
15:00

Say It Visually: Designing Effective Slides

visuals

Visual aids—like slides, charts, diagrams, and videos—can strengthen your message, clarify complex ideas, and keep your audience engaged. But only when used effectively.

In this section, you will learn how to:

  • Choose and design visual aids that support—not distract from—your message

  • Apply principles of layout, contrast, simplicity, and readability

  • Avoid common mistakes such as overloading slides, reading word-for-word, or using visuals that confuse instead of clarify

You will practice integrating visuals into your technical presentations in a way that makes your  ideas clear, memorable, and professional.

Using Graphs in Presentations: What to Use and When

  Line graph

  Bar graph

  pie chart

  Flow chart

  Area chart

  Scatter Plot

The Importante of Font and Colour in Visual Aids

  Font: Clarity Comes First

Use clean, sans-serif fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Helvetica for readability.

Avoid overly decorative or script fonts—they may look interesting but are hard to read quickly.

Size matters: Body text should be at least 24–28 pt. Titles or headings should be 36–44 pt or larger.

Use one or two fonts consistently (e.g., one for headings, one for body text).

Avoid ALL CAPS for long blocks of text—it reduces readability.

Use bold or color, not underlining, to emphasize.

Colour

  Guide the Eye and Create Contrast

High contrast between text and background is key: dark text on a light background or light text on a dark background.

Use color to highlight important points, differentiate categories, or signal transitions.

Avoid using red and green together—some audience members may be colorblind.

Stick to a simple, consistent color palette (2–3 main colors).

Use blue, dark gray, black for text; reserve bright colors (like orange or yellow) for emphasis only.

Make sure text is clearly visible from the back of the room or on all screens.

WHY ARE THESE POORLY DESIGNED SLIDES?

Poorly design slide 1

1. Overcrowded Text

  • The slide includes too many bullet points, each with multiple clauses and subpoints.

  • There’s no visual breathing room, making it difficult for the audience to read or retain any of the information.

2. Tiny, Dense Font

  • The text is too small and packed closely together.

  • It lacks a readable hierarchy—everything is the same font weight and size.

3. Spelling and Grammar Errors

  • Multiple words are misspelled (e.g., “analasis,” “modugl,” “scse,” “difinitin”).

  • This damages credibility and distracts from the content.

4. Ineffective Use of Visuals

  • A pie chart is present but has no labels, title, or clear purpose.

  • It’s unclear how the chart relates to the bullet points.

5. Distracting Color and Layout

  • The bright red title on a pale blue background is harsh and jarring.

The layout lacks alignment and feels unbalanced—text and visuals are just placed arbitrarily.

6. No Focal Point

The audience doesn’t know where to look: text, pie chart, or title?

There’s no visual hierarchy or emphasis.

 

Poorly designed slide 2

1. Too Many Colors (and Clashing Ones)

  • The bright neon green background combined with red, orange, yellow, blue, white, and black text overwhelms the eye.

  • Some colors (like red on green or yellow on green) have very low contrast, making them hard to read, especially for colorblind viewers.

2. Inconsistent Font Styles

  • The slide mixes underlined, bold, italicized, and colored text, creating a cluttered, chaotic appearance.

  • There's no hierarchy—it's not clear what’s a title, a description, or a category.

3. Poor Alignment and Layout

  • The spacing between app logos and text is inconsistent.

  • Text and icons are not properly aligned, making the slide feel unbalanced.

  • The vertical alignment is off; some app descriptions look "floating."

4. Lack of Visual Hierarchy

  • Every app and text block has equal visual weight—there’s no clear focus.

  • The viewer doesn't know where to look first, or what’s most important.

5.  Font Readability Issues

  • Small text in light colors (e.g., yellow on green) is very difficult to read.

  • Some phrases like “IdeThoughtsas” appear to have typos or awkward formatting.

Poorly designed slide 3

1. Overly Complex and Confusing Flow

  • The diagram includes too many intersecting lines and arrows going in multiple, unclear directions.

  • It’s difficult to understand where the process starts, what each path means, or how to follow the flow logically.

2. No Labels or Context

  • All boxes say only “Sample Text,” which gives no indication of content or purpose.

  • Even though some diamonds might represent decisions (based on shape), there's no meaningful information for the viewer.

3.  No Visual Direction or Hierarchy

  • There's no consistent flow direction (e.g., top-down or left-right).

  • Some arrows go backward, diagonally, or loop without clarity, making it visually chaotic.

4. Uniform Design with No Emphasis

  • All boxes are the same size, color, and font, with no distinction between actions, decisions, or outcomes.

  • There’s no visual hierarchy to guide the eye or emphasize key points.

5. Cognitive Overload

  • Too many elements are crammed into one visual with no white space, making it mentally exhausting to process.

  • Instead of simplifying the message, the slide creates confusion and frustration.