2d • Speaking
Day 5 - Speaking Challenge
Day 5 Speaking Challenge: When Your Voice Goes Silent, Your Body Still Speaks
Yesterday, across the U.S., Verizon experienced a major outage that silenced phone calls and disrupted communication.
No sound.
No voice.
No audio connection. (It was even hard for me to post here yesterday)
Yet people still communicated.
They used:
- facial expressions
- gestures
- eye contact
- posture
- presence
- Text and emails
It was a real-time reminder of something every speaker must understand:
👉 Even when you’re not talking, you’re still communicating.
And based on some of the comments you’ve shared earlier in this challenge, about confidence, nerves, and feeling unsure on stage, this is the perfect moment to introduce Body Language Awareness.
Why Body Language Matters for Speakers
Your audience decides:
- if they trust you
- if they believe you
- if they’ll follow you
before you finish your first sentence.
Research shows that people often believe:
- what they see before what they hear
- how you say it before what you say
Your words may carry the message,
but your body sets the credibility.
Common Body Language Challenges (and How to Fix Them)
1. ❌ Poor or Avoidant Eye Contact
What it communicates: insecurity, distraction, lack of confidence
✅ Fix it:
- Pick 3–5 friendly faces and rotate your gaze
- Hold eye contact for 3–5 seconds at a time
- Think “connection,” not “staring contest”
2. ❌ Closed Posture (Crossed arms, hunched shoulders)
What it communicates: defensiveness, discomfort, disinterest
✅ Fix it:
- Uncross arms
- Square your shoulders
- Stand tall with relaxed confidence
- Imagine your chest is “open to receive” the audience
3. ❌ Nervous Movement (fidgeting, pacing, rocking)
What it communicates: anxiety, lack of control
✅ Fix it:
- Plant your feet intentionally
- Move only when it supports your point
- Pause instead of pace, silence can be powerful
4. ❌ Distracting Hand Gestures
What it communicates: lack of focus, excess nervous energy
✅ Fix it:
- Keep gestures intentional and natural
- Let your hands rest comfortably when not emphasizing a point
- Match gestures to meaning, not emotion overload
5. ❌ Facial Expression Mismatch
What it communicates: confusion, disconnect, inauthenticity
✅ Fix it:
- Let your face reflect your message
- Practice smiling when appropriate
- Check your “resting face” in recordings
The Speaker Truth You Can’t Ignore
🎤 Your body speaks before your mic does.
🎤 Your posture preaches before your points land.
🎤 Your presence either reinforces, or contradicts your message.
Just like yesterday’s outage proved:
When sound goes down, signals still go out.
🔥 Day 5 Challenge
Before your next talk, recording, or live session:
- Record yourself speaking for 60–90 seconds
- Watch it on mute
- Ask yourself: Do I look confident? Do I look engaged? Would I trust this speaker?
🎯 MAKE A PLAY
Which of these body language areas do you feel you need to work on the most, and why?
Drop it in the comments.
Awareness is the first step to authority.
Let’s keep building speakers who don’t just sound powerful, but look believable too. ✈️🔥
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Day 5 - Speaking Challenge
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