Financial Security -- The Silent Language of Success

From BusinessWeek, 7% of communication is from your words, 55% of communication is visual (body language, eye contact) and 38% is vocal (pitch, speed, volume, tone of voice)

Common mistakes:
1. Taking your eyes off your listener: don't read directly from a PowerPoint presentation; don't glance to the side, down at your feet, or at the desk, or over the shoulder of your listener
Instead, commit your presentation to memory, and look at your listener 80-90% of the time.
During presentations, mentally split the room into thirds. Address some of your comments to one side of the room, turn your attention to the middle, and then look to the last section. Pick out one person in each section and direct your comments toward that person. The people surrounding that person will think you are making direct eye contact with them.

2. Putting something between you and your listener: crossing your arms, standing behind a podium, standing behind a chair, and talking to someone from behind a computer monitor.
Instead, keep your hands apart and your palms up, pointed toward the ceiling. Remove physical barriers between you and your listeners. Even a folder on a desk can break the connection and create distance.

3. Keeping your hands in your pockets or clasped together makes you seem stiff, stilted, and formal. It conveys insecurity, whether or not you're insecure. Engaging both hands above the waist is an example of a complex hand gesture that reflects complex thinking and gives the listener confidence in the speaker. Just watch such charismatic speakers as Bill Clinton, Colin Powell, Barack Obama, or Tony Blair. Great speakers move around the room, pointing to a slide instead of reading from it, placing their hands on someone's shoulders instead of keeping their distance. Don't animate your slides—animate your body! Ineffective speakers barely move, staying in one spot during a presentation.

4. Slouching, leaning back, or being hunched over. Poor posture is often associated with a lack of confidence and can reflect—or be presumed to reflect—a lack of engagement or interest. Instead, keep your head up and back straight. Lean forward when seated. By sitting toward the front of your chair and leaning forward slightly, you will look far more interested, engaged, and enthusiastic.