Stage Fright in Disguise: The Presentation Poses That Give You Away

Begging for a lectern to grab on to when you present? Insist on holding a pen with one hand and the clicker with the other like they’re sacred relics? I don’t blame you. Presenting feels like exposure and props offer comfort. Ask anyone who’s been shipwrecked.

But here’s the twist: even when you don’t have props, the body finds other ways to cope. And those habits – while comforting – quietly sabotage your authority.

To most presenters, props are simply the lesser of two evils.  Without them your body language language would quietly scream, “I’d rather be anywhere else”.

The First Few Seconds: Where Presence Is Won or Lost

When I train groups in presentation skills, the first few minutes on stage are revealing. Exposure is high, and the body doesn’t lie. People default to familiar postures—ones that reflect discomfort more than confidence and undermine your impact.

These habits often split along gender lines. So let’s talk about that.

Firstly, allow me to introduce my glamorous models who so artfully embodied awkwardness. They are the naturally expressive Heather Urquhart from the Oliver-award winning Showstoppers and Kareem Badr from improv troupe, PGraph, who scooped up the Austin Critics Table Award. They assisted me on a series of immersive courses on Listening and Improv for MSLs in Pharma, about which more you can learn here.

Women, Are You Shrinking to Fit the Stage?

Some postures whisper “don’t look at me”: even when you’re the one holding the mic, and these four are the most common I see among women.

1. Feet Rolling or Turning Inwards: A subtle cue that you’re trying to take up less space.

2. The Choir Girl: Arms and legs converge like you’re trying to shrink into invisibility

3. Hair Stroking: Comforting, yes. Authoritive? Not so much.

4 The Teapot:  One hand on the hip, the other gesturing. It radiates “I’m telling you how it is” – but not always in a good way. Carry on with these and we’ll be getting our tea strainers out.

Men: Evolution Not Your Thing?

According to primary school history lessons, men used to spend their days fighting wild animals and eventually eating them. But unless you’re from certain parts of the country, chances are you’ve evolved and now chase fewer beasts through the street.

1. Neck stroking: Unless a pterodactyl is eyeing you from behind the whiteboard, hands off the throat. Tensions significantly manifest in this area. Joe Navarro, expert in body language and ex-FBI investigator discusses in this three-minute video how neck or throat stroking for men, and touching for women is common when stress kicks in.

2. The Penalty Shoot-out Pose:: Hands over your assets, legs apart. Fine for delivering your presentation 18 yards from the goalposts at Wembley: not so great for Wednesday’s pitch meeting.

3. Hands on hips: Feels secure, looks like a Toby mug.

4. The Pocket Fumbler: Distracting, and makes us wondering what you’ve lost.

What to do instead.

Knacker your arms: Letting them hang heavy before you speak is a technique I learned from drama school. It drains tension and resets your stance. Here’s a short video showing your to do that – in private – before you speak in public.

Reduce nerves: Here are three ways you can take control of your nerves, instead of them controlling you.

Stand confidently:  Positioning yourself like this helps you look more self-assured  – even if you’re sh!tting yourself. In fact, standing in this way generates more confidence. Amy Cuddy’s famous study of Power Posing confirms this.

Use gesture as soon as possible: this not only diffuses nerves but boosts your expressiveness – a two in one deal. When you don’t know what to do with your arms, here’s where I show you how to use gesture effectively the right way.

Don’t begin a presentation with your name: Doing that makes it gesturing feel unnatural. In fact, beginning with your name or job role doesn’t reflect how we naturally speak so you’ll start awkwardly. Your job – at the outset of a presentation – is to get their attention, then make it relevant and only afterwards do you need to say who you are. And even that’s not always necessary. Want a quick template for that?  It’s here.

Your Action Steps:

Got a presentation coming up?

1. Spend a minute or so doing the arm exercise
2. If standing, adjust for the neutral position for the tweak I give in the video above;
3. Gesture early.
4. Use the Opening Structure to ease you into the content.

These tiny tweaks help you begin with presence and carry it through. Forget the shrinking, the fidgeting, the invisible armour. You’re already the person they came to listen to – and they’re far more on your side than you think.

Want to boost your Presentation prowess? I’ve got your back: look at my range of Presentation Skills training and coaching options. Boost your Public Speaking techniques with one-to-one or group learning. Find the solution that suits you:  contact me here for a 15 minute Discovery Call. No strings attached. Be less vanilla and more THRILLER!