Learn to Control Involuntary Body Movement During Speech with Pro90d

This is the 7th segment in our 7 Common Speaking Challenges Series, and we're going to talk about involuntary body movements. Even if you do not consider yourself a stutterer or a stammerer, if you have problems in high-pressure scenarios, in front of audiences that matter, involuntary movement is a huge distractor from your message. You might not even be aware of it.

The first thing, as with repetitions, is awareness. So involuntary body movements can be very severe and include blinking, lips quivering, knee tapping, foot stomping, head movements, and arm movements. stumped their feet or people who move their arms. There are hundreds of these movements. If I am working with someone who has these involuntary body movements, one of the first things we need to do is understand that these involuntary body movements are things that you have learned and have used to assist you in saying what you want to say.

These movements are habits and patterns that you can change and replace with new ones. I want to give you a couple of things that you can do. But before I do that, the first thing that you have to prove is that you're doing it right. You have to become aware that you're doing it to break the pattern. You have to literally stop yourself from doing it.

The only way to stop it is to change it or replace it with something else. So what did you replace it with? Sometimes that's a little more difficult, but one of the things you can replace it with is our voluntary body movements, or body language. You use your entire body in one way or another when you're communicating. One of the things we teach in the Pro90d Smooth Speech system is the use of facial expressions, to replace movements. These include smiling, cleaning, raising your eyebrows, and frowning, all depending on the intent of your speech. If you're really trying to make a point or are really excited about something, you'll be smiling, nodding, and tilting.

Another method is using hand gestures. I've had so many clients tell me that when they learn to use their hands the way that they want to, it helps their speech so much. Think of your hands, like the wand that someone who directs an orchestra uses, right? A conductor. Consider your hands as helping you to conduct your speech, to help you speak in a more fluid and rhythmic way to help you get those words out.

Next, consider your posture. Upright posture projects confidence, and you will actually feel more confident and speak more confidently and smoothly.

There have been studies done on the posture that you use when you're speaking. Even when seated, you want to try to sit up tall, especially if you're in a meeting and you need to speak. If you're on a call, even if no one is watching, consider using your body in a deliberate way that can help you override and replace those involuntary body movements.

From the top, the first thing to do is understand and become aware of what you're doing. Then you want to break that pattern to stop it, and then you replace it. Lastly, apply this new behavior to your identity, almost as a mantra:

I want to use good, effective body language to help me communicate and get my body involved in my speech. You also have to know how to practice it.

We incorporate it into the whole list of some systematic processes that you get with the daily routines with the Pro90d Smooth Speech System.

You can transform your life and your speech. This isn't something that you need to be stuck with, that you need to be doing no matter what you've tried in the past; I've had people try just about everything. They've tried three day programs and a 12-day program.

Some of them have tried my program. You've got to believe this is going to work. When clients start the program within the first week, two weeks, or three weeks, they feel more confident. They feel more hopeful. They stick with the program, and they start getting results. You can do the same thing. You can transform your life so that you can take advantage of more professional and social opportunities.

Do the things you've always wanted to do. Be able to say the things that you've always wanted to say. You can do that by first, taking a step and getting into the program because it works.