By Liz Radzick of Manifest Consulting

On a cold day this past December I stood on Yonge St. and watched the Olympic flame as it passed by on its way downtown.  Seeing this symbolic act made me reflect on the importance of symbolism in communication and thought I would write a series about its importance and how you can use it to your advantage.

Body Position and Stance

If you are presenting to a U shaped set-up room, moving into the centre of the U to talk to the group can symbolically create more rapport and connection than if you stay at the front of the room close to the podium or the slide screen. On a large stage getting close to the edge of the stage can also signal intimacy, even if there are several hundred people in the room.

Standing during a presentation creates a more formal and authoritative impression. Clients often tell me that they prefer to sit because they feel less nervous and vulnerable. If they are trying to establish their credibility, especially among senior management who might be present, I encourage them to stand except when to do so would be seen as a disrespectful challenge to tradition or precedent. I have also deliberately used sitting when teaching my workshops when I have wanted to downplay my authority and get the participants to take the lead.

Sitting doesn’t always mean relinquishing power however. Years ago I was teaching a group of accountants and one of them, a man in his 40’s, was about to give his presentation to the group for feedback. I had noticed that he had been limping a bit through the morning – probably a weekend warrior who had a rough time on the soccer field I thought to myself. I had already stressed the importance of standing and posture when speaking when he approached me privately and asked if he might prop himself up by sitting on the table as he spoke. To my credit I listened to my gut I said yes and asked no questions. He then went on to make the most impactful presentation of the day about his battle with Multiple Sclerosis. He sat. He was powerful.  He was an Olympian in his own way. And in spite of breaking the “rule” he had us symbolically standing in awe.