Body Language

• Body language should convey that you are comfortable and confident about your message. Being fidgety and using too much or too little eye contact will give the impression that your words are false or lacking in substance. Hand gestures and posture are important elements. Appearing stiff without gestures or with obviously forced gestures relays an impression of discomfort. Positive body language, which corresponds with your message, will aid you in achieving maximum results when communicating with others.
  
  

Attitude

• If appropriate to the topic, try to get yourself to smile when you are speaking. This will often affect your attitude by helping you to feel more positive. Your smile will show through in your words. Learning to be comfortable with yourself and in the presence of others is a great tool for effective communication. Regardless of the topic being communicated, your comfort level will effectively validate what you are trying to say. It will also relax your listener to receive information better. Maintaining a respectful attitude is also crucial. Avoid being too forceful or intimidating when addressing others. Your attitude will provide an atmosphere for productive communication.
  
  

Make a Deeper Impact

• Mutual participation in communication is more effective than any one-sided attempt could ever be. When people actively participate in a discussion, defenses are lowered and sometimes even eliminated. Encourage the person or people with whom you are speaking to make suggestions and respond appropriately. The use of illustrations can personalize communications and convey more than just words. They make the corresponding principles evident. An audience is more likely to retain information delivered by the use of illustrations with they they can relate. As they begin connecting with the words the potential for involvement increases. Expanding your methods by including pictures and/or videos will also make a deeper impression. The old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words exists because of the proven impact of communicating with visual exercises.