If you want to be more confident when talking in public, start practising these 7 body language tricks

by Lachlan Brown | August 15, 2025, 9:18 am

Speaking in public can be nerve-wracking — whether it’s giving a work presentation, speaking at a wedding, or simply addressing a group of friends.
But here’s the thing: confidence isn’t just about what you say. It’s about what your body says while you’re talking.

Your body language can make you look self-assured and in control — or it can send the message that you’re nervous, unprepared, or unsure. The good news? Body language is a skill you can practise, refine, and use to your advantage.

Here are 7 body language tricks to start working on if you want to look and feel more confident in any public setting.

1. Plant your feet and stand tall

One of the simplest yet most powerful tricks is to start with a strong, grounded stance.
When you plant your feet firmly on the floor (about shoulder-width apart) and keep your weight evenly distributed, you send a subconscious message of stability and authority.

Standing tall with your shoulders relaxed but not slouched makes you look composed and confident. It also helps your voice project better because you’re not collapsing your chest.

How to practise:

  • Stand in front of a mirror and notice if you tend to lean to one side or shift your weight.

  • Practise delivering a few sentences while keeping your stance steady.

  • Avoid pacing or fidgeting unless movement is intentional and purposeful.

2. Make steady, warm eye contact

Eye contact is one of the fastest ways to connect with your audience. But there’s a difference between confident eye contact and an unblinking stare.

Aim to make steady eye contact with individuals for a few seconds at a time before moving on to someone else. If you’re speaking to a larger group, divide the room into sections and “visit” each section with your gaze throughout your talk.

This shows you’re engaged and present — and it prevents you from retreating into the safety of staring at the floor, your notes, or the ceiling.

How to practise:

  • In everyday conversations, notice how long you maintain eye contact and try extending it slightly.

  • Practise speaking to a friend or family member and deliberately shift your gaze between them and others in the room.

3. Use open hand gestures

Your hands are a powerful tool for emphasis. Using open, intentional gestures can make you appear more expressive, trustworthy, and confident.

Instead of hiding your hands in your pockets or crossing your arms, keep them visible and use them to highlight your points. Open palms facing the audience convey honesty, while smooth, controlled movements make you look assured rather than anxious.

How to practise:

  • Record yourself speaking and pay attention to what your hands are doing.

  • Practise using gestures that naturally align with your words, rather than random movements.

  • Keep your gestures between waist and chest height for the most natural look.

4. Pause instead of rushing

Nervous speakers often talk too fast, filling every silence with words. But confident speakers know the power of a pause.

Pausing briefly after a key point gives your audience time to absorb what you’ve said — and gives you a moment to breathe, think, and control your delivery.

A pause also prevents filler words like “um,” “uh,” and “you know” from creeping in.

How to practise:

  • Read a short paragraph aloud and deliberately insert a 2–3 second pause after each sentence.

  • When practising your speech, mark natural pause points and resist the urge to fill them with sound.

5. Match your facial expressions to your message

Your face is part of your body language — and it’s often the most expressive part. A confident speaker’s facial expressions match the tone of what they’re saying.

If you’re telling a lighthearted story, smile genuinely. If you’re discussing something serious, let your expression reflect the gravity of the topic. This keeps you relatable and authentic.

Blank or mismatched expressions can make you seem disconnected, while over-exaggerated ones can feel forced. The goal is to align your facial expressions naturally with your words.

How to practise:

  • Record yourself and watch if your expressions feel genuine and match your message.

  • Practise in front of a mirror to become aware of your default expression and adjust it when needed.

6. Lean in slightly when making a key point

Subtle forward movement signals engagement and emphasis. When you lean in slightly (without invading personal space), you draw your audience in, both physically and psychologically.

It’s a way of underlining the importance of what you’re saying without raising your voice.

Be careful not to lean in constantly — use it sparingly, only at moments when you want your audience to feel extra connected to your message.

How to practise:

  • Choose two or three key points in your talk where you’ll lean in slightly.

  • Keep your movements subtle and return to a neutral posture afterward.

7. Control your breathing for calm delivery

Your breath is the foundation of your voice and your presence. Shallow, fast breathing makes you sound tense and can even cause your voice to shake.

Confident speakers take slower, deeper breaths, which allows for a steadier tone and more deliberate pace.

Controlled breathing also keeps your body language relaxed — your shoulders won’t rise with each breath, and your movements will appear smoother.

How to practise:

  • Before speaking, take a few deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth to settle your nerves.

  • Practise speaking sentences while exhaling steadily, rather than rushing through them.

Bringing it together

Confident body language isn’t about pretending to be someone you’re not. It’s about removing the signals that say “I’m nervous” and replacing them with signals that say “I’m present, prepared, and engaged.”

The great thing is, these body language tricks work both ways:

  • They make you look more confident to others.

  • They also make you feel more confident on the inside.

And like any skill, the more you practise, the more natural it becomes.

Lachlan Brown

Lachlan Brown is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Brown Brothers Media, a digital publishing network reaching tens of millions of readers monthly. He holds a Graduate Diploma of Psychological Studies from Deakin University, though his real education came afterward: a warehouse job shifting TVs, a stretch of anxiety in his mid-twenties, and the slow discovery that studying the mind is not the same as learning how to live well. He started experimenting with Buddhist principles during breaks at the warehouse and eventually began writing about what he was learning. That writing became Hack Spirit, a widely read personal development site, and his book Hidden Secrets of Buddhism became a bestseller. His work breaks down complex ideas into frameworks people can apply immediately, whether they are navigating a career change, a difficult relationship, or the gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it. Lachlan splits his time between Singapore and Saigon. He writes about high-performance routines, decision-making under pressure, digital innovation, and the intersection of Eastern philosophy with modern life. His perspective comes from having built things from scratch, failed at some of them, and learned that clarity comes from practice, not theory.