Your Body Language Is Showing — Here's How to Use It Right
- Jul 23
- 4 min read
Introduction: Three Entrances, Three Completely Different People
Ida Holten walked onto the stage three times at the start of her session. Same person, same words — and yet the audience reacted differently every single time. The first entrance was high-energy and bold. The second was apologetic, almost reluctant. The third was warm, grounded, and genuinely present.
The words were nearly identical. The nonverbals were entirely different. That gap between what you say and how you say it, in body language and voice, is exactly what this session was about.
There Is No Blueprint for Body Language — And That Is the Point
Ida is quick to say it: she is not here to hand you a formula. As a performing artist and trainer at Ergo;ego, a company rooted in performance arts and cross-cultural communication, she has watched too many people try to clone a style they saw in a TED Talk and come across as less themselves, not more confident.
The day's other speakers had already made the point brilliantly: great presenters all look different. Ida's goal is not to add another "right way" to the pile. It is to make you more curious about the choices you already make — and expand the range of choices available to you.
Her key provocation: the things that do not feel authentic yet are often the very things that, once practiced, become your most powerful tools.
High and Low Status: The Theatre's Best-Kept Secret
The central tool Ida brings from the world of acting is the concept of high and low status. Theatre practitioners have used it for thousands of years — to portray kings and beggars, parents and children, power and vulnerability. It turns out it is just as relevant in a boardroom or on a conference stage.
High status signals: taking up space, a direct and steady gaze, a straight spine, feet grounded, a calm and deliberate voice, unhurried movement. You are not dominating the room. You are simply claiming your right to be in it.
Low status signals: shrinking inward, indirect eye contact, a faster or more tentative tempo, making yourself smaller. And here is what surprises most people — low status is not weakness. Consciously choosing it means choosing humility, asking genuine questions, giving space to the other person. It is a tool, not a failure.
Ida invited the whole audience to feel both ends of the scale: to spread out, claim every inch of the chair, and then to shrink as small as possible. The contrast was instant and unmistakable. You do not need to be told what each one communicates — you feel it from the inside.
The Voice: Volume, Pauses, Tempo, and the Courage to Be Heard
Voice work sits right at the intersection of technique and authenticity, which is exactly why so many presenters leave it underdeveloped.
A few of Ida's most practical observations:
Lean away from the microphone. Speaking as if you do not have one — not shouting, but projecting — changes how you come across. It makes you sound more grounded, more trustworthy, more in control.
Dare to use pauses. The silence before a key point is not awkward. It is authority.
Intonation is emphasis. If you speak in a flat tone throughout, the audience has no idea what matters. Your voice tells them what to take away — use it.
Tempo is a dial, not a fixed setting. A slightly faster pace can build energy; a slower one signals importance. Combining them is a technique, not a personality trait.
The deeper point: because you have been speaking your whole life, changing how you use your voice can feel deeply unnatural at first. That discomfort is not a sign it is wrong. It is a sign you are training something new into your repertoire.
The Knowing–Doing Gap: Prepare Out Loud
This is the part where almost every presenter falls short, and Ida is honest enough to admit she does it too.
You know you should practice out loud. You know you should stand up, use your body, test your voice before you get on stage. And yet the slide deck gets flicked through one more time on the sofa, and the first time you really hear yourself say the words out loud is in front of the actual audience.
Her prescription is simple and unglamorous: speak out loud when you prepare. Stand up. Use the space. Let the words become physical. When you do, the arms, the voice, the tempo — they start to find themselves. Flow does not appear on the night if you have never rehearsed your way into it.
Final Thoughts: Personal Connection as a Lifeline
In a world moving that fast, personal connection becomes a lifeline. Not a soft skill on a performance review. A lifeline. The ability to be present, to claim your space, to genuinely meet the people in front of you — these things are not being automated. They are becoming rarer, and therefore more valuable.
Choose them consciously. And choose them wisely.
Join the Conversation
Which nonverbal habit do you most want to develop — and what has made the biggest difference to how you come across on stage? Share in the comments below.
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