Know the subject

Knowledge is most important while speaking. And extensive reading boosts knowledge. Learn as much as you can, it will always help in speaking. Before you speak, do your homework. Make sure you know the subject before speaking. Your words should add value to the subject and not just fill space.

Speak loud and clear

Speak clearly, without mumbling or mispronouncing. Be careful while speaking in front of non-native speakers. At the same time be audible enough for the size of audience and room, ambience and noise around. Be loud, but don’t shout. Hold microphone properly to be heard. Keep a check on the voice modulation.

Avoid unnecessary filler words

Always avoid filler words like ‘okay’, ‘actually’, ‘you know’, ‘um’, ‘and and’, ‘kinda’, ‘sorta’ and the like. They bore the audience, show shallowness and your lack of confidence and knowledge of what you want to say next. It shows your poor vocabulary. Many people find such weak words to be cool and happening, but it’s just in the college campus. Cut this habit of yours.

Stand straight and confident

Standing posture speaks of confidence. Stand erect, shoulders back, weight evenly distributed on both feet and knees relaxed. Don’t keep moving or shaking legs and heels. It shows nervousness and it’s distracting too. Movements should be outcome of a purpose.

Hand gesture

Your hand gestures speak of your confidence level, state of mind and conviction power. Your hands can visually illustrate your intended message. Avoid negative gestures like hand clasping, hands in pocket, fumbling objects.

Eye contact

Don’t forget to look into the audience’s eyes. Make proper eye contact with confidence rather than gazing at ceiling, wall, floor or other objects in the surrounding.

That’s all it takes to make the first move. Once you are into it, there’s no look back. You will just improve with each trial. Gear up for the public speaking.

Although the best way to save yourself from being tardy to an interview, is to make sure you’re not late in the first place.  That means mapping out your route beforehand.  Know the territory, and leave a few minutes earlier than needed.

If you cannot avoid being late, then always call ahead immediately to notify your interviewer of the situation.  You have a cell phone for a reason.  If there’s bad unexpected traffic, or an accident, call them immediately to let them know you’ll be late.  Explain the reason, apologize, and tell the interviewer that you’ll be there as quickly as possible.

When you arrive, don’t rush into the office.  Stay calm and composed.  Turn this into an opportunity to show your grace under pressure.  Being late to an interview could be considered a huge lapse in credibility.  But you can spin that by keeping your posture confident, and your demeanor positive and courteous.

By rushing in you show nervousness, which is essentially weakness.  If you crack under the stress of getting to an interview on time, are they going to want you during a real work crises?  Show that you can stay composed and confident in any scenario.

A good tactic actually is to rush as quickly as possible to the interview, then take a few moments before you enter the building to compose yourself.  The key here is staying calm, if you can’t stay calm you’re not going to make a good impression.  You’ve already got the tardiness strike against you, so your interview has to be stellar.

So be conscious about everything you’re doing as you walk through the door.  When your interview begins, think about the facial expression you have.  The first thing an interviewer wants to see, is a confident positive person walking through their door.  Does your face reflect confidence, and a positive attitude?  Exactly what you should be asking yourself.  Stand up straight, reflect good posture, and smile politely.  But don’t appear overconfident, remember you don’t have the job yet, and overconfidence can be just as bad as negative body language.

From the successful entrance, make sure to shake hands with ever interviewer present.  If you’re being interviewed by a panel, or just one person, make sure to walk over to them and give a good firm handshake.  A firm handshake is important, as it shows confidence and also the ability to lead.  You’re unafraid when you give someone a firm handshake, and up for the challenge.  Make that clear by speaking through your body.

From there make sure to keep up that good posture when you sit down.  Respond positively to every question, keeping your confident and courteous demeanor no matter the topic.  Also remember to use hand gestures casually when speaking.  By using hand gestures you show a calmness during your speech that will resonate on the interviewer.  Don’t get excessive with your hand motions, but tracing a few shapes to illustrate an idea is always good.

Answer questions by leaning forward slightly, to show genuine interest and consideration in the question, and your answer.  Don’t forget to also keep your voice at a higher decibel.  You want to be heard, but you don’t have to shout.  Being too loud makes you look overconfident, and that never plays well.  Speak so all can hear you, but don’t hurt their ears.

Finally, shake hands with everyone once the interview is over, and thank them for the opportunity.  Then, keeping your posture straight, and your disposition positive and courteous, leave the room the same way you came.  If you pull off all of these factors correctly, your body language will have been pretty much impeccable.  Letting your body speak with you could even just be that edge you need to land that job.

Work on your body language.  You want to have a good healthy natural posture, and to look positive and upbeat.  Smile, not a ridiculous fake smile, but a genuine smile that shows you are a positive person.  People want positive attitudes in the office, as they make getting work done all the easier.  Nobody wants more negativity in the air, and appearing as though you’d only add some is a very bad thing.  So make eye contact, keep that smile working, and stay relaxed and comfortable.

Make sure that you’re a friendly and fun person through professional, and appropriate joking or laughing, or conversation.  Stay away from politically charged topics that people tend to have strong opinions about, like religion, government, etc.  Stick to more simple ideas or topics, or anecdotes about your own life and experiences.  Anything to show that you’re an open person, and one that is genuinely interested in communicating with others.

Keep your attire professional, and make sure that you match.  You want to choose clothing that’s flattering, as well as professional.  Anything to help you look more positive and friendly.  Pick an outfit that says you’re a friendly open person.  Hardworking, but also a good person to have around, to make the environment more comfortable for everyone around.

But there’s more to the exercise to be a better worker concept.  Studies also show that those who find time to exercise at work also kick out better performances on the whole.  There’s a reason Japan has made it a habit to provide for exercise time for every worker during the work day.  Often times taking the entire work force to the roof of their office buildings for a period of cardiovascular activity, before returning to work.

Physical activity has a way of resetting your mind if you’ve been having trouble working through a particular issue at work, giving you a reprieve to reset yourself, and better focus on something else.  Your mind will be better off for it, and when you return to work you’ll feel more relaxed and you’ll be able to concentrate much more effectively.  Exercising works out stress, and emotional tension that you may have, freeing yourself so you can continue in the grind.

A few exercises you can do at the office with ease include:

You could sit on an exercise ball instead of a chair for a period of time.  This will strengthen core and back muscles, improve posture, and burn a few extra calories.

Stand up once every hour or so, flap your arms around a bit and walk around, even if you only have a small space to walk around.  Pace back and forth, and move your arms, this will get your blood pumping, and help you refocus, and calm yourself.

Get a wireless headset for your phone so you aren’t stuck being stationary at your desk while you’re talking.  This way you are free to move about, and motion is always a good thing for keeping you focused and exercised.

Finally, anytime you need to navigate between floors at work, try using the stairs instead of an elevator.  This will help you get in much more physical activity than you would normally be getting, keep your heart working, your blood pumping, and your stress as far away as possible.