Facial Gestures
As you progress as a speaker from gestures and movement, you will need to turn your attention to facial
gestures and expressions. Facial gestures involve using your face to display feelings and attitudes
nonverbally. They may reinforce, or contradict, the spoken word, and their impact cannot be
underestimated. As we have discussed, people often focus more on how we say something than what we
actually say and place more importance on our nonverbal gestures. [1] As in other body movements, your
facial gestures should come naturally, but giving them due thought and consideration can keep you aware
of how you are communicating the nonverbal message.
Facial gestures should reflect the tone and emotion of your verbal communication. If you are using humor
in your speech, you will likely smile and wink to complement the amusement expressed in your words.
Smiling will be much less appropriate if your presentation involves a serious subject such as cancer or car
accidents. Consider how you want your audience to feel in response to your message, and identify the
facial gestures you can use to promote those feelings. Then practice in front of a mirror so that the
gestures come naturally.
