How to Make a Great Impression and Use Body Language
By Kay Koplovitz, author of Bold Women, Big Ideas

No matter what business situation you are in, the first impression you make is crucial. The clarity of your goals, the sharpness of your reasoning, the conviction you have -- all these make an impression, and so, in person, do your appearance, the sound of your voice, the articulateness of your speech, your confidence and your poise. A mediocre first impression can be overcome, but it leaves you at a disadvantage. Make a great first impression and the listeners are yours.

If you don't convey what is special about you, your company, its products or its services in the opening moments of  
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your pitch or the opening paragraph of your written proposal -- well, you may not get to do it at all. We live in a sound-bite culture. We must get our message out fast, loud and clear, in concise English or the people we most want to attract will have tuned us out. This is particularly true if you are trying to attract investors to your business. They've developed short attention spans in self-defense.

Presentation of yourself and your enterprise is a skill you must have, whether it comes to you naturally or whether you learn it through practice and from mentors. The good news is that these things can be learned.
Having the right presentation and body language -- whether in an interview, in pitching an idea to a supervisor or selling your business concept to customers -- can make the difference between success and failure. Kim Marinucci, owner of the Palo Alto-based coaching organization called the Winning Pitch, coaches women across the country about how to improve their stagecraft. She starts by asking these key questions:

What feeling do you convey? (Warm and fuzzy? Chilly? Enthusiastic, confident? Scared out of your wits?)
How do you look?
How do you sound?
By answering these questions, you will pick up the tics and tendencies that can mar the impression you're giving. You must occupy your space -- whether that's the front of a room or a stage or a chair in front of another person. To do this, you must break down the elements that contribute to making a good impression.

Your Gestures

"Bigger is better" Marinucci says, "but so is fewer." The gestures you do make should be descriptive of what you're saying. Your hands should depict the word-picture of your voice. Avoid small hesitant hand movements that only make you seem nervous. Practice before a mirror or videotape yourself to see whether your gestures emphasize your points or distract from them.

Eye Contact

As you look around the room, focus on one person at a time, Marinucci suggests. Even as you speak to an audience, it's as though you are having a series of brief one-on-one encounters.

Your Voice

Just as you focus on one person at a time, you should focus on one sentence at a time, she says. This is the best way, she says, to get rid of those awkward "umms" and "ahs" that convey hesitation and uncertainty. By thinking about what you're saying, you are also less likely to speak too quickly.

Your Movements

When you're at the front of a room or onstage, the key is to "stroll purposefully." That means when you're pausing in what you have to say, you walk. Kim's rule of thumb is to take three steps, then stop and continue talking. This will keep the audience's attention and permit you to collect your thoughts.

The Way You Sound

You don't have to be a professional public speaker to learn how to project your voice and modulate it between high and low registers, loud and quiet timbres, fast and slow rhythms. The goal in any speech is to convey the impression of confidence and enthusiasm on the one hand (which comes in part from your mastery of the subject) but also a relaxed and conversational easiness. You want to be liked, to be sure. But more important, you want to be believed. Listen to yourself on tape, make notes of improvements and practice them.

What You Say

One of the great no-nos of presentation is memorizing. Marinucci permits women she coaches to work from notes or Power Point presentations. But the memorized speech, either with a group or in a one-on-one situation, inevitably falls as flat as a pancake. You are no longer a thinking human being in those circumstances; you are too busy remembering. And heaven help you if you get distracted from the single track of your memory if someone asks you an unexpected question. That can lead straight to stage fright and freezing up.

Kay Koplovitz founded USA Networks in 1977 and ran the company for 21 years. She chaired President Clinton's National Women's Business Council and created the nonprofit venture capital forum Springboard. She is currently chairman of Broadway Television Network and has started her own angel fund, which invests money in new businesses, for high net worth women investors, Boldcap Ventures, L.L.C.