Your Dance Abilities Could Polish Your Public Speaking Skills
Have you ever had to speak in front of an audience? Have you ever had to dance in front of a crowd? You might have never thought of it, but dancing and public speaking have more in common than you can imagine.
We can agree that it’s an odd comparison at a glance, but when you look closer, you can see that they do have a lot of similarities. These two forms of presenting to an audience require significant amounts of presence, connection, discipline, body awareness, and much more. Although dancers don’t speak to the crowd with words, they do tell a story through their movements, and how they execute them is critical in making sure they grab the audience’s attention.
Body language is essential for both dance and public speaking. The way your body moves gets a message across, even if no words are coming out of your mouth. Did you know that nonverbal communication can make up as much as 95% of your connection to any given audience? Some would think what matters is what you’re saying, but in reality, body language can be much more important.
These are some other similarities we can find when comparing these two forms of presenting.
You Must Always Warm Up
You can’t start dancing without warming up. That is what will get your body ready to move as needed throughout your presentation, whether it’s short or long. Public speakers must also warm up their instrument —their voice— before facing the audience.
Good Posture is Essential
Your posture can set you up for success or failure. Good posture will give you confidence and presence on stage, and help you command the attention of your audience. As a dancer, having good posture will allow you to execute your movements better, and convey your message more clearly. Public speaking requires a lot of stage presence as well.
Whether public speaking is part of your professional life or not, your dance training has helped you develop skills for it. So, next time you have to speak in front of an audience, treat it just like a dance performance. You’re more than ready for it!