Move first, talk second: How to own the room
Hello shakers
What’s worse?
The Wanderer: The presenter who sways and meanders across the room. Dizzying to watch.
The Statue: Rock-steady and rigid. Authoritative, perhaps, but wooden at best.
Both share the same flaw: a lack of intention.
This seems obvious and yet rarely do we do it. Deliberate movement signals purpose. Picture yourself presenting to a client, pitching to stakeholders, or running a team meeting. And before you open your mouth, you simply move. Because moving before speaking serves three vital functions:
Creates the Power of the Pause: Gives both you and the room crucial thinking time.
Builds Curiosity: Holds the room as the audience wonders where you're going next.
Strengthens Your Voice: Speaking after physical movement delivers greater vocal control and resonance. Movement creates poise; poise builds authority.
And, to an extent, movement dictates, or at least feeds, tonality. If you’re a theatre goer, think about how actors use stage movement to build tension and to help emphasise and lift their next lines. Without movement this becomes harder to do.
"Physical movement clarifies thought." Cicely Berry (Voice and the Actor, 1973)
So how do you make movement look natural:
In Person: Take two deliberate steps before landing an impact line, pivot your body toward a new section of the room, or walk over towards the flipchart - using it as a prop.
Online: Change your energy by standing up, or lean closer to the camera right before delivering a key point.
The idea of bringing in purposeful movement may feel awkward, and yet it trumps habitual fidgeting or rigidness. With some practice it will become more natural - that's a promise.
So why not try this week’s activity to build your movement-muscle-memory.
Walk then Talk
Aim: To train speakers to use deliberate movement to generate poise, intention, and dramatic presence prior to vocal delivery.
Outcome: Command of the room, heightened audience engagement, and increased vocal authority.
How it works:
Person A - speaks casually on a random topic for 20-30 seconds.
Person B - moves deliberately (takes 2–3 steps, pivots, or changes posture), pauses, and delivers a single response statement.
Person A - moves deliberately, pauses, and responds with a new statement..
Repeat for 3–4 rounds. Rule: No speaking while in motion. Move first, pause, then speak.
