Eyes are the Windows of the Soul, Voice is the Front Door: Using Gaze and Voice to Convey a Message in Presentations

Abstract

Public speaking is the best way to communicate ideas involving both verbal and nonverbal communication. In addition, according to Wolvin, Berko & Wolvin (1999) speaking in public is an act of communication occurring between one person and an audience. When speaking in public not only understanding and being understood are relevant, but also giving a good impression and communicating effectively. The present paper establishes an analysis of a presentation by Gary Vaynerchuk in terms of both gaze and voice. Thus, it pays attention to the audience’s reaction to his message. It addresses two research questions: (1) To what extent is relevant to use voice and gaze efficiently to transmit better a message? And (2) Is the appropriate use of these two resources a good tool to connect with the audience? The purpose of this study is to raise awareness about the importance of maintaining eye contact in a presentation, and also, modulate the volume, pitch and intonation of the voice to convey better a message, thus reinforcing the use of these two resources to avoid monotone presentations. An analysis of the selected video has been conducted to suggest the use made of gaze and voice and to what extent does it affect the audience −12000 people−. The video has been found at YouTube and the research is empirical as the aim is to obtain data to propose the usefulness of both eye contact and voice when conveying messages. An implementation of some of the present techniques should be used by any public speaker to increase the transmission of messages. This analysis advocates the extent to which nonverbal behaviour plays a role in the way presentations are perceived by an audience. As only one video has been examined, further research may be needed considering the aforementioned aspects with some others, such as head movements or gestures.