Nonverbal communication -- posture, gestures, facial expression, and movement -- works alongside your words to either reinforce or undercut your message, which is why a nervous, closed-off stance (arms crossed, hunched shoulders) can make even well-prepared content feel less credible. Open posture (shoulders back, weight balanced on both feet, hands visible and used for purposeful gestures) signals confidence and keeps the audience's attention on the message rather than on distracting nervous habits like pocket-jingling or pen-clicking. For eye contact, a reliable technique for larger audiences is picking a few people across different sections of the room and holding eye contact with each for roughly 3-5 seconds (about one full sentence) before moving on, which creates a sense of personal connection for the entire room rather than fixating on one friendly face or staring at notes. Purposeful movement -- taking a step toward the audience to emphasize a key point, or pausing in one spot during an important statement -- reads as confident, while constant pacing or swaying reads as nervous energy and can actually distract from the content.