Do You Touch The Line Of Proximity?

Have you read about the pedagogical wisdom of my mum? Then you know already that you, as a public speaker, are the zebra with the horizontal stripes. You are the stranger, the outsider, the extranean.

When you speak in public it’s an absolute must to reduce the perceived physical distance between you and your audience. In our subconsciousness distance nurtures distrust and anxiety. While you want to demonstrate self-confidence and build trust.

In any given stage and room setting there is always one important mental line. I call it the line of proximity. The line of proximity is the least possible distance between you and your audience – without intimidating or showing your back to anyone in your audience.

In another article I kindly asked you to avoid dancing cha cha cha on stage. Instead, you move naturally and horizontally alongside the line of proximity. You may also use the acting space behind this line, but make sure you never cross the latter.

For each room setting you define your mental line of proximity before you speak. As always preparation is everything.

When you move alongside the line of proximity your audience will still see a zebra with horizontal stripes. But – they will trust it more and like it better. Without knowing why.