presentation on language movement

1952 Language Movement: The Turning Point in Bangladesh's Cultural Identity

• Author: Admin
• February 21, 2024

Table of Contents

The roots of the movement, the dawn of the movement, 21st february 1952: the turning point, the aftermath and legacy, conclusion: a movement that shaped a nation.

The Language Movement of 1952 in Bangladesh, then East Pakistan, stands as a significant event in the nation's history, symbolizing the struggle for cultural identity and linguistic rights. This movement not only highlighted the importance of the Bengali language but also laid the foundation for the nation's eventual independence.

Pre-Partition Background

Before delving into the events of 1952, it's crucial to understand the historical context. Prior to the partition of India in 1947, the region of Bengal was a diverse melting pot of cultures and languages. The partition led to the creation of East and West Pakistan, separating the Bengali-speaking population in the East from the Urdu and Punjabi-speaking majority in the West.

The Language Controversy

Post-partition, the government of Pakistan attempted to impose Urdu as the sole national language. This move was met with strong opposition in East Pakistan, where Bengali was spoken by the majority. The refusal to acknowledge Bengali as a state language was seen as a direct attack on the cultural identity of the Bengali-speaking population.

The Protest Begins

The resistance began to take shape in 1948, with students from the University of Dhaka and other political activists leading the charge. The demand was simple yet powerful – recognition of Bengali as one of the state languages.

Key Events Leading to 1952

The movement gained momentum over the next few years, culminating in a series of events in early 1952. The government's persistent refusal to recognize Bengali and the imposition of Urdu incited widespread unrest.

The Fateful Day

February 21, 1952, marked a turning point in the movement. The government, in a bid to suppress the growing unrest, imposed Section 144, banning all public gatherings. Defying this ban, students and activists took to the streets in a peaceful protest.

The Tragic Outcome

The peaceful protest took a tragic turn when police opened fire on the demonstrators, resulting in numerous casualties. This brutal action sparked nationwide outrage, further strengthening the movement.

Recognition of Bengali

The sacrifices of the martyrs did not go in vain. The government, facing mounting pressure, eventually relented, granting Bengali the status of a state language alongside Urdu in 1956.

A Catalyst for Independence

The Language Movement of 1952 did more than just advocate for linguistic rights; it ignited a sense of national identity among the Bengali-speaking population. This sense of identity and unity played a crucial role in the eventual struggle for independence, leading to the birth of Bangladesh in 1971.

International Recognition

The legacy of the Language Movement extends beyond Bangladesh. In recognition of the struggle and sacrifice, UNESCO declared February 21 as International Mother Language Day in 1999, celebrating linguistic diversity and multilingualism worldwide.

The Language Movement of 1952 stands as a testament to the power of collective action and the importance of cultural identity. It not only shaped the course of Bangladesh's history but also left an indelible mark on the global stage, highlighting the significance of linguistic rights and cultural preservation.

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Almost everything you wanted to know about Bangladesh

• A Brief History of the Bangla Language Movement
• Bangladesh History
• Bangladesh History: Independence
• Bangladesh History: Prelude to Independence

Mohammad Bari. 1998, All rights reserved.

• Hasan Zaheer, The Separation of East Pakistan – The Rise and Realization of Bengali Muslim Nationalism , Oxford University Press, Karachi, Pakistan, 1994
• Talukder Maniruzzaman, The Bangladesh Revolution and its Aftermath , Bangladesh Books International Ltd., Dhaka, Bangladesh, 1980
• Siddiq Salik, Witness to Surrender , Oxford University Press, Karachi, Pakistan, 1977
• Rafiqul Islam, A Tale of Millions , Ananna, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 3rd edition, 1986
• Md. Abdul Wadud Bhuiyan, Emergence of Bangladesh and Role of Awami League , Vikas Publishing House, Delhi, India, 1982

Language Movement

Language Movement began in 1948 and reached its climax in the killing of 21 February 1952, and ended in the adoption of Bangla as one of the state languages of Pakistan. The question as to what would be the state language of Pakistan was raised immediately after its creation. The central leaders and the Urdu-speaking intellectuals of Pakistan declared that urdu would be the state language of Pakistan, just as Hindi was the state language of India. The students and intellectuals of East Pakistan, however, demanded that Bangla be made one of the state languages. After a lot of controversy over the language issue, the final demand from East Pakistan was that Bangla must be the official language and the medium of instruction in East Pakistan and for the central government it would be one of the state languages along with Urdu. The first movement on this issue was mobilised by Tamaddun Majlish headed by Professor Abul Kashem. Gradually many other non-communal and progressive organisations joined the movement, which finally turned into a mass movement.

Meanwhile, serious preparation was being taken in various forums of the central government of Pakistan under the initiative of Fazlur Rahman, the central education minister, to make Urdu the only state language of Pakistan. On receipt of this information, East Pakistani students became agitated and held a meeting on the Dhaka University campus on 6 December 1947, demanding that Bangla be made one of the state languages of Pakistan. The meeting was followed by student processions and more agitation. The first Rastrabhasa Sangram Parishad (Language Action Committee) was formed towards the end of December with Professor Nurul Huq Bhuiyan of Tamaddun Majlish as the convener.

The Constituent Assembly of Pakistan was in session at Karachi-then the capital of Pakistan-from 23 February 1948. It was proposed that the members would have to speak either in Urdu or in English at the Assembly. dhirendranath datta , a member from the East Pakistan Congress Party, moved an amendment motion to include Bangla as one of the languages of the Constituent Assembly. He noted that out of the 6 crore 90 lakh population of Pakistan, 4 crore 40 lakh were from East Pakistan with Bangla as their mother tongue. The central leaders, including liaquat ali khan , prime minister of Pakistan, and khwaja nazimuddin , chief minister of East Bengal, opposed the motion. On receiving the news that the motion had been rejected, students, intellectuals and politicians of East Pakistan became agitated. Newspapers such as the Azad also criticised of the politicians who had rejected the motion.

A new committee to fight for Bangla as the state language was formed with Shamsul Huq as convener. On 11 March 1948 a general strike was observed in the towns of East Pakistan in protest against the omission of Bangla from the languages of the Constituent Assembly, the absence of Bangla letters in Pakistani coins and stamps, and the use of only Urdu in recruitment tests for the navy. The movement also reiterated the earlier demand that Bangla be declared one of the state languages of Pakistan and the official language of East Pakistan. Amidst processions, picketing and slogans, leaders such as Shawkat Ali, Kazi Golam Mahboob, Shamsul Huq, Oli Ahad, sheikh mujibur rahman , Abdul Wahed and others were arrested. Student leaders, including Abdul Matin and a bdul malek ukil , also took part in the procession and picketing.

A meeting was held on the Dhaka University premises. Mohammad Toaha was severely injured while trying to snatch away a rifle from a policeman and had to be admitted to hospital. Strikes were observed from 12 March to 15 March.

Under such circumstances the government had to give in. Khwaja Nazimuddin signed an agreement with the student leaders. However, although he agreed to a few terms and conditions, he did not comply with their demand that Bangla be made a state language. muhammed ali jinnah , the governor general of Pakistan, came to visit East Pakistan on 19 March. He addressed two meetings in Dhaka, in both of which he ignored the popular demand for Bangla. He reiterated that Urdu would be the only state language of Pakistan. This declaration was instantly protested with the Language Movement spreading throughout East Pakistan. The Dhaka University Language Action Committee was formed on 11 March 1950 with Abdul Matin as its convener.

By the beginning of 1952, the Language Movement took a serious turn. Both Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan were dead-Jinnah on 11 September 1948 and Liaquat Ali Khan on 16 October 1951. Khwaja Nazimuddin had succeeded Liaquat Ali Khan as prime minister of Pakistan. With the political crisis, the economic condition in East Pakistan also deteriorated. The people of East Pakistan started losing faith in the Muslim League. A new party, the Awami Muslim League-which would later become the awami league -was formed under the leadership of maulana abdul hamid khan bhasani in 1949. There was a growing sense of deprivation and exploitation in East Pakistan and a realisation that a new form of colonialism had replaced British imperialism. Under these circumstances, the Language Movement got a new momentum in 1952.

On 27 January 1952, Khwaja Nazimuddin came to Dhaka from Karachi. Addressing a meeting at Paltan Maidan, he said that the people of the province could decide what would be the provincial language, but only Urdu would be the state language of Pakistan. There was an instantaneous, negative reaction to this speech among the students who responded with the slogan, 'Rashtrabhasha Bangla Chai' (We want Bangla as the state language).

A strike was observed at Dhaka University on 30 January. The representatives of various political and cultural organisations held a meeting on 31 January chaired by Moulana Bhasani. An All-Party Central Language Action Committee was formed with Kazi Golam Mahboob as its convener. At this time the government also proposed that Bangla be written in Arabic script. This proposal was also vehemently opposed. The Language Action Committee decided to call a hartal and organise demonstrations and processions on February 21 throughout East Pakistan.

As preparations for demonstrations were underway, the government imposed Section 144 in the city of Dhaka, banning all assemblies and demonstrations. A meeting of the Central Language Action Committee was held on 20 February under the chairmanship of abul hashim . Opinion was divided as to whether or not to violate Section 144.

The students were determined to violate Section144 and held a student meeting at 11.00 am on 21 February on the Dhaka University campus, then located close to the Medical College Hospital. When the meeting started, the Vice-Chancellor, along with a few university teachers, came to the spot and requested the students not to violate the ban on assembly. However, the students, under their leaders - Abdul Matin and gaziul haque - were adamant. Thousands of students from different schools and colleges of Dhaka assembled on the university campus while armed police waited outside the gate. When the students emerged in groups, shouting slogans, the police resorted to baton charge; even the female students were not spared.

The students then started throwing brickbats at the police, who retaliated with tear gas. Unable to control the agitated students, the police fired upon the crowd of students, who were proceeding towards the Assembly Hall (at present, part of Jagannath Hall, University of Dhaka). Three young men, rafiq uddin ahmed , abdul jabbar and abul barkat (an MA student of Political Science) were fatally wounded. Many injured persons were admitted to the hospital. Among them abdus salam , a peon at the Secretariat, subsequently succumbed to his wounds. A nine-year-old boy named Ohiullah was also killed.

At the Legislative Assembly building, the session was about to begin. Hearing the news of the shooting, some members of the Assembly, including maulana abdur rashid tarkabagish and some opposition members, went out and joined the students. In the Assembly, nurul amin , chief minister of East Pakistan, continued to oppose the demand for Bangla.

The next day, 22 February, was also a day of public demonstrations and police reprisals. The public performed a janaza (prayer service for the dead) and brought out a mourning procession, which was attacked by the police and the army resulting in several deaths, including that of a young man named Shafiur Rahman. Many were injured and arrested. On 23 February, at the spot where students had been killed, a memorial was erected. In 1963, the temporary structure was replaced by a concrete memorial, the shaheed minar (martyrs' memorial).

The East Bengal Legislative Assembly adopted a resolution recommending the recognition of Bangla as one of the state languages of Pakistan. The language movement continued until 1956. The movement achieved its goal by forcing the Pakistan Constituent Assembly in adopting both Bangla and Urdu as the state languages of Pakistan. While the Assembly was debating on the language issue, Member Adel Uddin Ahmed (1913-1981; Faridpur) made an important amendment proposal, which was adopted unanimously by the Assembly (16 February 1956). Both Bangla and Urdu were thus enacted to be the state languages of Pakistan.

Since 1952, 21 February has been observed every year to commemorate the martyrs of the Language Movement. With UNESCO adopting a resolution on 17 November 1999 proclaiming 21 February as international mother language day . It is an honour bestowed by the international community on the Language Movement of Bangladesh. [Bashir Al Helal]

• This page was last edited on 17 June 2021, at 19:20.
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Our Language Movement: Moments, Momentum, Milieu

Our Bhasha Andolan —the Language Movement—was undoubtedly a major event in our political history. In fact, it was the first major political movement in East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh). Although 1952 is taken as the year of this movement, it neither began, nor did it end, in 1952 as such. Its history can be traced as far back as 1947 with the formation of the first Rashtra Bhasha Sangram Parishad (State Language Movement Council) in October that year. But Ekushey February —February 21, 1952—marks a watershed moment in our history, when thousands of students assembled in front of the old Arts Faculty building of Dhaka University, shouting slogans like "Rashtra Bhasha Bangla Chai" (We Demand Bangla as the State Language), and later disobeyed Section 144. The police eventually opened fire, killing five students and injuring many more. As a Bangla poem succinctly put it once, "Bangla was written in blood in 1952" (translation is author's own).

Indeed, the students themselves gave a conjunctural, but decisively fierce, voice to the Language Movement. But it quickly morphed into a people's movement, as Badruddin Umar's monumental, three-volume historical study of this movement rigorously reveals. Language itself turned out to be a massive site of class struggle. In fact, this movement would not have been possible without the extensive participation of peasants and workers. And the movement increasingly assumed a liberationist, emancipatory character, at least cutting the first turf for our national liberation movement of 1971—fundamentally a people's war against Pakistani neocolonialism—driven as it was by its three distinctly pronounced principles: equality, justice, and human dignity. But the very anticolonial ethos of our Language Movement was also evident right from the beginning, as the movement confronted and combatted what I wish to call linguistic colonialism.

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But the era of linguistic colonialism is by no means over. Our middle-class, soggy, sentimental nationalism continues to celebrate the Ekushey on a yearly basis, while erasing, obscuring, and even occulting the sites of actual material contradictions and antagonisms that involve—among other things—the questions of class and gender, as well as the question of equality. This routine celebration also continues to evacuate the Ekushey of its radical content and emancipatory politics. Also, given the ways in which our mainstream, ruling-class political culture has evolved—a culture characterised by anti-people, anti-democratic, and even fascist elements today—the Dhaka-centric annual "celebration" of the Ekushey repeatedly reveals how it's reduced to a narrow "cultural" event, giving one the outrageously misleading impression that our Language Movement has nothing to do with the emancipatory aspirations and struggles of the oppressed in Bangladesh.

And the question remains: Along with economic justice or economic equality, where is linguistic justice or linguistic equality in our country today? There are violently unequal power relations between the privileged ones who know or use English, and the wretched of Bangladesh who speak or use Bangla (the ruling-class folks also use Bangla; but, no, I'm not speaking of them, and obviously they don't belong to the wretched in question). The language question in this instance continues to be the question of class, although the former also ranges beyond the latter. There are also unequal power relations between what is institutionally and otherwise legitimised as "standard Bangla," and non-standard Bangla/regional languages/dialects, etc. And, no less significantly, the languages of other nations, indigenous peoples, or ethnic minorities in Bangladesh decisively remain the most marginalised languages in the country. Of course, despite the narratives of so-called progress—the Caribbean poet Derek Walcott's line comes to mind, "Progress is history's dirty joke"—we haven't had any egalitarian language policy at the national level yet.

What all this means is that we have not yet been able to live up to the anticolonial spirit of our Language Movement. In fact, both our Language Movement and Liberation Movement have remained decisively and disastrously unfinished.

Finally, I'm not against learning English (or any foreign language), nor am I against what is called "technological progress." But then, I question those who continue to celebrate the English language in the name of globalisation, conveniently mystifying the stubborn facts that globalisation itself is a euphemism for the current stage of disaster capitalism and digital imperialism; that it is a "globaloney" (to use Eduardo Galeano's word) for many; that this very "globalisation" globalises unequal class relations, unequal race relations, unequal gender relations, and even unequal language relations themselves, as globalisation keeps unevenly connecting and interconnecting peoples, places, cultures, and languages across the world. And I think it is in this light that what has come to be known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution should be critically interrogated. But what we actually need is a new, even revolutionary politics that remains deeply committed to ensuring the integrity and equality of all mother tongues, among other things.

Dr Azfar Hussain is interim director of the graduate programme in social innovation, and associate professor of integrative, religious, and cultural studies at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, US. He is also the vice-president of the US-based Global Center for Advanced Studies (GCAS).

অনলাইনে নাগরিকদের ব্যক্তিগত তথ্য বিক্রি হওয়া আতঙ্কজনক: টিআইবি

ন্যাশনাল টেলিকমিউনিকেশন মনিটরিং সেন্টার (এনটিএমসি) থেকে জাতীয় পরিচয়পত্রের তথ্য ও মোবাইল ফোনের কল ডেটা রেকর্ড (সিডিআর)-সহ নাগরিকের ব্যক্তিগত গোপনীয় ও স্পর্শকাতর তথ্য চুরি ও অনলাইনে বিক্রির ঘটনায়...

উপজেলা নির্বাচনে ৩০ শতাংশের বেশি ভোট পড়ে থাকতে পারে: সিইসি

History of Bangladesh

Language Movement

In 1947, following the partition of India, East Bengal became part of the Dominion of Pakistan . Despite comprising the majority with 44 million people, East Bengal's Bengali-speaking population found themselves underrepresented in Pakistan's government, civil services, and military, which were dominated by the western wing. [ 1 ] A pivotal event occurred in 1947 at a national education summit in Karachi, where a resolution advocated Urdu as the sole state language, sparking immediate opposition in East Bengal. Led by Abul Kashem, students in Dhaka demanded Bengali recognition as an official language and as a medium of education. [ 2 ] Despite these protests, the Pakistan Public Service Commission excluded Bengali from official use, intensifying public outrage. [ 3 ]

This led to significant protests, particularly on 21 February 1952, when students in Dhaka defied a ban on public gatherings. The police responded with tear gas and gunfire, leading to several student deaths. [ 1 ] The violence escalated into city-wide disorder, with widespread strikes and shutdowns. Despite pleas from local legislators, the chief minister, Nurul Amin, refused to address the issue adequately.

These events led to constitutional reforms. Bengali gained recognition as an official language alongside Urdu in 1954, formalized in the 1956 Constitution. However, the military regime under Ayub Khan later attempted to re-establish Urdu as the sole national language. [ 4 ]

The language movement was a significant factor leading to the Bangladesh Liberation War. The military regime's favoritism towards West Pakistan, coupled with economic and political disparities, fueled resentment in East Pakistan. The Awami League's call for greater provincial autonomy and the renaming of East Pakistan to Bangladesh were central to these tensions, eventually culminating in Bangladesh's independence.

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1952 language movement: A quest for cultural and linguistic identity

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Speaking, writing and reading are integral to everyday life, where language is the primary tool for expression and communication. Studying how people use language – what words and phrases they unconsciously choose and combine – can help us better understand ourselves and why we behave the way we do.

Linguistics scholars seek to determine what is unique and universal about the language we use, how it is acquired and the ways it changes over time. They consider language as a cultural, social and psychological phenomenon.

“Understanding why and how languages differ tells about the range of what is human,” said Dan Jurafsky , the Jackson Eli Reynolds Professor in Humanities and chair of the Department of Linguistics in the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford . “Discovering what’s universal about languages can help us understand the core of our humanity.”

The stories below represent some of the ways linguists have investigated many aspects of language, including its semantics and syntax, phonetics and phonology, and its social, psychological and computational aspects.

Understanding stereotypes

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Jurafsky said it’s important to study languages other than our own and how they develop over time because it can help scholars understand what lies at the foundation of humans’ unique way of communicating with one another.

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Body Movement Tips for Public Speakers

Body movement is an aspect of public speaking that often gets ignored. Unfortunately, this leads to two extreme behaviors that are equally bad:

• A speaker who stands rigidly on a single spot for their entire presentation, or
• A speaker who moves constantly in dizzying motion

True effectiveness lies in between these two extremes, with purposeful body movement that complements the speaker’s message, and adds authenticity to the overall delivery.

In this article, we reveal 7 benefits of body movement for speakers , review a series of negative body movements , and share 18 practical tips for purposeful movement that enhances your overall presentation.

What this article is NOT about

Upper -body movements are critical to a speaker’s effectiveness, whether it be hand gestures, facial expressions, or subtle movements of your head as you gaze around. However, for this article, we’re going to focus on lower -body movements where you use your legs and feet to move around the room.

Also, we’re not focusing on speaking situations where you are mandated to stay in one spot, usually at a lectern. While you can (and probably should) pivot your body in these situations, your freedom to move is curtailed. A few examples of such situations are:

• Highly formal occasions (e.g. commencement speech)
• Press conferences
• Speaking in a place of worship
• Political speeches, particularly when being recorded on video
• Any other situations when you are constrained by a fixed microphone

Benefits of Body Movement while Presenting

“ Purposeful body movement complements your message, and adds authenticity to your overall delivery. ”

In the vast majority of speaking situations, your movement isn’t constrained. Take advantage of this, and move your body! There are many benefits to doing so, including:

• Support your message. When in harmony with your words, full-body movement can accentuate and augment your message.
• Increase authenticity. If you are passionate about your message and comfortable when presenting it, then movement is natural. So, if you remain rigidly planted too long in one spot, your audience may doubt your passion and authenticity.
• Enable balanced audience connection. As you move from the center of the speaking area to the left or to the right, full-body movement brings you closer to different audience members. By reducing the separation distance, you will increase your ability to  connect with your audience  in a balanced way.
• Own the stage. As a presenter, you are afforded the opportunity to use the whole speaking area in any way that enhances your presentation. Rather than imposing an arbitrary restriction on yourself to stand in a single spot, you can symbolically “own the stage” by using more of it.
• Attract audience attention. Body movement is the largest physical gesture that you can make (i.e. it’s “bigger” than gestures with your hands, face, or eyes). For this reason, any full-body movement tends to immediately attract attention from your audience.
• Dissipate nervous energy. If you are stationary for too long, then your body will gravitate toward distracting oscillating movements (see below for examples) as a means of expending nervous energy. Purposeful body movement will dissipate this energy in a non-distracting way.
• Avoid muscle stagnation. If you lock your knees and plant your feet for long periods of time, your muscles can tighten up. Occasional body movements avoid this and keep your blood pumping. By caring for your physical needs, you are able to deliver your best speech possible!

Body Movements to Avoid when Speaking

“ When in harmony with your words, full-body movement can accentuate and augment your message. ”

Before we discuss positive movements you can incorporate into your presentation, let’s go over a series of detrimental movements that you should avoid.

• Pacing back and forth. (Oscillation #1) A few years ago, I attended a technical conference where one of the keynote speakers was an industry expert “idol” of mine. Imagine my dismay when he spent virtually the entire hour pacing between two points like a ping-pong ball. The constant oscillating movement was terribly distracting. His effectiveness was further diminished because his eyes were constantly directed at one wall or the other instead of toward his audience.
• Swaying or rocking front to back. (Oscillation #2) We all have our presenting demons, and this motion — shifting weight repetitively front to back — is occasionally one of mine. This oscillation, which all parents master when rocking an infant to sleep, can induce drowsiness in your audience in extreme cases. Eek!
• Yo-yo-ing between screen and laptop. (Oscillation #3) Imagine a presenter running back and forth between the screen (to present visuals) and a laptop (to advance the slides). Now imagine this pattern repeating forty times over an hour! Not only is it tiring for the speaker, but it is distracting for the audience. To project a more professional, composed manner, I encourage all speakers to invest in a presentation remote . I love everything about the Kensington Wireless Presenter , but any similar device will prevent yo-yo-ing. Get one with the features you like and use it.
• Tripping over anything or falling off stage. Do a visual check of the floor area when you arrive at the venue, and make sure you stay within safe boundaries. In addition to potential injury, a mistake like this can destroy the mood. (If it happens to you, try to quickly laugh it off, and re-engage.)
• Any movement that could result in injury. I once attended a speech competition where one of the speakers attempted to perform a ballet pirouette while sharing a story about her youth. I don’t know if the stage was slippery, or if her shoes gave out, but the pirouette ended with her crashing down onto her knees. It wasn’t the impact she was aiming for. (She was visibly in pain, but I applaud her for continuing on.)
• Any movement that leads to an awkward or revealing position. Maybe it’s a twist leading to a wardrobe malfunction. Maybe it’s a bend that gives the audience an unwanted viewpoint. Maybe it’s something else. Accidents can’t always be avoided, but try to anticipate negative consequences.
• Any full-body movement that distracts while you deliver key lines. While you deliver your core points (including your opening and your conclusion), avoid moving around. At these times, take a strong stance, look straight at your audience, and reinforce your words with hand gestures or other upper body movements.

18 Tips to Inject Movement into Your Presentation

“ If you are passionate about your message and comfortable when presenting it, then movement is natural. ”

Now that we’ve discussed the negative movements to avoid, let’s focus our attention on strategies to incorporate more purposeful movement into your presentation. Each of the following tips achieves one or more of the benefits mentioned earlier.

• Stand firm and deliver introduction
• Move your body as you transition to first point
• Stand firm and deliver first point
• Move your body as you transition to second point
• Stand firm and deliver second point
• Move your body as you transition to conclusion
• Stand firm and deliver conclusion
• Step forward when delivering key points. Some speakers step forward (or lean forward) when delivering their most important lines. If done smoothly, this signals to your audience that you are about to say something of great importance. (Think about how you “lean in” to share a secret in a private conversation.) Be careful not to overdo this; it can detract from your presentation if you mechanically rock back-and-forth every paragraph.
• Aim for left-right balance. Depending on the room setup and the nature of your presentation, you may be forced to adopt asymmetric positions. For example, if presenting slides on a screen that is centered relative to the audience, it is natural for you to stand to the left or right of the screen. However, if you take up a single position (e.g. the left side) for the entire presentation, audience members on the “far side” of the room can feel disconnected. This dilemma is solved by adding variety throughout your speech: sometimes stand on the left, and sometimes stand on the right.
• Position yourself in front of the screen (#1) Another way to counteract the asymmetry dilemma when presenting with slides is to take up a position right in front of the screen. Normally, this is crazy, because you don’t want to block sight lines and frustrate your audience. However, it can be effective if used sparingly. For example, you can use your arms as pointers to refer directly to key data points or parts of a diagram.
• Position yourself in front of the screen (#2) When in PowerPoint’s “Slide Show” mode, the “b” key will blank the screen. Use this to take the visuals away when you don’t need them. This allows you to stand front and center (in front of the screen) where your audience’s attention will be focussed on you (rather than the “old” slide behind you). Several presentation remotes have a button that triggers this mode as well. If you aren’t using software that provides this feature, just plan for it by inserting an all-black slide at certain positions in your slide deck.
• Walk to a flip chart or a whiteboard. Another way to incorporate movement and left-right balance is to strategically map out different areas of the speaking area for different activities. For example, I often present in a wide training room that has a whiteboard on the right side. If I know I’ll be using the whiteboard periodically, I might take up a position on the left or center for “non-whiteboard” segments.
• Walk into audience area during a group exercise. When delivering training courses, I like to walk around the tables and chairs while an individual or group exercise is being performed. This allows me to check on the progress being made, and it invites more questions than I would otherwise receive if I remained up at the front of the room the whole time. It seems like participants feel more comfortable asking for help if I enter the “audience space”.
• Fetch a prop. Depending on what your speech prop is and how cumbersome it is to handle, you might choose to “conceal” it at the side of the room or away from the speaking area. Then, when you need it, you can walk to retrieve it. If done well, this can heighten the suspense and build-up to “revealing” the prop.
• Distribute a handout. Think about when to distribute your handout . If you decide to distribute it in the middle of your presentation, this is an obvious opportunity for body movement. Beware of overkill here. In a large room, it isn’t necessary or advisable for you to individually hand out copies to each person. Just pass a few stacks to people at a few corners, and let the handouts propagate.
• Incorporate a demonstration. Many types of demonstrations require full-body movement, and this tends to raise the energy level of your presentation.
• “…and then I stormed into the room…”
• “…she was strutting around without a care in the world…”
• “…scared and confused, I retreated into the shadows…”
• [Pivot your body left] “You stole the cookie from the cookie jar!”
• [Pivot your body right] “Who me? Couldn’t be!”
• [Pivot left again] “Then who?”
• [Pivot right again] “It was Daddy!”
• Stray a little from the lectern. Suppose you need to stay close to a lectern because you rely heavily on written notes, or you need to be within arms reach of a laptop for a software demonstration. In these situations, most speakers will “give up” and abandon full-body movements entirely. Although you are constrained, you can still make use of the area immediately around the lectern. For example, you can adopt positions centered on the lectern, one arm to the left of the lectern, or one arm to the right of the lectern. While this is not as optimal as being free of the lectern entirely, it is much better than the rigid alternative.
• Walk toward audience members during Q&A. Whether formal or informal, a question and answer session is a perfect opportunity for body movement, especially in larger rooms. As each question is asked, you can walk towards the person asking the question. This is both an act of respect (i.e. you are devoting your whole attention to them), and also a way to ensure that you hear them accurately.
• Sit for a while. Sitting? Wasn’t this article about full-body movement? How does sitting qualify? Consider that sitting for a portion of your presentation (and getting back up again) can achieve several of the benefits claimed above: increase authenticity, attract audience attention, dissipate nervous energy, and avoid muscle stagnation. Sitting won’t always be an option, because the room and available furniture may not support it. But, if you have a raised platform or a tall stool which allows you to maintain high visibility, and if sitting is an appropriate match for your presentation style and tone, then try it.
• Seek meaningful feedback. Find people in your audience that you can trust, and ask them for meaningful feedback on your body movement (or lack thereof). Did your movement support your message? Was your movement natural and authentic? Did you have any awkward and distracting movements? To gain the most valuable feedback, ask them before  your presentation to watch your body movement with a critical eye.
• Record yourself on video. To complement feedback from others, set yourself up to do a self-critique. Record yourself, and play it back. Ask yourself all of the same questions, and brainstorm alternative choices you could have made.
• What do they do well? How can you incorporate those movements?
• What do they do which is distracting? How can you avoid those pitfalls?
• How do different speakers handle a diversity of settings and audiences? How can you prepare for similar situations?

Your Turn: What’s Your Opinion?

Do you have a personal crutch when it comes to full-body movements? What additional tips have you learned to help you move with purpose? Can you share a story about a speaker with exceptionally good or exceptionally bad speech movement? Please share in the article comments .

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Body Movement Tips for Public Speakers via @6minutes https://t.co/rwNqL4tNeA #publicpeaking #professionalspeaker #Toastmasters — SpeakersGuild (@SpeakersGuild) Jul 25th, 2018

Another great article from @6minutes – Body Movement Tips for Public Speakers https://t.co/ruG3qGfNwu… https://t.co/DM6PjsOpDB — Mel Sherwood – Pitch & Presentation Specialist (@MelSherwood_) Jul 26th, 2018

“#6: Dissipate nervous energy.” One of many great reasons to incorporate intentional body movement into a speech. T… https://t.co/3SZMOzinrk — @speakupcamb Jul 26th, 2018

Body Movement Tips for Public Speakers #publicspeaking https://t.co/rhdhQXEpek — @altinc Jul 28th, 2018

Helpful Article: Body Movement Tips for Public Speakers https://t.co/M7nE5Iivlr — Cindy Pladziewicz (@cynthiapladz) Jul 28th, 2018

Body Movement Tips for Public Speakers https://t.co/afbNI1rqO8 by @6minutes — Presentation Guild (@presentguild) Jul 28th, 2018

Body Movement Tips for Public Speakers https://t.co/3PvR2GiEhh https://t.co/9mHB7c3Nda — Rohit Chattopadhyay (@rohitchat23) Jul 30th, 2018

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Here are some body movement tips for Public Speakers that complements the speaker’s message, and adds authenticity… https://t.co/gyVjReKRDo — @freeyouupva Nov 5th, 2018

Featured Articles

• Majora Carter (TED, 2006) Energy, Passion, Speaking Rate
• Hans Rosling (TED, 2006) 6 Techniques to Present Data
• J.A. Gamache (Toastmasters, 2007) Gestures, Prop, Writing
• Steve Jobs (Stanford, 2005) Figures of speech, rule of three
• Al Gore (TED, 2006) Humor, audience interaction
• Dick Hardt (OSCON, 2005) Lessig Method of Presentation

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