Episode #47: Own The Space And Work The Room

Standing in front of an audience can feel like stepping into a spotlight that’s too bright, too hot, and too exposing. Your confidence drops, your eyes lock onto your laptop, and your message loses power. If you want your audience to remember you as a strong, credible, and inspiring speaker, you need to take control of the space—physically and psychologically.

Mini-summary: Many speakers fail not because of weak content, but because they don’t command the room. The good news: this is a trainable skill.

The fastest way to look uncertain is to chain yourself to a laptop. When slides are text-heavy, you must read them—so you lose eye contact, energy, and authority. Instead, design slides with minimal text and strong images that communicate the point in two seconds. Then you supply the story verbally.

Modern slide advancers let you move naturally without returning to the computer. This shift changes everything: you become the presentation, not the screen.

Mini-summary: Visual-first slides free you from reading and help you connect directly with people, not pixels.

“Working the room” means intentionally engaging every part of your audience through eye contact and presence. In a venue of 30+ people, split the space into six sectors like a baseball diamond:

• Left / Center / Right

• Inner field (front half) / Outer field (back half)

Randomly make 6–8 seconds of eye contact with individuals in each sector. Keep it unpredictable. If you follow a fixed pattern, people can anticipate where you’ll look next—and they mentally check out.

Even in larger rooms, when you look at one person in the back, the nearby 15–20 people feel included. This creates continuous group engagement.

Mini-summary: Audience attention stays high when your eye contact is balanced, personal, and unpredictable.

Nervous pacing is one of the most distracting habits in public speaking. Constant left-right walking makes you look anxious and irritates the audience.

Follow Dr. Story’s Iron Rule:
“Don’t talk and walk. Move in silence, land on a spot, and then speak.”

That means:

1. Finish a point.

2. Pause.

3. Walk to a new position quietly.

4. Start speaking again.

The pause is a feature, not a flaw. It gives the audience time to absorb your message while you reset your position.

Mini-summary: Controlled, silent movement + purposeful pauses create authority and calm.

What are the six speaking positions and how do I use them?

Use position and chin angle to signal emphasis:

1. Center stage (neutral base) — equally spaced from screen and stage edge.

2. Chin at 90° to the floor — neutral, steady delivery.

3. Step back for macro points — increases visibility and “big picture” tone.

4. Chin slightly above 90° at the back — adds weight and projection.

5. Step forward for emphasis — close to the audience for impact.

6. Chin slightly below 90° at the front — intensifies urgency and connection.

Just don’t lean so far forward you fall off the stage. Being memorable is good—falling is not.

Mini-summary: Your physical distance and chin angle are subtle tools to control emotional impact.

How do I handle projectors and screens without blocking the message?

If there’s a projector, never walk in front of the screen—you become the screen, and the audience loses focus. Stand on the audience’s left side of the projector, so people see your face first and then the visuals (because we read left to right).

Most venues default to the audience’s right, so tell organizers your preference in advance.

If you must cross the projected area, hit “B” to black out the screen, move, then press “W” to restore it.

Mini-summary: Screen awareness protects attention; staging yourself on audience-left improves flow and clarity.

Your speaking environment is not neutral—it’s part of your message. If you enter like a spectator, you’ll speak like one. If you organize the setting and move with intention, your audience feels your confidence and credibility.

That’s how you build a professional presence that executives and teams want to hear again. This is especially critical in Japan-based business settings such as 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (multinational / foreign-affiliated companies) where poise, structure, and trust strongly shape influence.

Mini-summary: Commanding the room strengthens trust, recall, and your professional reputation.

• Design image-driven slides to escape the laptop and increase authority.

• Divide the audience into sectors and use unpredictable eye contact.

• Move with purpose: pause, relocate silently, then speak.

• Use stage distance and chin angles to shape emphasis and energy.

Founded in the U.S. in 1912, Dale Carnegie Training has supported individuals and companies worldwide for over a century in leadership, sales, presentation, executive coaching, and DEI. Our Tokyo office, established in 1963, has been empowering both Japanese and multinational corporate clients ever since.