“Only he who attempts the ridiculous may achieve the impossible.”
– Don Quixote
Did you know the less you blink, the smarter you appear? Just as making eye contact with your audience makes you appear honest, controlling the rate at which you blink can further augment that perception of trustworthiness.
Simply put, the fewer times you blink, the more credible you appear. If you watch an excellent newscaster, you will be surprised by how little he blinks. Every time Walter Cronkite said, “And that‘s the way it was.” I can assure you he did not blink. Next time you are watching the national evening news pay close attention to the blink control of the anchor during essential stories and their closing remarks.
I am not suggesting that you should give a 30-minute speech without blinking. 29 minutes tops! Just kidding. I once went to a convention where nobody saw me blink for three days.
Paying attention to your blinking pattern during essential parts of your speech is a great way to bring home those main points. In every speech, your audience will be looking for signs of credibility. The success of your speech may very well depend upon your audience‘s ability to trust you in those pivotal moments. When it’s credibility time, speak to the audience with minimal blinking.
The average person blinks 22 times per minute. Watch this video of the great storyteller, Tom Coffing, the Speech Doctor speak about a winner of the Kentucky Derby. Notice how little Tom blinks, which shows intelligence, and it creates enormous credibility.
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