Movement can be used to attract the attention of the audience; however, too much movement will distract. Consequently, any body movement must be moderated and used appropriately.
Here we will look at three factors of movement:
Any movement should be natural for the presenter: the presenter should not attempt to imitate someone else. Any movement the presenter would like to adopt should be practiced until it becomes natural. Any half-hearted or rehearsed movements will, most likely, appear to be artificial and shallow.
When a presenter is discussing one particular topic, he or she should speak from one position. Pacing while discussing a topic will distract the audience. Changing location, however, can signal a change. For example, when changing the topic, the presenter wants to take the attention from the slides to him or herself. A few steps would attract the attention of the audience. Similarly, the position of the presenter relative to the screen can be used to indicate how much of the audience's attention should be focused on the current slide.
To prevent unnecessary movement, especially between slides, it it most useful to have a wireless remote. A presenter who constantly hurries back to a keyboard or mouse to advance to the next screen will distract the audience with each slide.
The speaker should not be positioned squarely in front of the screen when there is anything other than text on a slide. During the introduction and conclusions, it is acceptable to slightly obscure the screen.
The lower body should not attract too much attention. The presenter could, for example, move the front foot closer to the audience to emphasize a point; however, in general, the feet should be approximately shoulder width apart with the trunk turned slightly to the left or right—consider any full-body portrait: the subject is always turned slightly away from facing the camera directly.
The presenter should not rock on his or her feet or pace back-and-forth.
Arm movement should use the entire arm together with appropriate (but slight) rotations of the upper body. Arm movement should not be restricted to just the arm below the elbow.