Presence Training

Using gestures during your public speeches and presentations is a great idea. They add a layer of expression and meaning you can’t convey otherwise, making it easier for the audience to follow your message. The expression “talking with your hands” exists for a reason since gestures are an equally important part of the conversation, as they underline certain points we try to make or distract from others. 

Here’s what you can do to approach them in public speaking

Find a Neutral Place for Your Hands

If you’re using a lectern, you should grasp it on both sides. Standing in the middle of the podium, you should let your arms relax by your sides. You should do your best to avoid clasping your hands, crossing your arms for long periods, clasping your hands behind your back, gripping the bottom of a podium, rubbing your hands, tenting your hands, putting them in your pockets and so forth. Having your hands in a comfortable, neutral resting position will help make you appear confident and at ease, even when you feel otherwise.

Use Gestures to Create Pictures

The best way to make your hands and arms useful in a public speaking scenario is to use them to underline your points. Did you have a rise in profits or some statistics last year? Show that with your hand. Do you need to work together on a project with someone? Show that with a gesture. The best types of gestures that are most helpful in a scenario of this kind are the ones that depict something involving more than just the hands and the upper body, but they are away from the torso with the elbows bent and kept closed. Deliver your gestures with open hands, but avoid pointing fingers and balling your hands in a fist.

Quantity

There is no specific rule about how little or how much you should use gestures. This is part of how public speaking generally works, and it depends on factors such as tone, audience, subject matter and your personal style of speaking. If you feel you’re putting too many gestures into your presentations, that’s entirely up to your preference.

Timing

This mostly comes into focus when you’re working your speech from a script. Public speaking uses gestures that need to appear natural, so you would do well to leave putting them in with a forced attempt at coming across as genuine. If you rehearsed it, things wouldn’t come across as spontaneous.

Identifiable Patterns

It would be best to avoid repetitive gestures since the audience will catch on and get distracted by your movements. Many speakers out there accordion their hands back and forth, pumping their hands to emphasise a point and other similar gestures. A few in a row won’t be too much, but overusing specific gestures will start distracting from the actual message.

Keep Your Hands Still When You Can

Instead of giving into repetitive motions or flailing of hands, keep your hands uninvolved in the conversation unless you need to emote at specific moments to underline a point. Hands need to be in a neutral place, so you won’t distract the audience when you’re not making a point. Your gestures need to underline words and specific sentences in your speech, as anything more would defeat the purpose of using gestures. If your hands move nonstop, you’re going too far.

©Presence Training