How To Have Effective Gestures

We talk a lot about verbal and non-verbal communication in our public speaking workshops, but what exactly is non-verbal communication? To put it simply, it’s the way you communicate through body language or gestures, and it’s a critical component of presentation skills training.

To make a gesture is to move your body in a way that reinforces a verbal message you are trying to get across. People often gesture with their head and shoulders (nodding and shrugging are both examples of gestures), but when it comes to presentations and public speaking, it’s typically the hands and arms that do the bulk of the gesturing.

Gesturing is a very important part of public speaking

Gesturing should be purposeful and deliberate; you can always tell an inexperienced speaker by the way he moves his hands (or doesn’t move his hands, as the case may be). Dead giveaways are hands in the pockets, behind the back, or—to the other extreme—waving them wildly, which is very distracting.

Here’s the truth: Your audience is judging you and your message not only by what you say, but how you say it—and that means your body language. People most remember what they see (as opposed to what they hear), which makes the gestures you use even more important. If you want your presentation to stick with your audience, make what they see as interesting and stimulating as what they hear.

So what can you do? How can you gesture effectively? The first thing you should know is it’s difficult to ignore a moving subject. Standing at a podium reading from prepared notes will have your audience yawning in no time. Instead, move around and use your hands to emphasize the key points in your presentation. Make eye contact and smile warmly.

Practice is fundamental to mastering public speaking skills, and that includes gesturing. So remember as you practice your next presentation (you are practicing, right?) to include a few appropriate gestures—ones that will add value and place an emphasis on what you’re saying.

Here are some presentation tips to keep in mind:

Stop fidgeting. Tapping your fingers, running your hand through your hair, jingling the change in your pocket—these are all examples of fidgeting that will take away from your presentation by distracting your audience. (It’s difficult to ignore a moving subject, remember?) Instead, stride across the stage or presentation area with your head up and shoulders back. Move your hands in a way that co-ordinates with the words you are speaking.

Act naturally. Waving your hands and arms erratically is not natural behavior—most people don’t do it in everyday conversation, so don’t do it during a presentation. Consider the gestures you make when you talk to family and friends. When you are trying to identify something to another person, for example, you might point. That’s a natural behavior and therefore is an appropriate gesture to use in a presentation. A good rule of thumb is to let your gestures come naturally as part of your feelings on the subject you are speaking about. You can’t practice everything.

Look the part. How you hold your body sends a message to your audience. Leaning on the podium, folding your arms across your chest, and shifting your weight from foot to foot will not make you appear very confident or engaging (and you probably won’t feel it, either). These positions also do nothing for your delivery. You want your voice to come out clear and smooth. Standing in a slouched position will make you look and sound uninteresting. But standing with your feet hip width apart, with one foot positioned slightly ahead of the other looks poised. Balance your weight evenly on the balls of your feet, relax your shoulders (without letting them droop), and let you arms hang naturally at you sides. Take a few deep breaths and you’re ready to begin.

Never underestimate the power of effective gesturing; how you move your body adds personality to your presentation and can be far-reaching. Make a habit of observing how others use gestures and how it affects their message, then set up a camera as you practice your next presentation and evaluate the gestures you use. Are they adding or taking away from what you’re saying? Let us know in the comments below!

22 Comments

  1. Lindsay Lynton says:

    It’s an remarkable article in support of all the internet viewers; they will take benefit from it I am sure.

  2. Lindsay Lynton says:

    It’s an remarkable article in support of all the internet viewers; they will take benefit from it I am sure.

  3. Very helpful post! When it comes to gestures in public speaking and presentations, I never quite know what to do. I don’t want to not use gestures and look awkward, but I also don’t want to overuse gestures or use the wrong ones. I have never really been given a guide on how to properly use gestures, and this was perfect.

  4. Very helpful post! When it comes to gestures in public speaking and presentations, I never quite know what to do. I don’t want to not use gestures and look awkward, but I also don’t want to overuse gestures or use the wrong ones. I have never really been given a guide on how to properly use gestures, and this was perfect.

  5. Kacey Burrow says:

    I could not resist commenting. Exceptionally well written!

  6. Kacey Burrow says:

    I could not resist commenting. Exceptionally well written!

  7. Trevor Varian says:

    Still learning the ropes of public speaking and it will probably be another 1-2 years before I start becoming a good speaker. I really need to get my gestures right because I don’t always know what gestures go with what words and my current speeches are a little boring. Thank you for the tips you shared!

  8. Julio Ramirez says:

    LoVe it! I watch the show…Taladago Nights and Ricardo Bobby…What to do with my hands? Ha Ha Ha! This definitelee helps!

  9. Britanica says:

    If you have ever been in the position of being in front of a crowd and not knowing what to do with your hands… It is awful! I have been there and not knowing what to do makes you look unprepared. Excellent tips and advice right here! I am still learning how to use gestures myself but I have come a long way.

  10. Wendy Wilson says:

    This is a tricky technique to learn. I feel like my hands are always moving too much. Will definitely take more practice on my part.

  11. Sam Anson says:

    Great tips here. Thanks!

  12. L. Lincoln says:

    This is a skill I struggle with. Thanks for the tips.

  13. Anita Ayela says:

    Whenever I have seen presenters fidgeting with their hands, it has always irritated me. And of course, a lot of them use their hands in the air, which add to my irritation. Hope they follow the tips written here.

  14. Marcy Harten says:

    Hi colleagues, please make sure you are congruent with your message. I love how gestures can add so much impact to the words i am speaking. I was noticing at our team meeting this week that most people who stood up and represented their department his and her body language was very distracting and I couldn’t focus on what they were saying. Interesting to think about.

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