What Should You Do With Your Hands While Presenting?
Public speaking can be pretty daunting for some people, which is why I am here to help! With years of experience as a speaker under my belt and tons of stories from all over–I’ll help you out. My observation is that people don’t know how to use their hands.
Regarding what you should do with your hands while speaking, the answer is “keep it natural”. It depends on your speaking style and the message you want to communicate! You can gesture or use hand movements to emphasize your points, but make sure they are natural and fluid.
While there are many “do’s” and “don’ts” when it comes to public speaking, the most important thing is to be genuine and authentic.
Here Is A List Of Things You Should Do With Your Hands While Presenting:
Gesturing With Your Hands Can Help You Emphasize Your Point: You must use your whole body to express yourself when giving a speech or presentation. Your posture, facial expressions, and hand gestures contribute to how your audience perceives you. Gesturing with your hands is a great way to emphasize key points and connect with your audience.
When done correctly, hand gestures can help convey confidence, authority, and enthusiasm. They can also add variety and interest to your delivery. However, it’s important to use hand gestures sparingly and deliberately.
Too much gesturing can be distracting and make you appear nervous or unsure of yourself. The best way to use hand gestures effectively is to focus on making purposeful gestures that reinforce your words. For example, if you’re emphasizing a critical point, you might gesture with an open palm or raise a finger. If you’re contrasting, you might gesture with two closed fists.
Practice using hand gestures when rehearsing your speech or presentation so they feel natural when it’s time to deliver it. By practicing a few hand gestures, you can use them confidently and effectively when speaking in public.
Use Open Hand Gestures To Show You’re Open To Questions And Comments: When you are giving a public speech, open hand gestures are a great way to show the audience that you are open to questions and comments.
By holding your hands out, palms up, you’re indicating that you’re receptive to what others say. This gesture also conveys a sense of openness and honesty, which can help build trust with your audience.
Open hand gestures can also help keep the audience engaged by providing a nonverbal cue that you’re still interested in hearing from them. If you notice that people are starting to lose interest or get restless, a few well-timed open hand gestures can help re-engage them. So next time you’re giving a speech or presentation, remember to use open hand gestures to signal that you’re open to questions and comments from the audience.
Be Aware Of How Your Gestures Are Affecting Your Audience: When giving a speech or presentation in front of an audience, you must be aware of how your gestures affect them. If you notice that they seem bored or uninterested, try changing your hand motions to help keep them engaged.
For example, try gesturing with them while speaking instead of keeping your hands at your sides to add emphasis and interest to your points. You can also use your hands to help illustrate concepts or ideas. If you’re talking about something difficult to visualize, hand motions can help your audience understand better what you’re saying.
Just be sure not to overdo it – too much gesturing can be just as distracting as no gesturing. With a bit of practice, you’ll be able to find the perfect balance for your audience.
Practice Using Hand Gestures In Front Of A Mirror To Feel Comfortable: Hand gestures can also be distracting or off-putting if they are overused or used inappropriately. Practicing different hand gestures in front of a mirror will make you more comfortable using them during presentations.
One way to practice is to identify critical points in your presentation that you want to emphasize with hand gestures. Try out a few different gestures for each point and see which feels most natural and effective.
You may also want to experiment with timing your gestures to match the rhythm of your speech. For example, you may gesture on keywords or phrases or wait until after you have made your point before gesturing for added emphasis.
Gestures should be open and inviting, not closed off or cluttered. Ensure your posture is confident, and avoid fidgeting or fiddling with objects in your hands. By being mindful of the nonverbal cues you send, you can ensure that your hand gestures complement your words and help create a professional and engaging presentation.
Use Your Hands Descriptively: When using hand gestures, it is essential to be purposeful and deliberate. First, identify the critical points you want to emphasize with a gesture. Then, decide on the best way to convey those points with your hands.
For example, you might use a sweeping gesture to indicate the grand scope of an idea or a clenched fist to represent strength or conviction. As far as hand gestures are concerned, it is also important not to be too repetitive. If the same gesture accompanies every point, it will quickly become tedious for the audience. Instead, try to vary your gestures throughout your presentation.
Using hand gestures purposefully and effectively can add another dimension to your public speaking and help capture your audience’s attention.
Open Your Palms: One way to build trust with your audience is to open your palms. This nonverbal cue sends a message of openness and honesty, indicating that you have nothing to hide. Also, eye contact and maintaining an upright posture will help build trust. Showing your audience that you are confident and sincere will make you more likely to win them over and deliver a successful presentation.
Open your Palms As a Sign of TrustAvoid Pointing Fingers: Using pointed gestures might be interpreted as being forceful or aggressive. Instead of pointing, speakers can use other gestures that are more open and inviting, such as sweeping motions or palms-up gestures. These gestures help connect with the audience and keep them engaged in the presentation. As a result, avoiding pointing is an essential consideration for any public speaker.
Don’t Cross Arms Around Your Chest: Lastly, a common mistake is crossing your arms on your chest. It can make you appear closed off and unapproachable. It can also send the message that you’re not interested in your audience’s words.
Instead, try to keep your arms at your sides or use hand gestures to emphasize points. It will help you appear more open and engaged with your audience. It will also make it seem like you welcome their input and feedback. So next time you’re getting ready to give a speech, remember to keep your arms uncrossed and open!