The Secret to Gestures

"I don't know what to do with my hands!"

I hear this SO often. And not just from inexperienced speakers.

The irony is that many of us are very comfortable using our hands in regular conversation (I personally am so comfortable, I have to be careful about holding drinks while chatting at parties...) but put us on stage and suddenly even the most charismatic speakers can turn into wooden puppets.

This is just as true (or even more true) on camera as it is on stage.

WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN?
The short answer is when we get self-conscious we tend to overthink things to the point that something we do naturally can feel unnatural. And because we never really think about what our hands are doing when it does feel natural, it's not obvious how to proceed.

I have included some tricks below that you can use to re-activate natural, connected gestures. As well as some ways that using gestures can improve your speaking.

BENEFITS OF USING GESTURES
Why are gestures so important anyway? There have been studies that say audiences will trust you more when they can see your hands. 

Something that might not be immediately obvious is that gestures really aid with the use of imagery. This, coupled with the inherent visual interest allows your audience to better connect, absorb, and retain the information you're sharing.

Gestures also help energize the voice. The more movement in your body, the more variety there will be in your vocal energy and tone. This makes you a LOT more engaging and it also aids in the breaking down of complex ideas. If you're a fast talker (like me) using gestures can help your audience keep up with you without compromising your enthusiasm.

And finally, you can use gestures to claim your space. If you are shy or feel you're not very charismatic on stage or on camera, bigger gestures that fill the space can help you to increase your perceived authority and confidence as a presenter.

TIPS FOR USING YOUR HANDS

1. START with a gesture
One of the most difficult things to do is to bring your hands into play half way through a speech. The longer your hands are by your side the more far away and inaccessible and awkward they feel. So set the precedent on your first sentence. For example, left your hands in an open gesture when you welcome your audience. This is a fairly natural movement and it will pave the way for more natural movements. Even if you let your hands drop for a while after this, it won't feel nearly as strange to bring them up again later because the action has already been established.

2. Gesture from your HEART
T-rex arms can be awkward and make us feel like we're boxed in as speakers. When you gesture, think of the movement as beginning in your heart and moving out through your shoulders, elbows and wrists. This will create a fluid, open movement that it congruent with your speech.

3. AMPLIFY the impulse
If you're a fidgeter you've probably tried holding your hands together or something similar to stop yourself creating frenzied, distracting movements. Fidgeting happens when your body is disconnected from what you're saying so the nerves take over your movement instead. Trying to suppress that energy can often just make everything worse.
First, when you feel an impulse to fidget, make sure to consciously connect your hands with the words you are saying. This will often fix the fidget.
If you are still fidgeting, it might be because your body wants to make a big movement that is being suppressed. Instead of trying to stop the movement, lean into it, make it conscious and give it more energy. You might be surprised at how good it feels.

4. Look for EASY WINS
When you're rehearsing your talk, look for obvious spots to use gestures. Any comparison (this vs that) will lend itself to alternating hands. Directions, distances, sizes, numbers, even characters or quotes can be a perfect opportunity. Lift your hand for high numbers, any talking points under five lend themselves to being counted on fingers...

Once you start looking for them you will probably find enough gestures in your talk to let your hands drop the rest of the time.

Remember, you don't have to be constantly moving your hands, they can come out just for emphasis until you are comfortable enough to use them without thinking too much.

Hopefully some of the tips above will help you in your speaking journey. If you have any questions or comments on the above, I'd love to hear from you.