“But Ms. Rabie, what do I do with my HANDS?”
This is a question that I get asked on a daily basis.
When we speak to our friends and family we are quite comfortable using our hands in a natural, expressive way. But often, as soon as we are delivering a speech in front of an audience, we are overtly aware of our hands. We know that using hand gestures is an important part of public speaking, but sometimes it feels unnatural or awkward. The only way to make it more comfortable is to practice. And practice and practice and practice some more!
To help you understand the different type of hand gestures you can use, I will break it down for you.
There are three levels on which you can place your hands.
1. Down by your side. This level suggests you are relaxed and if used correctly for brief moments allows for a pause of calmer moment in your speech.
2. Up around your ribs with elbows bent. This is where we should aim to do the majority of our speaking. It is an expressive stance and suggests you are knowledgeable and interested in what you are saying.
3. Up above your shoulders in front of your body. This is the most intense level and is used to jeer up your audience. Politicians often use this level when talking to large crowds and trying to get the audience on their side.
There are also three different types of gestures that I give to my students as a starting point.
1. Emotive gestures – these signify the emotion we are trying to convey. So if you are passionate or angry you might use a fist at height level three. If you are concerned you might use and open hand gesture at level two. If you are sad you may drop your hands down to level one and turn them away from the audience.
2. Communicative gestures – these suggest how open or closed you are to the audience. So when welcoming an audience you may put your hands forward with palms open so invite them into our world. However if you are angry or want to keep distance you may cross your arms to close yourself off.
3. Explanatory gestures – you might use these to emphasize descriptive words such as heavy, small, huge etc. But be aware, these gestures are not used to act out a word, like pointing to your watch to signify the time. They are used to assist your voice in conveying the prominence of a word and remain a gesture, not an action.
Hopefully this helps a little bit. It’s a good idea to practice different gestures in front of the mirror when rehearsing your speech. Or practice to family or friends. Familiarize yourself with them so that they begin to feel natural. You can even start taking note of the natural gesture you use in your daily speech, I’m sure there are plenty! Hand gestures are such a crucial part of public speaking. Getting used to using them will add an important dimension to any presentation. Do remember though, they are just gestures, not actions or interpretative dance moves. When practicing, the focus is always on making them feel and look as natural as possible.
