This post is #6 in a longer series of articles based on a presentation I gave to the Public Relations Insitute of Australia on “How To Make Your Audience Listen Better.” The Introduction to the series is here.
More than half of your communications takes place non-verbally, such as through gestures or body language.
Don’t believe me? Consider this.
A man giving a presentation shuffles to his place at the front of the conference room. Hunched over, he clears his throat several times and nervously fidgets with his glasses. Thrusting his hands into his pockets and barely looking up from the table, he begins to speak in a thin, wavering voice. He says: “I am very excited to be here to present my hypothesis to you.”
What did his body language and gestures say before he began to speak? Did they match what he actually said? And, which is more believable? What he said or how he acted? (This is an example of Albert Mehrabian’s research into verbal versus non-verbal communications.)
Put simply, non-verbal signals bring your words to life. That’s why good presenters put thought into their gestures and body language. Used properly, both will improve your messages by dramatizing what you’re say, as well as make your words more memorable.
Moving objects (no surprise) also capture the eye, so another reason why body movement can keep the audience engaged. Your audience spends more time watching your hands than any other part of your body – up to 40% versus watching your hands, compared to 25% spent watching your face and 35% watching everything else. Packaged together, gestures will help your audience listen better.
Need more proof to use gestures? They are the primary way you express your personality to the audience, which of course is another way to connect and engage with your audience.
The Whole Body Gestures in Different Ways
A gesture is any body movement that communicates a message, either to reflect or underscore a word or phrase, or in place of the words themselves.
Gestures come from four areas:
- From your arms, particularly the hands and fingers
- From the head, such as facial gestures and shoulder rolls
- From your legs and feet, particularly how they use the floor
- From the entire body itself, such as its stance and poise
Gestures Dramatize Words
Think of gestures as visual punctuation when you speak. Try to imagine gestures from the examples below of how they support your words:
When they describe something
- “We discussed the document over and over.”
- “It happened yesterday.”
- “This information is fluff.”
When they add emphasis:
- “First this happened, and then second this happened.”
- “Each step of the project builds upon the one before it.”
- “Any why would this be true?”
When they add emotion:
- “I was really angry.”
- “Our customers love how we ring them back within 24 hours of the problem.”
- “We were very confused.”
When they encourage or prompt a response:
- “Come over here.”
- “Tell me more about that.”
- “Can you give me an example?”
To be clear: Gestures should be precise, they should have a purpose, and they should be visible.
Gestures Work When They Look Like You
Most people use their hands (somewhat) when they speak. That’s not to say those gestures are suitable for presentations, or even if they’re “good” gestures.
To begin, know how you currently gesture. Think about how your hands move when you talk, or even how you might use other parts of your body – a shrug, a head nod – to emphasis your words. If you don’t know, or want the most honest feedback, film yourself presenting for 10 minutes or longer. (The first minute or two you’ll be self-conscious, but the longer you talk the more your gestures will become normal or natural.)
When you see yourself gesture, ask yourself these questions:
Are my gestures distinct?
Hand gestures must be precise – meaning, your fingers are active and erect. Pick up a pencil, a tennis ball or anything small enough to fit in your hand. Look at how your hand is active. If you remove the objective, keep that same type of exactness in your fingers. Other gestures – a nod, shrug are the two most common body gestures – should also be that precise.
Speaking of holding things: don’t.
Holding a pen or a remote control when you present means you aren’t allowing your hands to gesture naturally.
So remote controls are bad?
Not if you allow your fingers to move naturally when you’re holding the remote. The key is to hold the remote control firmly in the cock of your hand, the webbed part of your hand between your thumb and index finger. (Anatomically, it’s known as the “thenar space.” Who knew?) Use your thumb to keep the control in place, allowing your fingers to move naturally.
If colleagues notice that the remote control is becoming a dead weight, then put it down. You don’t want one-sided/lopsided gestures.
Where do my hand gestures start?
Gestures start from two spots. They begin where your arms are loose and hanging at your side, or they begin from a mid-point when your elbows are bent and your hands together are in front of your belly button.
Your arms will move to gesture, and when you finish, your hands should return to either of those two spots.
When you finish a gesture, your hands should return to one of these two spots. Gestures do not begin from trouser pockets, from behind your back, or from a clasped/clenched hands in front of you.
Where do they occur?
Gestures have an ideal zone, something I call the Box on the Body. (See the side diagram.) There’s a box at the centre of the body, from the tips of your shoulders to the points of your elbows. Inside this box is the most natural place for gestures.
- Gestures to the right or left of the centre box are fine, but are usually used for emphasis.
- Gestures above the box are OK but best used for extreme emphasis. Too many in this area can be exhausting to watch, or suggest you’ve had waaaay too much caffeine.
- Gestures below the box – no surprise – should be avoided.
Are my gestures visible? Noisy?
There’s no point if the audience can’t see your gestures. Don’t put your hands in your pockets. Take off or remove anything that’ll distract your hands, like change in your pockets, jewelry or messy hair. (Bangles especially can live up to their name.) It’s funny, but people will also gesture behind their back or under the table. In a word, avoid.
Do I gestures when I’m seated?
Presentations sitting down are tricky, mostly because your body is nearly 60% less dynamic. (Your body is concealed by the table. A folded body has less able to breathe naturally than a standing body. A body at rest is less interesting to watch than an upright figure.) The key is to keep your arms on the table. (Yes, you can put your elbows on the table, even if your mother is in the meeting.) Gesture by lifting from the table, make the gesture, then bring the arm and hand back to the table top.
How do other people gesture?
When you watch other people talk, do they gesture? How? What gestures do they use? Build what I call a “gesture vocabulary” by being more sensitive to other types and styles of gestures. Don’t worry about doing it exactly. That’s not the point. Do it so it fits you. You can’t help but personalize it to you, making it your own.
Now, all that said …
You can’t think about what your hands are doing when you’re presenting
Your focus should be on what you’re saying, with the gestures and body language emphasizing and underscoring your points. Gestures follow words, not the other ways around. Or, think of it this way: get more comfortable using your hands and body when you talk. So, when you actually present, it’ll be an extension of your personality, not a robotic performance.
Finally, an important note about culture
More than eye contact and voice, gestures are filled with cultural meanings. An “OK” sign in the United States for example has a completely different meaning in other countries.
If you are presenting, either formally or informally in another country, I strongly suggest you read up on the different gestures in your visited country to ensure you know which gestures are appropriate, and to understand the gestures of your audience, hosts and guests.
Anything else to add about gestures, the body’s punctuation?
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