How to Manage Hands When Speaking in Public?
Mastering to manage hands when speaking in public is a crucial aspect of delivering a compelling speech. Your gestures can either enhance your message or distract from it. our gestures can convey confidence, sincerity, and emphasis, making your communication more impactful. In this guide, we’ll explore strategies for using your hands purposefully to engage your audience and avoid common pitfalls.
Understanding Natural Gestures
One of the most common questions asked by those preparing to speak in public is, “What do I do with my hands?” It’s a question that often brings anxiety and uncertainty. In the world of public speaking, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. However, there are some valuable insights to consider.
1. Avoid Over-Choreography
One of the first pieces of advice is to avoid over-choreographing your hand movements. Trying to illustrate your narrative with specific gestures can often result in awkward and distracting movements. Instead, use your hands naturally to emphasize what you’re saying.
2. A Recommended Gesture
While less is often more when it comes to gesturing during a speech, there’s one gesture that can be quite effective: periodically extend your hand and arm toward your audience in a welcoming handshake position. This simple gesture can bridge the gap between you and your audience, making them feel more engaged.
3. Learn from Reagan
Ronald Reagan, known as “The Great Communicator,” followed a different approach. He rarely used gestures during his speeches, relying on his words and presence to captivate his audience. This “no-hands” approach worked wonders for him. The key takeaway here is that you should do what feels natural to you.
4. Natural Style Over Performance
Your effectiveness as a speaker doesn’t hinge on your ability to perform intricate hand movements. Audiences are drawn to authenticity. Your personality and natural style were the reasons you were chosen for your role, not your acting skills.
3 Strategies for Effective Hand Use
1. Give Your Hands a Place
When it comes to public speaking, one of the simplest yet most effective strategies for handling your hands is to give them a place – specifically, let them rest naturally by your sides. This approach conveys a sense of ease, confidence, and openness to your audience. It’s a non-distracting posture that allows you to maintain a strong connection with your listeners without diverting their attention with unnecessary hand movements.
To further enhance your comfort and engagement, you can employ a subtle technique suggested by Communication Power President, Richard Klees. Lightly touching your index finger to your thumb can provide a physical point of connection with yourself, helping to calm any nervous energy. This unobtrusive gesture allows you to stay grounded while keeping your hands in a neutral and relaxed position. It may feel unfamiliar at first, but it provides a means to stay engaged without distracting yourself or your audience.
2. Give Your Hands a Purpose
While maintaining your hands by your sides is an excellent starting point, effective communicators go beyond mere positioning. They strategically use gestures to underscore their spoken words, enhancing the impact of their message. The key is to align your gestures with your narrative, emphasizing key points and enhancing your storytelling.
To maximize the impact of your hand movements, consider making your gestures noticeable by allowing your arms to move away from your torso. This openness communicates a sense of enthusiasm and involvement, reinforcing the message you’re conveying. Remember that the goal is not to choreograph every move but to enhance your natural expression. Well-timed gestures can be powerful tools for engaging your audience and reinforcing your spoken words.
3. Give Your Hands Power
A universally understood gesture that can significantly amplify your influence as a speaker involves using open palms facing the audience. This simple yet potent hand positioning symbolizes openness and trustworthiness. By presenting your open palms, you signal to your audience that you are genuine and transparent in your communication.
Alan Pease, an honorary professor of psychology, has emphasized the power of this gesture in his TEDx talk, “Body Language: The Power Is in the Palm of Your Hands.” It immediately enhances your ability to connect with your audience and reinforces your credibility as a speaker. Utilizing open palms is a straightforward technique that can have a profound impact on how your message is received. When your body language aligns with your words, your audience is more likely to follow your lead and respond positively to your presentation.
What to Do with Your Hands While Speaking in Public?
1. Default to Keeping Them at Your Sides
When faced with uncertainty about what to do with your hands during a public speech, defaulting to keeping them naturally at your sides is a sensible approach. This neutral position is akin to presenting a clean slate to your audience, avoiding any inadvertent or distracting signals. By keeping your hands at your sides, you create a foundation for your intentional gestures to be more impactful when you choose to use them.
The benefit of this default position lies in its ability to minimize distractions and help maintain your audience’s focus on your message. It allows your gestures, when strategically employed, to stand out and serve as deliberate enhancements to your spoken words.
2. Keep Your Palms Open
Another effective strategy for hand management during public speaking involves keeping your palms open and visible to your audience. This approach conveys trust, honesty, and a willingness to engage openly with your listeners. Interestingly, this gesture has deep-rooted evolutionary significance. In our early history, displaying open palms was a way to signal that one was unarmed and posed no threat to others.
By showing your open palms, you create an immediate impression of transparency and authenticity. It’s a subtle yet powerful way to connect with your audience and establish trust. This gesture serves as a non-verbal cue that reinforces your spoken message and underscores your sincerity as a speaker.
3. List Numbers
Utilizing your fingers to list numbers is a straightforward and universally understood gesture that can enhance the clarity of your speech. This technique becomes particularly effective when combined with the rule of three, a rhetorical strategy that emphasizes key points by grouping them in threes.
By counting through your points using your fingers, you provide a visual aid to your audience, helping them follow your argument or narrative more easily. This gesture not only engages your audience but also reinforces the importance of the points you are highlighting. It’s a simple yet effective tool for enhancing the impact of your message.
4. Steeple Your Fingers
Steepling your fingers is a gesture associated with confidence and authority. It involves interlocking your fingers and extending them upward in front of your chest. This posture communicates that you are in control and confident in what you are saying.
Research has shown that individuals in positions of influence, such as lawyers, accountants, and investors, often use this gesture when they are feeling self-assured. When employed sparingly and purposefully, steepling can emphasize key moments in your speech and reinforce your message’s authority.
5. Keep Your Hands in the Box
Visualize an imaginary box that extends from your shoulders to your hips. This box represents your communication zone. When you keep your hands within this area while speaking, you help ensure that the focus of attention remains on you and your message.
Maintaining your hands within this defined space allows you to create a sense of balance and control in your body language. It prevents excessive and distracting movements that may detract from your message. By staying within the communication box, you can maintain a strong connection with your audience without overwhelming them with erratic gestures.
6. Put Your Hand on Your Heart
A universally understood gesture that can convey sincerity and conviction is placing your hand on your heart. This simple yet powerful gesture communicates that you are speaking from the heart and genuinely believe in the message you are delivering.
When used sparingly and at the right moments, this gesture can enhance your authenticity as a speaker. It underscores your emotional connection to the topic and signals to your audience that your words are heartfelt. However, it’s essential to use this gesture judiciously to avoid overdoing it, as excessive use may undermine the sincerity you intend to convey.
7. Open Your Arms Wide
Expanding your arms wide, as if you are about to offer a warm hug, is a gesture that conveys inclusiveness and trust. It suggests that you are welcoming your audience into your inner circle, creating a sense of connection and openness.
Using this gesture strategically can foster a positive and welcoming atmosphere during your speech. It communicates your willingness to engage with your audience and make them feel valued. Employing an open-arms gesture can help establish a rapport with your listeners and encourage them to connect with your message on a deeper level.
8. Follow Your Instincts
Ultimately, the most authentic gestures are those that align with your instincts and natural style. These gestures are not contrived but arise spontaneously as an extension of your personality and emotions. While it’s essential to be mindful of effective hand use techniques, it’s equally important to trust your instincts.
Your instincts have been honed through millennia of human communication, long before the study of body language became a science. If a gesture feels natural and complements your message, don’t hesitate to follow your instincts. Remember that authenticity is a key factor in engaging your audience, and gestures that stem from your genuine emotions can have a profound impact on the effectiveness of your public speaking.
What Not to Do with Your Hands While Speaking?
In public speaking, your body language speaks volumes. Avoiding certain hand-related behaviors is crucial to maintaining a confident and engaging presence. These behaviors can detract from your message, making it essential to be aware of what not to do with your hands when addressing an audience.
1. Clasping Your Hands
One common mistake to avoid while speaking in public is clasping your hands. This gesture, whether in front of you or behind you, can send unintended signals to your audience. When you clasp your hands in front of you, it may appear defensive or closed off, creating a barrier between you and your listeners. On the other hand, clasping your hands behind you can make you seem reserved and distant, diminishing your connection with the audience.
Clasping your hands may also restrict your natural movements, limiting your ability to use gestures effectively. To maintain an open and engaging presence while speaking, it’s essential to keep your hands free and relaxed by your sides. This posture allows for more expressive and meaningful gestures that complement your message.
2. Putting Your Hands in Pockets
Another habit to steer clear of is placing your hands in your pockets while speaking in public. This action can convey disengagement and uncertainty to your audience. When your hands are concealed in your pockets, you lose the opportunity to use them to enhance your communication and emphasize key points.
Additionally, this posture may make you appear less confident and authoritative as a speaker. It can give the impression that you are not fully committed to your message or that you are hiding something. To project confidence and connect effectively with your audience, opt for keeping your hands visible and ready for purposeful gestures by your sides.
3. Gripping the Podium or Microphone
Clutching the podium or microphone tightly is a habit that should be avoided during public speaking. This behavior can signal nervousness and insecurity, diminishing your credibility as a speaker. When you grip the podium or microphone, your body language conveys tension and discomfort, which can be distracting for your audience.
Furthermore, this physical constraint limits your ability to use your hands for expressive gestures and may restrict your movements on stage. To appear confident and at ease while speaking, aim to maintain a relaxed grip or use the podium or microphone stand minimally. By keeping your hands free and open, you can convey a sense of confidence and professionalism.
4. Fidgeting with Objects
Resisting the urge to fidget with objects, such as rings or keys, is essential for maintaining a focused and effective presentation. Fidgeting can be distracting to both you and your audience, diverting attention away from your message. It can also create a sense of restlessness and unease, undermining your ability to connect with your listeners.
Fidgeting with objects not only distracts from your speech but also diminishes your perceived professionalism. It may convey a lack of preparation or self-control, eroding the trust and confidence of your audience. To deliver a polished and impactful presentation, keep your hands free from distractions and maintain a composed demeanor.
5. Repetitive Gestures
Avoid falling into the trap of using repetitive gestures throughout your speech. While gestures are a valuable tool for emphasizing key points and engaging your audience, excessive repetition can become monotonous and detract from your message’s effectiveness. Repetitive gestures may make you appear predictable and reduce the impact of your communication.
Instead of relying on the same gestures repeatedly, strive to vary your movements and expressions to keep your audience engaged and attentive. Consider the content and context of your speech to determine when and how to use gestures strategically. By incorporating diverse gestures that align with your message, you can enhance your delivery and captivate your audience’s attention.
Part IV: What Not to Do
1. Clasping Your Hands
One common mistake to avoid while speaking in public is clasping your hands. This gesture, whether in front of you or behind you, can send unintended signals to your audience. When you clasp your hands in front of you, it may appear defensive or closed off, creating a barrier between you and your listeners. On the other hand, clasping your hands behind you can make you seem reserved and distant, diminishing your connection with the audience.
Clasping your hands may also restrict your natural movements, limiting your ability to use gestures effectively. To maintain an open and engaging presence while speaking, it’s essential to keep your hands free and relaxed by your sides. This posture allows for more expressive and meaningful gestures that complement your message.
2. Putting Your Hands in Pockets
Another habit to steer clear of is placing your hands in your pockets while speaking in public. This action can convey disengagement and uncertainty to your audience. When your hands are concealed in your pockets, you lose the opportunity to use them to enhance your communication and emphasize key points.
Additionally, this posture may make you appear less confident and authoritative as a speaker. It can give the impression that you are not fully committed to your message or that you are hiding something. To project confidence and connect effectively with your audience, opt for keeping your hands visible and ready for purposeful gestures by your sides.
3. Gripping the Podium or Microphone
Clutching the podium or microphone tightly is a habit that should be avoided during public speaking. This behavior can signal nervousness and insecurity, diminishing your credibility as a speaker. When you grip the podium or microphone, your body language conveys tension and discomfort, which can be distracting for your audience.
Furthermore, this physical constraint limits your ability to use your hands for expressive gestures and may restrict your movements on stage. To appear confident and at ease while speaking, aim to maintain a relaxed grip or use the podium or microphone stand minimally. By keeping your hands free and open, you can convey a sense of confidence and professionalism.
4. Fidgeting with Objects
Resisting the urge to fidget with objects, such as rings or keys, is essential for maintaining a focused and effective presentation. Fidgeting can be distracting to both you and your audience, diverting attention away from your message. It can also create a sense of restlessness and unease, undermining your ability to connect with your listeners.
Fidgeting with objects not only distracts from your speech but also diminishes your perceived professionalism. It may convey a lack of preparation or self-control, eroding the trust and confidence of your audience. To deliver a polished and impactful presentation, keep your hands free from distractions and maintain a composed demeanor.
5. Repetitive Gestures
Avoid falling into the trap of using repetitive gestures throughout your speech. While gestures are a valuable tool for emphasizing key points and engaging your audience, excessive repetition can become monotonous and detract from your message’s effectiveness. Repetitive gestures may make you appear predictable and reduce the impact of your communication.
Instead of relying on the same gestures repeatedly, strive to vary your movements and expressions to keep your audience engaged and attentive. Consider the content and context of your speech to determine when and how to use gestures strategically. By incorporating diverse gestures that align with your message, you can enhance your delivery and captivate your audience’s attention.
6. Covering Your Face:
Avoid covering your face with your hands, such as resting your chin on your hand or rubbing your eyes. It can signal boredom, disinterest, or fatigue to your audience. Maintain eye contact and facial expressions that reflect your engagement and enthusiasm for the topic.
7. Hiding Behind Visual Aids: If you’re using visual aids like slides or a podium, avoid using them as a physical barrier to shield yourself from the audience. Standing behind a podium the entire time can create a disconnect and hinder engagement. Instead, step out from behind the podium when appropriate to establish a more direct connection with your listeners.
8. Pointing Accusatively: Pointing directly at someone in the audience can come across as accusatory or confrontational. It may make the individual uncomfortable and defensive. Instead, use an open hand gesture or a more general pointing gesture to engage the audience collectively without singling anyone out.
9. Clutching Notes or Cards: Holding onto notes or cue cards too tightly can limit your hand gestures and make you seem overly reliant on your script. While it’s essential to have reference materials, strive to use them sparingly and maintain a natural flow of gestures. Familiarize yourself with the content so that you can speak more freely and confidently.
10. Crossing Your Arms: Crossing your arms over your chest is a classic sign of defensiveness and resistance. It creates a barrier between you and your audience, making you appear unapproachable and closed off. To maintain an open and welcoming demeanor, keep your arms relaxed at your sides or use purposeful gestures to emphasize your points.
Conclusion
Public speaking may not be easy, but it’s a skill that can be developed with practice and self-awareness. Effective use of your hands is just one aspect of becoming a compelling speaker. Remember to stay authentic, practice, and continually refine your technique. Over time, you can become a more confident and impactful communicator. Good luck!