Making Gestures More Effective

Six Rules for Gestures:


1. Respond naturally - to what you think, feel and see. It is natural to gesture and unnatural not to gesture. If you try to inhibit your gestures, you will most likely become tense.
2. Create conditions for gesture - as opposed to creating the gesture itself. While speaking, you should not be thinking about your hands, feet, smile or eyebrows. Your gestures should be a reflection of the content of your presentation. Use phrases such as "One the one hand … on the other hand" and numbered points.
3. Fit the action and words - Visual and verbal messages must function as partners to communicate your thoughts and feelings. Every gesture should be purposeful and reflective of your words so that the audience only notices the effect and not the gesture itself. Do not overdo gesturing as that will distract the audience.
4. Use convincing gestures - your gestures should be lively and distinct to convey the intended impressions. Effective gestures are vigorous enough to be convincing yet slow enough and broad enough to be clearly visible without being overpowering.
5. Use smooth and well-timed gestures - every gesture has three parts:
   1. The Approach - Your body begins to move in anticipation of the gesture
   2. The Stroke - The gesture itself
   3. The Return - This brings the body back to a balanced posture
   These three should work in unison so smoothly that only The Stroke is evident to the audience. While it is certainly advisable to practice gestures, do not try to choreograph and memorize your every gesture. Doing so makes the gestures stilted and ineffective.
6. Make gesturing a habit - First, determine what you are doing now with gestures. Videotape yourself. Then, watch for your bad habits in gesturing and work to eliminate them. Finally, evaluate your progress over time. Never practice your gestures during a speech. Practice while speaking informally during daily conversations.

Twelve Tips for Gesturing:


1. Use gestures to emphasize points.
2. Consider gestures to be a mirror of your voice.
3. Adjust your gestures to the size of the room. For small rooms, gesture with the hand and forearm by bending at the wrist and elbow. For large rooms, gesture with the entire arm by bending at the shoulder.
4. Make your moves unplanned.
5. Begin speaking with your hands together. While speaking, the hands will naturally separate.
6. Keep your hands above your elbows as much as possible. This expresses authority.
7. Make bold gestures such as a fist instead of a finger, when appropriate.
8. Avoid distracting gestures such as fidgeting with something (eg. clothing, change in the pocket, jewelry). Practice the speech with your hands clasped behind your back.
9. Watch our for crossing that imaginary vertical line bisecting you. When a hand crosses that line to the other side, you give off a negative vibe. Don't believe it? Try it with a friend sometime while speaking.
10. Avoid making the same gesture over and over during a given presentation.
11. Invite with the back of the hand. This communicates a positive feeling and draws in your listener.
12. Vary your gestures and give the hands/arms an occasional rest by leaving them at your side.