Not everyone is meant to be an expert public speaker, but on the other hand, no one is born to be a great speaker either. The skills needed to become a really good speaker are all learned ones, meaning that everyone has the opportunity to make themselves into a comfortable and expressive speaker.

One of the tools that is most effective in enhancing any talk given in public is the use of hand motions. While you might not think much about them when you’re listening to a really fascinating speaker, those signals are mostly being used intentionally to emphasize certain points delivered during the speech. You too, can learn the value of using hand gestures, and which ones are the most effective when you’re giving a talk in public.

What Do I Do With my Hands?

Research has shown that the best talks, and the ones which are deemed to be most effective by their audiences, are those in which speakers make the best use of their hands. Vanessa Van Edwards studied the top-ranked talks of last year that were made available through seminars, podcasts, and other video presentations had nearly twice as many hand motions as the lower-rated talks. If a speaker is charismatic to begin with, coupled with expressive gestures, the effect seems to resonate much more strongly with an audience.

The problem is to figure out which gesture to use when you’re trying to reinforce the verbal part of your presentation. The first thing to remember is to keep your movements very descriptive, while also remaining very natural in your presentation. If you become too involved with your hand movements, it might cause you to forget what you’re trying to convey to your audience, or worse yet, it may cause you to look like a mime. Psychology Today notes that hand motions larger than the outline of your body typically communicate a ‘larger idea or concept,’ but if used too much, they will make you appear chaotic or out of control.

There are some points in your talk where it’s a good idea to have some planned signals ready, but for the most part, you should try to keep your movements as natural as possible. Speaking experts recommend that you make use of the open palm gesture, so as to elicit trust with your audience. This specific gesture seems to have universal acceptance as a positive and welcoming kind of gesture because it communicates honesty, so wherever it’s appropriate, incorporate it into your talk. You will want to make sure that the fingers are curved up, and the hands don’t flop down.

However, for the bulk of your talk, it’s probably best to keep your hands in an area that is normally referred to by speech coaches as the strike zone. In baseball, the strike zone extends from the top of the knees to the letters on your uniform, and when talking, this is broadly interpreted to be below the shoulder down to your hips. This area would also be described as the region of mid-chest to waist, or the area of the rib-cage. This is a very natural area for you to gesture in, and if you stray much out of this zone, it can be fairly distracting. Even the open palms gesture should be used inside of this zone.

In terms of things you should avoid, at the top of the list is pointing. It has the look of being aggressive, and it tends to put off most of your listeners. Research has shown that audiences dislike this gesture from a speaker, and that’s why many speakers have come up with a substitute gesture which eliminates the need for pointing, such as the politician’s thumb point. This often looks like a closed fist with the thumb extended over the top, as one might hold an object such as a rod or television remote.

When you’re not sure what to do with your hands at any point in your talk, you’re better off to simply drop them to your sides and do nothing. This may not be very expressive or exciting, but it certainly won’t derail your speech either, and if you don’t have anything better in mind, it always makes for a good fallback plan.

Connect With Your Audience

An audience will always connect with you better if you enhance your verbal delivery with these motions. As a storytelling tool, your hands can provide an extraordinary amount of messaging that will emphasize your points, and will at times clarify your speech, and can even add an element of drama to your overall delivery.

Hand gestures emphasize certain aspects of your speech and add considerable strength to your message. Your audience will always be paying attention to any signals or movements you make as you’re speaking, so if you intentionally make movements that match the tone of your message, the audience will be much more likely to remember your point.

The best speakers in the world make use of this speaking strategy all throughout any talk they might be giving, because they know how effective it is, and how strongly it resonates with their listeners. Psychologically, most people are attracted to movements rather than verbiage, and those movements help you to remember anything you’re experiencing much better. The motions draw attention to what’s being said, and help retain it in the minds of the listeners. Paul Ekman has considerable research devoted to these expressions, and how they play a role in engaging your audience, as well as conveying meaning.

Keep in mind that when learning to present you will use trial and error as your best teacher. The main thing to remember is that you need to keep on trying and leave your comfort zone once in a while to try something new, because it might just be the one most effective gesture you have during your entire talk.

Perfecting Public Speaking

In summary, remember that hand movements can be the most effective accompaniment you could use to emphasize the points of your talk, and to connect better with your audience. There are some gestures you should definitely use, like the open palms gesture, and there are some you should avoid, such as pointing. If you’re ready to really get serious about speaking, you can contact the London Image Institute, and embark on the path to vastly improved public speaking.