Just how important is it to use hand gestures to improve your public talk, presentation or sermon? This is one aspect of public speaking that speech trainers frequently ignore. As a result, many people sitting in the audience can find themselves distracted, amused, or even irritated by bad or inappropriate use of gestures.
Let me tell you a brief story. Just a few days ago, I was attempting to buy some eggs. A simple enough task. However, I did have a problem. My neighbour, who keeps chickens, does not speak English. I speak hardly any Bulgarian. The resulting conversation consisted almost entirely of using hand gestures! Picture, if you will the scene. A somewhat bemused Bulgarian villager watching a rather embarrassed 'crazy' Englishman acting out a virtual charade depicting a chicken laying an …show more content…
I once sat through a talk in which every point was accompanied by a finger wagged vigorously as if the speaker was scolding a child. As a listener, I was initially amused, then bored, then thoroughly irritated by this behaviour. Not surprisingly, this is the only feature that I recall about that particular occasion - I cannot even remember the subject of the address! I rest my case.
Hand gestures do not come naturally to everyone and like other aspects of good public speaking often need a conscious effort and practice to make them appear natural. One 'tool' that works wonders during practice sessions is... a mirror!
Your aim should be to use hand gestures only when required to describe something or emphasize a point. Overuse minimises the effect and repeated and pointless gestures can rapidly develop into an irritating mannerism.
Key Point: Each gesture you make should be clear in its meaning, a careless flap of the hand means nothing, but a precise movement can convey a great deal. Think of it like pronouncing a word correctly as opposed to making an incoherent
Let me tell you a brief story. Just a few days ago, I was attempting to buy some eggs. A simple enough task. However, I did have a problem. My neighbour, who keeps chickens, does not speak English. I speak hardly any Bulgarian. The resulting conversation consisted almost entirely of using hand gestures! Picture, if you will the scene. A somewhat bemused Bulgarian villager watching a rather embarrassed 'crazy' Englishman acting out a virtual charade depicting a chicken laying an …show more content…
I once sat through a talk in which every point was accompanied by a finger wagged vigorously as if the speaker was scolding a child. As a listener, I was initially amused, then bored, then thoroughly irritated by this behaviour. Not surprisingly, this is the only feature that I recall about that particular occasion - I cannot even remember the subject of the address! I rest my case.
Hand gestures do not come naturally to everyone and like other aspects of good public speaking often need a conscious effort and practice to make them appear natural. One 'tool' that works wonders during practice sessions is... a mirror!
Your aim should be to use hand gestures only when required to describe something or emphasize a point. Overuse minimises the effect and repeated and pointless gestures can rapidly develop into an irritating mannerism.
Key Point: Each gesture you make should be clear in its meaning, a careless flap of the hand means nothing, but a precise movement can convey a great deal. Think of it like pronouncing a word correctly as opposed to making an incoherent