6 rules for using gestures in presentations
Audiences like speakers who talk with their hands, but not every gesture is a good one. Follow these tips to ensure your hand movements are enhancing—not sabotaging—your speech.
Consider this: According to The Washington Post, the least-watched TED talks have an average of 124,000 views and include an average of 272 gestures. The top-ranked TED talks, however, have an average of 7.4 million views and 465 gestures.
Why do gestures affect speakers’ effectiveness?
Studies show that our hand movements constitute a second language. They add information that’s absent from our words.
How can you ensure your gestures add the appropriate information to your spoken message? Check out the tips below:
1. Be natural.
Don’t force unnatural gestures, and practice extensively before using new movements in front of an audience. If your gestures seem inauthentic or over the top, they’ll probably distract your audience.
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