Question

What should a speaker do with his or her hands
This is one of the most common questions I am asked.“I don’t know what to do with my
hands!” people complain to me every week.
Somewhere, long ago, it was written that a professional presenter should not move
his or her hands when speaking. This is utter nonsense!
Use your hands the way you use them all day long when you are talking to one
person—move them around to punctuate or illustrate your points.
If you attempt to stop moving your hands when you speak, you set off the following
negative chain reaction:
Your body looks literally stiff.
You look uncomfortable.
Your arms stiffen.
Your vocal chords stiffen.
You speak in a lower volume.
You speak more monotone.
You seem more boring.
Don’t do it!
In theory, it is possible to move your hands too much and to gesticulate so wildly
that you distract your audience. But in a quarter of a century in coaching people around the
world I have never had a client who moved his or her hands too much. Yet every week,
sometimes every day, I have clients who freeze their hands or hold pens or grab lecterns to
keep their hands from moving.
So let’s focus on the real problem: when you are nervous, you tense your body and
stop moving your hands. This makes you look nervous to the audience, and that’s a
problem. We want to look natural, relaxed, and confident to our audiences so they can focus
on what we are saying, not what we are doing or not doing with our bodies.
The first thing that usually happens when my clients rehearse in front of a video
camera for the first time is they stop moving their hands in a natural manner. They will hold
their hands in a fig leave position as if they have to go to the bathroom. Or they hold their
hands behind their back in the military at-ease position and it looks like they are about to be
arrested. Or they hold on to a pen as if they are about to say something so spontaneously
brilliant that they might have to write down their own quote. Or they grab hold of the
lectern as if it were a life raft. All of these things make them look uncomfortable and
uncertain.
When we are watching a video of a rehearsal, I will ask the trainee what she thinks.
The response is usually, “I seem a little flat, boring, and stiff.”
Then, I ask, “Have you ever thought about moving your handds a little?”
She responds, “Oh, no, TJ. I never move my hands when I speak.” Of course, while
the trainee is saying this, she is gesturing with wide sweeps and chops, moving both hands
and arms! Fortunately, I am secretly taping her.
Next, I ask, “How would you like to see someone who could be a role model for
you? Someone I think you can relate to, but who moves naturally and seems much more
confident and comfortable than you do?”
The trainee says yes, thinking that I am about to show video of Ronald Reagan or
Bill Clinton. Instead, I show video of the trainee herself from moments before. “Which
presenter do you like better?” I ask.
This always produces a laugh; but more important, it creates a breakthrough. She
prefers her natural way of speaking, which makes her realize that her natural way of speaking
is fine. She doesn’t need to learn some new theatrical skill to use when presenting in front of
people. All she needs to do is to stop acting and to move naturally.
This approach can take some practice. When you are speaking to a new group of
people for the first time or if you are doing anything that takes you out of your comfort
zone, you may need to consciously think while speaking, “I am now moving my right
hand…now I am moving my left hand…” You have to prime the pump at the beginning of
your presentation by forcing your hands to move. This sounds phony and contrived but if
you practice it, you will look natural and relaxed. And eventually you won’t have to remind
yourself to move.
I find around the world that most audiences respond best to presenters who talk and
move in a natural manner. And most people move both hands when they speak. Yes, there
are a few exceptions (such as in Japan where it is considered rude to gesture when giving a
business presentation). Always try to find out if there are local customs that supersede your
own practices and then follow the local customs. But in general, your audience will see you
as confident, authoritative, and authentic if you move your hands when you present.
make two sentences using information I provided

Answer 1

A speaker should use their hands naturally to punctuate and illustrate their points, as freezing or over-restraining hand movements can make them appear stiff and uncomfortable. Although a few cultural exceptions exist, audiences generally respond best to presenters who move confidently and authentically with their hands.