David de Lacey, one of our regular Rachel's Reflections readers, has asked for tips on what to do with his hands when presenting. He writes:
"I was wondering if you could include something about the styles of gesticulation which exist, if any (with reference to giving presentations). Maybe it's just me, but moving my limbs randomly seems like it could be more distracting than helpful, whereas some form of coordinated full body assault on the speech could be used to help further emphasise the key points. Any feedback you could give me about this would be appreciated."
Thanks David, good idea. I thought I'd open up the whole topic of body language as it is one we've not talked about for a long time.
1. How much does body language matter?
There is a theory going around that 70% of your communication is judged by your body language. I think this is one of the most misquoted studies on body language I've ever come across. What matters in communication is that the words you say, the voice you use and the message you convey through posture, facial expressions, gestures and other body language components are all congruent, i.e all conveying the same message. If they are, then what you say will be the most important aspect of your communication. If, in contrast, your words say one thing, your body another and your voice another - your body will be believed or focused on over the other aspects. I can give a direct example of this from training television newsreaders. If a newsreader's tie was crooked, a significant number of people would become distracted from the newsreader's words by his tie. If the news reader's appearance and voice were all in order the prime focus for most people was the news!
2. What goes on in your head?
I once had a boss complain to me about my negativity. I had been to a staff meeting where she had addressed us all. I was very surprised that I should be accused of negativity as I was supportive of her ideas. On reflection, I realised that I had drifted off during the talk and replayed a different conversation in my head (a typical activity for an introvert). As I'd done this my facial expression mirrored what went on in my head - frowning probably, and a tightening around the eyes. Not a good idea! What goes on in your head can leak out in your voice or body. So if you are thinking "what an idiot" while talking on the phone to someone, your voice may subtly alter.
3. Are gestures important?
I'm sure you've seen people on phones waving their hands around while they talk to someone, sight unseen. This isn't as silly as it looks. What gestures often do is to regulate the rhythm of our speech. If we keep our hands deliberately still when we usually gesticulate, our speech may flatten out and become more of a monotone, the emphasis on our words may lessen, and we may speak faster. This can be particularly relevant in presentations where people who are nervous stand rigidly to the spot and their speech becomes potentially duller as a consequence. In contrast if you watch someone stab the air you may hear their speech echo the stab. A counting of the fingers may be represented by a chunking of the speech into related units. Wild movements of the hands above the head may be associated with more extreme changes in pitch.
4. Body Language Resources worldwide
We have a two-part tape series, "Presenting With Your Front Foot Forward: How to Give Confident Presentations", with both Jon Doust and Rachel Green. This provides a whole sequence of tips on how to become more confident, including the importance of rehearsal, practising in large spaces and over distances and breathing deeply to settle yourself. Price: $39 per set. More details are available on the website: http://www.rachelgreen.com
or call us (+61 8) 9390 1188
or e-mail your order to: >
or fax: (+61 8) 9390 1199
Other free newsletters:
These are on http://www.rachelgreen.com under newsletters for you to read or print off whenever you wish.
Free tips
There is an extensive set of tips now on http://www.rachelgreen.com including at least two on presentation skills, and one on eye contact.
The Feldenkrais Method is a way of developing a comfortable, easily moving body. There are Feldenkrais lessons and practitioners world-wide. Go to the links section on our website: http://www.rachelgreen.com to find those closest to you.
5. Top Tips on Gestures
Tip A: When you are presenting use your hands naturally. If you usually gesture - then gesture. If gesturing is foreign to you, don't do it. Many people when they're nervous about presenting worry about what to do with their hands. Yet if they're chatting over lunch or down the pub they don't give their hands a thought. Their hands move in rhythm with whatever else is happening. Allow your hands to do the same when you speak in front of an audience.
Tip B: Watch out for fiddling or sequences of very tiny movements when you are presenting, unless the movements support what you say. If you are in front of a 100 people you may increase the size of your hand movements so they are seen easily. However don't fiddle with pens, keys, money in your pocket, glasses, your pants or your face. Use your hands to support your message.
Tip C: When you have a key point to make, your hands may add emphasis to it. There is no one way to correctly gesture in a speech. What matters is that you choose gestures which are natural to you and that they help get your point across.
Tip D: If you want to have staged gestures, that's a different thing altogether. Some people in a presentation choreograph their gestures. I think that's too hard for people who are nervous without it looking artificial.
However, if you wish to do it, use gestures which add meaning to what you are saying. For instance, if you say, "I'm ..." then have your hands move towards you. If you say, "all of you" then have both hands move apart and towards the audience in an open wide gesture. In contrast however, if you say, "each of you" you may use one hand, open palm towards individual members of the audience one at a time. Be aware that the open hand gives quite a different message from pointing at people, which may be considered rude or "more pointed". Practise and video it first - and watch it back. It isn't easy but it can be helpful.
6. Competition.
Want to be a winning contributor? It's easy, as long as you are a Rachel's Reflections subscriber. All you have to do this fortnight is to send us ten tips for one of the following topics:
 | How to make friends.
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| How to maintain a happy marriage.
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| How to cope with going bald or hair appearing in the wrong places.
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If we use your contribution on the site you'll be entered in the prize draw. Your prize? A book called, "The dreamcatcher: an A-Z guide to your dreams and what they mean" by Philip Clucas.
Send them to us at
The winner of the last competition is: Patricia Boyle of Manjimup who wins the new CD, by Matt Watroba, a USA singer/songwriter. For more details go to http://www.mattwatroba.com
Well done Patricia. Want to find out about Patricia - read her profile: Midlife Online http://www.rachelgreen.com
7. Humour Section.
More puns from Rachel's Reflections Reader, Jacquie Taylor in Ontario, Canada. Thanks Jacquie!
- Two vultures board an airplane, each carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at them and says, "I'm sorry, gentlemen, only one carrion allowed per passenger."
- Two boll weevils grew up in South Carolina. One went to Hollywood and became a famous actor. The other stayed behind in the cotton fields and never amounted to much. The second one, naturally, became known as the lesser of two weevils.
- Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, but when they lit a fire in the craft, it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it, too.
- And finally, there was the person who sent ten different puns to family and friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. Unfortunately, no pun in ten did.
Send your jokes to
Until next time,
best wishes,
Rachel.
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