Why Gestures Can Hurt or Help You

Why Gestures Can Hurt or Help You on the Platform

Part of a natural speaking style is to emphasize specific points with the use of gestures. This can include hand movements and body movement to reinforce a point. It is imperative that gestures flow naturally, and do not look rehearsed or forced.

For some speakers, gesturing is a part of normal speech patterns; therefore incorporating hand movements is a natural part of the speaking process.

This is very evident in the way President Obama speaks. Even with the stress of talking to millions of people, there is still an easiness or fluidity to his movements that help him emphasize his points.

As an actor I used to try and control certain extraneous "awkward movements" with my arms that I was told by my teacher was quite distracting to my audience.

That's why when you watch TV and movie actors... a lot of their emotion and passion comes from their faces... why?

Because the camera is very tight on them. It picks up every nuance. This is why there are different acting techniques for stage and film. (But that is another article for this blog)

You see, any movement actors used during "their presentation" comes from being in the "moment!" And it should be the same with your speaking.

Remember: Even though you know your speech and have gone over it time and time again...it should come off as fresh to your audience. In a nutshell: You voice, speech patterns, and movement should work as "one unit!"

On the other hand, other speakers, nervousness impairs the ability to move freely and they allow their arms to dangle like sausages on a meat hook.

This lack of movement can impact the audience’s ability to effectively hear the message. It keeps the audience from connecting with the speaker.

The size of the audience is a good gauge for the size of the gestures. In an intimate setting with a small audience, the gestures should be smaller. In a large venue with a bigger audience, the gestures need to embrace the scope of the room and the size of the crowd.

Practice gesturing as part of the rehearsal process. The more often gestures are used; the more likely they are to look natural. Be careful not to look robotic or overly mechanical in the use of hand movements and walking.

Peter Fogel is "The Reinvention Guy" Speaker - Author - Seminar Leaderand creator of "Making the Bucks for Getting the Yuks! E-book