Frequently Asked: What should I do with my hands?

Gestures & Body Language , Presentation Tips , Public Speaking

In our Executive Seminars and presentation workshops, we hear some questions rather frequently. Each month this hear, we'll provide some answer to those public speaking FAQs.

It's day one of a two-day public speaking workshop. A hand goes up. That's a visual hint a question is on the way.

Question: What should I do with my hands?

The easy answer: Use your hands in a way that feels natural to you.

And while that's correct, some speakers incorporate hand movements that make them appear nervous or agitated. Others may "naturally" appear stiff and uncomfortable. So here's how we advise speakers to think about their hands and arms when presenting.

Use gestures that support your message

Of course, many of us are prone to talking with our hands—and it's not a bad thing. The best course is to use gestures with a purpose. What does that look like?

Here are some ideas for gestures that can illustrate your words:

You say "profits are up" and your hand lifts
You say "let’s come together" and you reach out to the audience and pull hands together
You say "what should we do?" and you lift your hands and shoulders to shrug

As you can see, it's not terribly complicated—and the best gestures are the ones that come naturally to you.

In order for these to land with some punch, it helps to make sure they're timed to match the words and that you don't overdo it. We're not trying to launch a gesture with every phrase.

And by keeping hands quiet between gestures, you make sure the descriptive ones you use aren't lost in a flurry of nonstop movement. Read on….

Relax and let gravity do its thing

When you're presenting with no lectern or table in front of you, try relaxing your arms and letting your hands drop by your sides. Then, when you have a gesture to illustrate a point, you can bring your hands up and deliver it.

Hands by your side does NOT mean you:

wave them about and gesture at thigh level
clasp them in the fig leaf position, as if protecting yourself from an assault
lock arms down in an uncomfortable or stiff way
hang your arms in a weary or weighted way, as if you are marching to your doom

By letting your hands drop naturally by your sides, you should be able to avoid the hand wringing, clasping, or praying positions we see hands fall into when a speaker can't quite let their arms drop with ease.

Take command of the lectern (or podium)

If you find yourself standing at a podium (or as we prefer, a lectern), let that piece of furniture provide a solid place for your hands to rest. As our founder Reid Buckley said in his instructions, "The lectern is the speaker's quarterdeck, his bully pulpit. Approach it confidently and grasp it with both hands. It's yours."

We recommend:

Grasping the sides of the lectern, rather than placing your hands on the lower lip of it or flat on top. This opens up your shoulders and gives you a confident posture.
Refraining from tapping fingers or flicking them up. Likewise, don’t white knuckle the thing as if you're holding on for dear life. Let hands rest comfortably and quietly.
When using your hands for a purpose, lift them up and away from the lectern. Then bring them back to that confident resting position between gestures.

Avoid repetitive movements

As you think about how and when to launch descriptive gestures, pay attention to any patterns of movement you fall into. Some patterns we see frequently are hands that accordion in and out, hand chops, and roll over gestures with hands circling at the wrist.

Audiences tend to pick up on patterns, so when we default to a predictable gesture we're creating a distraction. Watch videos of yourself or ask a colleague to give you some feedback if you think you might have a gesture that you fire off on repeat.