How to Use Your Hands in Public Speaking?

Have you ever been in an interesting conversation with someone but you couldn’t pay attention to what they were saying because their hands were diverting your attention? Yes? 

Many people will not be able to understand the essence of this question, but it has happened to most of us. The position of one’s hands while speaking in public is very important. If you have ever noticed, extremely good orators have a fixed position for their hands. They only move their hands once in a while within a limited amount of space. One great example of such a orator is Mr. B Obama, the Ex-President of the United States of America. But, why so? 

The way you use your hands while addressing a gathering in public, is an important indicator of your confidence level and your ability to take control of the situation. People who fidget a lot, and have weird hand gestures that are all over the place, come off as being under confident and nervous. While those that don’t move at all, also look like they have chills running down their spine. Between both these extremes lies a sweet spot where the person is seen as being a natural leader and one with confidence, passion and zeal. Even when it comes to grabbing attention, moving your hands too much, or keeping them at an odd position may take the attention away from you and to your hands. In such a case, the listener loses interest in what you are saying, and slowly becomes alienated from the whole conversation. Something no speaker would want. 

In this video, our expert instructor Sunita Kadian takes the opportunity to explain in detail the correct way to position your hand while public speaking. She also gives tips on how to use your hands to maximise the effectiveness of your speech.