By Greg Dardis / Guest Editorial
You’re the presenter and you’re prepared. You walk to the front of the room, smile, make eye contact and begin to speak. As carefully as you’ve crafted your words and as confidently as you’ve practiced your cadence, there may be something you’ve overlooked: those two limbs dangling from your shoulders and itching for action.
And now, you’re in the middle of your presentation, asking yourself, “What am I supposed to do with my hands?”
Cross your arms? Fold your hands politely and rest them at your belt? Tuck them behind your back? Stick your hands on your hips, elbows out? Slide them into your pockets?
Our advice: Go big or go home.
When not intentionally gesturing, the ideal resting position for your arms is simple: let them hang by your sides. This is considered neutral or home base.
It may feel unnatural at first, especially if you are typically an animated conversationalist, but this neutral spot can be very effective when delivering a presentation. It is the least distracting position.
Learning to keep your hands by your sides wards off nervous ticks such as picking at trouser legs, looping thumbs on pockets or playing with a ring. Famous broadcast journalists such as Anderson Cooper surprise our staff by fidgeting with a pen or pair of eyeglasses. You must always be mindful of your hands. After some practice, neutral will become your go-to resting position.
From neutral we move to strategically placed, well-positioned hand gestures. Your hands should support the content and help create the picture, story and message. We often hear, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Great communicators use appropriate hand gestures to create memorable pictures for their audiences.
Mastering the physical side of a public presentation isn’t easy. Many speakers imagine how they look while in the front of the room. Unfortunately, what they envision may be far from reality. They may slouch, tug at their jacket or shift their weight from side to side. Speakers often do these things without realizing it. Unless someone mentions their bad habits, they may not recognize their need to break them.
In our executive training program, we use a simple, but effective, technique to help participants recognize and improve their physical skills: video. Each time our participants learn a new speaking skill, they practice in front of a camera. The playback is eye opening. The participants see what our coaches see, and it goes a long way in improving delivery and asserting themselves as leaders.
We’re also surprised to see how much progress participants make in a single day at our “Leadership Presentation and Image Skills” seminar. This is what makes every day so rewarding, witnessing the incredible growth possible. No matter who you are or what you do, there’s no such thing as an impossible case. That’s the beauty of public speaking, it is eminently coachable.
The iconic actress Mae West said, “I speak two languages, body and English.” Even if you speak Swahili, the first language holds true for all of us. The next time you’re preparing a presentation, go big or go home with your hand gestures. That way speaking “body” won’t compete with your English (or other language), and your point will resonate loud and clear.
Greg Dardis is founder and president of Dardis Clothiers, located at 805 Second St., Ste. 3, in Coralville. For more information, visit www.dardisclothiers.com.
