The synthesis of speech and hand gestures

There is little dispute that public speaking is an art and people who are good at it rarely acknowledge that while on a podium they tend to be a different being altogether, vociferously articulating their thoughts thereby making a lasting impression on the audience. While we appreciate the artistic façade of public speaking, shouldn't we also comprehend the fact that public speaking can be learned, mastered and improvised?

Having witnessed and observed many eloquent speakers from diverse fraternities, one thing I found common was their innate ability to guide the audience on a journey alongside their beliefs and couch of thoughts. The speaker's persona, his/her indulgence along with the credibility attained through expert knowledge further augmented with the faith bestowed by the audience does influence the speaker's ability to charm the listeners.

While engaging with the audience, or even during a team meeting or presentation in professional circles, gestures have a significant role to play.  Research has found that the use of timely and well thought out gestures does bring about a meaningful connotation to the whole conversation, especially when gestures are made by hand. While delivering  a talk, good use of hand does instil a sense of confidence in listeners, which otherwise could infuse a sense of scepticism.

Though hand gestures should ideally appear innately during a talk and be embedded in the persona of the speaker, prospective presenters can definitely try and accommodate well know gestures into their overall methodology of speech deliverance. Some of the common and well known hand gestures are detailed below:

	Holding the palm at 45 degrees with both hands open in front communicates the notion of honesty.
	Holding the palms down trying to stress something conveys certainty/conviction
	Hands facing each other (with fingers together) conveys expertise
	Hand gestures larger than the outlines of the body communicates a bigger concept
	Precision grip is used to emphasise a particular point
	Hands pulled towards the chest suggests that the speaker wants to bring the audience closer to his view point

- Vinod Geeachan


References:

Your Hand Gestures Are Speaking For You | Psychology Today. 2015. Your Hand Gestures Are Speaking For You | Psychology Today. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-wise/201209/your-hand-gestures-are-speaking-you. [Accessed 06 June 2015].

Public Speaking Tips - How to Use Gestures | Art of Communicating. 2015. Public Speaking Tips - How to Use Gestures | Art of Communicating. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.artofcommunicating.com.au/public_speaking%20tips/body%20language_gestures.html. [Accessed 06 June 2015].

Weinschenk, S. (2012). Palms at 45 degree angle says "I'm being honest". [image] Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-wise/201209/your-hand-gestures-are-speaking-you [Accessed 6 Jun. 2015].

Weinschenk, S. (2012). Palms down says "I'm certain". [image] Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-wise/201209/your-hand-gestures-are-speaking-you [Accessed 6 Jun. 2015].

Weinschenk, S. (2012). Palms facing each other says "I'm an expert on this". [image] Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-wise/201209/your-hand-gestures-are-speaking-you [Accessed 6 Jun. 2015].

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Hand gestures: what to do with your hands during a presentation. 2015. Hand gestures: what to do with your hands during a presentation. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.speaklikeapro.co.uk/Hand_Gestures1.htm. [Accessed 06 June 2015].

C. Johnson, C. (2013). Bill Clinton pretending to be a vegan so he can talk about being a vegan Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2013/09/03/bill-clinton-pretending-to-be-a-vegan-so-he-can-talk-about-being-a-vegan/#ixzz3cI9LfTYr. [image] Available at: http://dailycaller.com/2013/09/03/bill-clinton-pretending-to-be-a-vegan-so-he-can-talk-about-being-a-vegan/ [Accessed 6 Jun. 2015].

The Palm Back. (n.d.). [image] Available at: http://www.speaklikeapro.co.uk/Hand_Gestures1.htm [Accessed 6 Jun. 2015].