From the course: Delivery Tips for Speaking in Public

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Using gestures when presenting

Using gestures when presenting

From the course: Delivery Tips for Speaking in Public

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Using gestures when presenting

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- Do you talk with your hands? Gestures are a great tool that can help you think through what you're saying and can also benefit the audience. Your goal as a speaker is to use intentional gestures that help your audience understand your meaning. Here's a simple test for whether you use gestures to complement your message for your audience. Next time you're giving directions or explaining instructions to someone on the telephone, pay attention to your hand movements. Are you still using gestures to help explain even though your audience clearly can't see you? If you are, you're like me. You use your hands to help you communicate, and your gestures help you think through what you're discussing. This isn't necessarily a bad thing for a presenter, but it can be, particularly if you use excessive gestures. If you're already nervous, frantically waving your hands around will only make you feel more uncomfortable, and your audience will pick up on that energy. You also want to use grand…

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