Gestures using your arm, hands, and body greatly increase your effectiveness as a speaker. We all have a natural range of gestures that we use during normal conversation with co-workers, friends, and family. Problems arise during a speech when our normal range of gestures are frozen or stilted due to fear.

Awareness
The next time you find yourself in a natural one-on-one conversation, notice what body movements and hand gestures you use. You will probably be amazed at how natural and expressive your movements are. Allow yourself that same freedom when you give your next speech.

One exercise I do with new students is to have them stand up and talk with another student. They may talk about one of their great vacations, their family etc. I video tape these conversations and later show the students the video tape and we concentrate on their gestures. They are always expressive and natural in their movements. I show them the tapes and try to get them to realize that this is their goal. Later, when I video tape their “formal” presentation, almost everyone has lost that natural spontaneity and movement. The trick is to get it back.

Body Movement
Movement of your entire body during a speech is one dramatic way to communicate with the audience.

Since people are attracted to movement, you can also use body movement to keep your audience's attention, especially if one or two seem to be drifting off. By drawing closer to an audience member, you will automatically get their attention.

Zig Ziglar gets down on one knee to make key points.
Bill Cosby sometimes lies on the floor to tell a particular story.

If you can get away from the lectern, it will allow you much more body movement.

You don’t however, want to be constantly moving.
Body movements to avoid:
● Pacing Tiger - walking back and forth as if you were caged.
● Leaning Tower - leaning in one direction or the other. Especially avoid leaning on the lectern.
● Rocking from side to side.Gestures - Part 2

Distracting Gestures to Avoid

● Jingling coins in pocket. Leave your coins and wallet with a friend.
● Taking glasses off and on. If you don't need them, don't use them.
● Spiders - moving your fingers together as if they were two spiders.
● Mechanical movements.

One speaker I saw had the habit of first standing in one spot with shoes close together and then after two minutes she would take five steps and move to another spot on the floor, talk two minutes and move five steps etc. She always followed the same back and forth motion and after a short time it became very irritating.

If you recognize that you have a nervous gesture,
do anything but that gesture.

Hand Movements to Avoid:
1. Stern Father – arms crossed.
2. Parade Rest – behind your back.
3. Sisters of Mercy – hands clasped in prayer.
4. Attention – hands rigid at sides.
5. Fig leaf – hands over the zipper.

There's only one really good way to see what your gestures are like - video tape yourself. You don't need a professional, just set up a video camera at a wide enough angle and turn it on just before you walk up to the lectern. Take it home, turn off the sound and watch your level of gesturing. The video camera doesn't lie.