What Do I Do With My Hands?

The question I hear frequently from audiences is “What do I do with my hands?” It’s amazing. We communicate daily and never think about our hands until we stand up. As soon as we become public speakers it’s as if we discover theses long appendages scraping the floor.

Body language is more than half the message so how you use your hands is important. And gestures are a vital part of the message. Consider this: Have you ever seen an enthusiastic person stand at attention as they share their exciting news? Nobody stands stiffly when they’re expressing emotion. How do you gesture in a way that’s effective yet not over the top?

Here are some of the most common mistakes people make when they gesture:

Don’t Do This

Figleaf Position. This is where you clasp your hands in front of you. It looks sedate-not powerful.

Wooden Soldier. This presenter has both hands at the sides. If you start with this position, move out of it quickly or else you’ll look stiff and unapproachable.

At Ease. Both hands are held behind the back in military fashion. If you maintain this position people will soon wonder if you have hands. Why are you hiding them?

Hands in Pockets. I don’t see this posture as often. The word must have gotten out. If you keep both hands in your pockets, you’ll lose energy and expressiveness.

The Juggler. Here is where your hands are in perpetual motion and never come to a stop. The impression is nervousness and it’s also distracting to watch.

Pointing Finger. Beware of pointing at the audience. A pointing finger can be perceived as accusatory, or chastising. Instead, use an open handed gesture to refer to an audience member. It’s warmer and more neutral.

Fidgeting. Overall fidgeting communicates nervousness. It’s your body telling you to move your hands. So stop holding back Gesture, but do so effectively.

Do This:

Above the Waist. As soon as possible, bring your hands above the waist. Hands below the waist are perceived as tentative. Your power space is between your waist and your face. Keep your gestures in this box. When Bill Clinton was running for president, he used wide, sweeping gestures that made him look untrustworthy. His coaches told him to gesture within the box. It became known as the Clinton box.

Find a Rest Position. When you start flailing and over gesticulating, it’s time to come to a stop. Find a resting position. It may be one hand on top of the over with your elbows at your waist. Think of the resting position as home base. You can continue to return to it when you’re hands are moving too much or you need to take a pause.

Hold the Ball. A powerful position is to hold your hands above the waist as if you’re holding a basketball. Steve Jobs used this gesture.

Count Off. When you have 3 or more agenda items, you can tick off the points on your fingers as if you’re going through a list.

Palms Up. To convey honesty, hold your hands waist high and turn your palms up. (Don’t shrug your shoulders or you’ll look unsure).

Palms Down. Keep your palms waist high and turn your palms down so that the tops of your hands are visible. Now make a downward movement. This conveys authority and can be good for quieting a crowd. President Obama used this gesture.

Steepling. Position your hands at waist level and bring your hands together with just the fingertips touching. This posture communicates confidence but can also convey authority. Use this gesture sparingly. It can be meant to intimidate or establish dominance.

Consider Culture. Body language has different meanings in certain cultures. For example, if you’re speaking in Brazil, do not use the A-OK hand gesture. It’s considered an obscenity. Realize that not all cultures value gesturing as much as in the U.S.  The Mediterranean and Hispanic cultures are expressive and use a lot of gestures. In Asia, Skandinavia and Germanic cultures, they use fewer hand movements.  When I was first starting out in my business, I had a sales call at the United Nations. The person interviewing me was from Germany. When I gestured her eyes would look at my hands. I’d make another gesture, and she would be riveted on my hands. Very quickly, I put my hands in my lap. For her, gesturing was a distraction.

Why Use Gestures? There is research that demonstrates the impact of gestures. Harvard Business Review interviewed Professor Josef Cornelissen of Erasmus University.

Erasmus University conducted a study whereby they asked experienced investors to watch a video of entrepreneurs pitching a medical device. They hired actors to play the entrepreneurs. The result was that the Venture Capitalists were more interested in the presenters who used gestures to explain the idea than when they used anecdotes, metaphors and other rhetoric.

This flies in the face of current emphasis on storytelling. What they researchers discovered was that gesturing made the product more concrete, helping investors to understand the product. Gesturing also conveys excitement and passion is a quality that investors value. However, too much gesturing can work against the presenter, making it look like pantomime. Use a few strategic gestures to add impact and influence to your presentations.

If gestures don’t come naturally to you. Practice some of the gestures mentioned above.

Practice but be natural. Use these tips and gesture often and you’ll win over the audience hands down.

Press release: Diane DiResta Delivers Keynote at the FEI Leadership Summit

Grand Floridian Resort

On May 19th, the FEI Leadership Summit kicked off in Orlando Florida. The opening evening reception opened at Epcot Center. The three day conference held at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, offered keynote speeches, break out sessions and events.

On May 20th, Diane DiResta delivered her keynote, Influential Leadership: Transforming High Stakes Communication into Massive ROI, to an audience of 500 FEI members. And the following day presented a one hour concurrent session entitled How to Give a Knockout Presentation.

Other keynote speakers included, Craig Kielburger-Making Doing Good, Doable, Roberto Masiero-A Better Way to Work, former NFL player Anthony Trucks -Trust Your Hustle and artist Erik Wahl-The Art of Leadership.

The Financial Executive of the Year award was bestowed on winners from public, private and non-profit organizations.

About FEI

The 2019 Financial Leadership Summit offers professional and personal development, including networking opportunities in a knowledge-intense and enjoyable atmosphere. It’s an opportunity to join the conversation and interact within a prestigious community of like-minded peers to challenge thinking and share in challenges while strategizing for tomorrow.

About Diane DiResta

Diane DiResta, CSP, is Founder and CEO of DiResta Communications, Inc., a New York City consultancy serving business leaders who deliver high stakes presentations— whether one-to-one, in front of a crowd or from an electronic platform. DiResta is the author of Knockout Presentations: How to Deliver Your Message with Power, Punch, and Pizzazz, an Amazon.com category best-seller and has spoken on 4 continents.

Diane is Past President of the NYC chapter of National Speakers Association and former media trainer for the NBA and WNBA. She was featured on CNN, and quoted in the NY Times, Wall Street Journal, London Guardian, and Investors Business Daily and Bloomberg radio.

Diane is a Certified Speaking Professional, a designation held by less than 12% of speakers nationwide. And her blog, Knockout Presentations, made the Top 50 Public Speaking blogs.

Does Your Voice Sound Like a Cat in Heat?

Take your thumb and index finger. Pinch your nostrils. Now say “Welcome to the Staten Island ferry.” That’s the voice commuters hear every day over the PA system as the ferry leaves the dock. And that’s a Voiceover!!! Really? Yes, somebody paid for that nasal voice that sounds like a cat in heat.

Have you noticed a trend toward nasal voice quality? I hear it more often in the vocal quality of young women but nasality is not gender specific. It’s perpetuated on American television mostly by young actresses in sitcoms. A perfect example of this preferred television voice can be heard on the show Two Broke Girls.

A nasal voice sounds whiny and pleading - not exactly a power voice. And when paired with a high pitch, it can be irritating to the listeners.

There are two types of nasality: hyponasal and hypernasal. The hyponasal voice is the absence of nasality. It sounds like your nose is stuffed up as if you have a cold. The hypernasal voice has an excess of nasality and is the sound that emerges when you pinch your nostrils. The sound is coming through the nose instead of the mouth.

Why do people sound nasal?

A nasal voice can be a result of modeling. If your family members speak with excessive nasality, you may, too; or it may sound cool to mimic popular television voices.

It can also happen when the soft palate (back of the throat) doesn’t close properly. Instead of sealing off the nasal cavity, it allows air to flow through the nose. The reason may be sluggishness of the muscles or it can be anatomical.

How do you know if you’re voice is too nasal?

• Ask friends for feedback. Has anybody said you sound whiny?

• Record your voice. Compare it to professional voices that you hear on the news.

• Place a mirror beneath your nose when you speak when saying vowels. Does the mirror fog up?

If you determine that your voice is too nasal what can you do?

• Practice speech drills on your own. Pinch your nostrils and say a sentence. Now say the same sentence without pinching your nostrils. Listen for contrast.

• Say vowel sounds (a e i o u). Place your index finger against the side of your nose. If you feel vibration there is too much nasality.

• Make an appointment with a speech therapist who can evaluate and provide exercises to reduce nasality in the voice.

We all have some nasality. When it’s excessive it can be irritating to hear, it can have a negative effect on how you’re perceived, and it can distract the audience from your message it they are focusing on your voice.

Fran Dresher, the television actress and star of the 1990s sitcom The Nanny, made her nasal voice her trademark. For the rest of us public speakers it’s best to avoid negative speech habits and not let nasality cloud the message.