Hand positioning is one of those important things that we just don’t think about that often, unless you’re a baseball player or guitar virtuoso. When you’re in the car, your hands are supposed to go to “10 and 2” on the steering wheel. When you were at you first school dance, if you can remember that far back, where you were allowed to put your hands was perhaps a bit less clear than you would’ve liked. When presenting, though, there are a few rules that are super easy to follow. Here’s where your hands should go when you’re on the stage:
Not in your pockets.
Unless you’re waiting for the bus or fishing out change for the meter, there’s really no reason for your hands to be in your pockets. It may not seem like it in an everyday setting, but stuffing your hands in your pockets can make public speakers appear nervous or too casual. The first impression you make with your audience is an important one, and if the first pose you strike looks like you’re waiting in line at the doctor’s office, your audience will remember it.
Off your hips!
Using the same logic as the no-pocket rule, our ban on the all too common and aggressive hands-on-hips stance is universal and permanent. You’re not at the gym and you didn’t just run a marathon, so get those hands off the midsection and out in front!
Pointing is rude
Remember when you were little, and a kindly adult looking out for your best interests told you that when you point a finger at someone else, there are four fingers pointing back at you? Well, they were a little overbearing maybe, but they were also correct. Pointing at your audience is another aggressive tactic that should be reserved for only the most emphatic calls to action. You can find better things to do with those fingers than pointing.
Out from behind the lectern
Sometimes there’s just nothing you can do about inferior auditorium design, and if there’s a lectern on stage you may just be forced to work around it. But work around it you should; don’t get trapped in its calming wooden embrace. Standing behind a big solid object will obscure your body language, and leaning on it will evoke impressions of a tired and worn down speaker.
In the air
Don’t put them up there like you just don’t care; instead, throw them up, down and all around with purpose! How you’re communicating nonverbally is arguably every bit as important as what you and your slides are saying, so use any gesture (as long as it isn’t patented) that you think can help you get your point across. Your hands and arms and elbows, etc. can really go anywhere out in front of you, as long as your audience can see them, and they’re sending the right unspoken message.
When it comes down to positive presentation body language, there are more rules about where your hands should not go than where they should. But that fact leaves a lot of room for you to be creative when giving your presentation, which is something we always preach. It’s easy to get caught up in the importance of your message, but as a speaker you have to remember that your audience is viewing what you’re doing as a performance…so entertain them!
