One thing that can help you to be a better public speaker is the use of your hands. Hand gestures aren’t just filler—they’re a powerful tool that can emphasize your message, keep your audience engaged, and help you feel more confident while speaking. You can use them during presentations, speeches, or even day-to-day conversations.
The Give Gesture: Welcoming, Transitioning, and Showing Growth
The first hand gesture is the give gesture. We can use this gesture when we are welcoming somebody—like “Welcome to the conference, everyone.” We can also use it when we want to jump to a different topic, such as “The next topic we’re going to talk about is the environment.”
Another way to use the give gesture is when we’re talking about growth and expansion. For this, take your hand from a lower part of your body to an upper part—like “Next year, we are planning to grow and double the size.” You can also use one hand, like “I’m planning to expand this to a new country.”
The Chop Gesture: Emphasizing Strong Opinions and Decisions
The second hand gesture is the chop gesture. We use this when we’re saying something really important—like “My decision is final. I’m not going to change it.” It can also be used to say something very strong, like “The most important thing for us right now is to save the environment.” When your opinion is strong or you want to say something with conviction, the chop gesture adds weight and finality to your words.
The So Gesture: The Most Flexible Hand Movement
The third gesture is the most flexible one—the so gesture. When you’re talking about a ball, you can show a ball. When you’re talking about writing something, you can literally show that you’re writing. You can also say “I was reading a book” and show the action.
Here’s a longer example: “I was thinking of eating soup. I cut the vegetables and made it myself.” The so gesture is the most flexible because you can use it to simply match the words with your hands. It’s as easy as that.
Start Conscious, It Becomes Habit
I hope the gestures were helpful. I was very conscious about my gestures today, but you can start with something conscious. It might feel a bit awkward at first, but later it will just become a habit. With practice, these movements will feel natural and automatic—and your audience will notice the difference.
