Public speaking tip – Let your hands flow freely

Newer public speakers often wonder what to do with their hands. They assume they’ll be nervous, and fear they’ll look foolish if they don’t have just the “right” gestures.

In this public speaking tip, I say: Let ‘em be.

By that I mean leave your hands free to do what they want. Don’t worry. Even if you are quite nervous, your hands won’t do anything bizarre. In fact, they tend to act rather naturally while you’re speaking.

Hands generally follow the flow of the presentation. As you look one way, you will naturally gesture in that direction. Then as you turn to the other direction, the other hand will offer a gesture.

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