Gestures - 20 PG PDF
Gestures - 20 PG PDF
Gestures - 20 PG PDF
YOUR BODY
SPEAKS
TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL
P.O. Box 9052 Mission Viejo, CA 92690 USA
Phone: 949-858-8255 Fax: 949-858-1207
www.toastmasters.org/members
Gestures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Why Gestures? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Types of Gestures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Body Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Facial Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Eye Contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Your Appearance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Thumbs Up On Gestures! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Why Gestures?
All good speakers use gestures. Why? Gestures are probably the most evocative form of nonverbal communi-
cation a speaker can employ. No other kind of physical action can enhance your speeches in as many ways
as gestures. They:
Clarify and support your words. Gestures strengthen the audiences understanding of your
verbal message.
Dramatize your ideas. Together with what you say, gestures help paint vivid pictures in your
listeners minds.
Lend emphasis and vitality to the spoken word. Gestures convey your feelings and attitudes
more clearly than what you say.
Help dissipate nervous tension. Purposeful gestures are a good outlet for the nervous energy
inherent in a speaking situation.
Function as visual aids. Gestures enhance audience attentiveness and retention.
Stimulate audience p
articipation. Gestures help you indicate the response you seek from
your listeners.
Are highly visible. Gestures provide visual support when you address a large number of people
and the entire a udience may not see your eyes.
BODY MOVEMENT
Body movement changing your position or location during a speech is the broadest, most highly visible
kind of physical action you, as a speaker, can perform. Because of this, it can be either a tremendous asset or a
tremendous liability to your delivery system.
When you move your entire body in a controlled, purposeful manner during a speech, you can benefit
in three ways. To begin with, body movement can support and reinforce what you say. And, of course,
motion will almost always attract an audiences attention. Finally, using body movement is the fastest, most
effective means of burning up nervous energy and relieving physical tension.
All of these characteristics, however, also have the potential to work against you. One rule for making
body movement your ally and not your enemy is this: Never move without a reason.
The eye is inevitably attracted to a moving object, so any whole body movement you make during a
speech invites attention. Moving for a reason in league with your verbal message stimulates the alertness and
attentiveness of your audience while simultaneously enhancing what you say.
Watching a stationary object is tedious, so you dont want to glue yourself to one spot while you speak.
On the other hand, your body movement should be governed by moderation. Too much body movement
even the right kind can become distracting to an audience. Ideally, you should seek a middle ground that
consists of enough movement to keep your listeners attention, yet not enough to divert attention away from
what youre saying.
Just as purposeful movements beckon for attention, so do random movements. The body will do almost
anything to rid itself of tension. Inexperienced speakers commonly perform such body movements as rock-
ing, swaying, and pacing without being aware of what theyre doing. If public speaking makes you nervous
and tense, try to incorporate enough purposeful body movement into your speeches so your body wont
unconsciously indulge in distracting mannerisms.
Another valid reason for body movement is to enhance understanding of your message. The means
suggested by most types of body movement are less precise than those aroused by individual gestures, but
body movement can still be an effective visual complement to your spoken word.
Stepping forward during a speech suggests you are arriving at an important point. A step or two back-
ward indicates youve concluded an idea and are willing to let the audience relax for a moment and digest
what youve just said. A lateral movement implies a transition that youre leaving one thought and taking
up another.
In some instances, you can use body movement to illustrate or dramatize a specific point. For example,
if youre describing a physical action such as throwing a ball, or a runner straining to break the tape and win
a close race you can help your listeners clearly visualize what youre saying by acting out your description.
The final reason for body movement is perhaps the simplest: Getting from one place to another. In almost
every speaking situation, you must walk to and from the point where you deliver your speech. And if you
EYE CONTACT
Each one of the categories weve just d iscussed physical appearance, posture, g
estures, body movements,
and facial expressions provide critical nonverbal elements for your speeches. But after your voice, your eyes
are your most powerful tool for communicating.
POSTURE POSTURE
Nervous/uneasy 1 2 3 4 5 Poised
Uncertain 1 2 3 4 5 Confident
Uncomfortable 1 2 3 4 5 Comfortable
Slouching 1 2 3 4 5 Erect
Stiff 1 2 3 4 5 Relaxed
GESTURES GESTURES
Artificial/wooden 1 2 3 4 5 Natural/spontaneous
Random 1 2 3 4 5 Meaningful
Passive 1 2 3 4 5 Lively
Furtive 1 2 3 4 5 Expansive
Vague 1 2 3 4 5 Precise
Detracted from 1 2 3 4 5 Enhanced verbal
verbal message message