76. People Assign Meaning to Your Hand Gestures

Everyone “talks” with his hands to some extent. Some people’s hand-talking or gesturing matches their message well. Other people have a tendency to make overly large gestures that can be distracting. Others don’t use their hands much at all. No matter which camp you fall into, it’s important to pay attention to your hand gestures and practice some new ones you might not be used to using.

Universal Hand Gestures

Some hand gestures are universal across all languages, geographies, and cultures.

Using no hand gestures at all conveys a lack of interest, and if your audience can’t see your hands at all, it will be hard for them to trust you.

If you gesture with your hands open and your palms up, you are communicating that you are asking for something from the audience (Figure 76.1).

Figure 76.1. Hands open with palms up means you are asking for something from the audience.

Hand gestures in which you have your hands open and your palms at a 45-degree angle communicates that you are being honest and open (Figure 76.2).

Figure 76.2. Hands open with palms at a 45-degree angle means you are being honest and open. (Photo by Guthrie Weinschenk)

When you open your hands but have your palms facing down, you are communicating that you are certain about what you are talking about (Figure 76.3).

Figure 76.3. Hands open with palms down means you are certain about what you are talking about. (Photo by Guthrie Weinschenk)

If you place your hands at a 90-degree angle with your fingers together, you are communicating that you have confidence in and expertise about what you are saying (Figure 76.4).

Figure 76.4. Hands at a 90-degree angle with fingers together means you have confidence in and expertise about what you are saying. (Photo by Guthrie Weinschenk)

If your hands are grasped in front of you, you are communicating that you are nervous or tentative, as does touching your face, hair, or neck (Figure 76.5 and Figure 76.6).

Figure 76.5. Touching your face, hair, or neck makes you look nervous or tentative.

Figure 76.6. Hands grasped in front of you makes you look nervous or tentative.

If you are standing and have your hands on your hips, you are communicating aggressiveness. There are times when this might be appropriate (for example, in a negotiation), but think twice before using it during a presentation (Figure 76.7).

Figure 76.7. Hands on your hips is usually too aggressive a stance for a presentation.

Using hand gestures that are larger than the outlines of your body communicates a large idea or concept. Don’t make all your hand gestures large, however, or you will communicate that you are chaotic or out of control (Figure 76.8).

Figure 76.8. Hand gestures that go beyond your body indicate that an idea is large. If all your hand gestures are this big, you might appear out of control.

Hand Gestures Can Have Cultural Meanings

A few years ago I was a speaker at a conference in Lisbon, Portugal. It was my first time in Portugal, and I became instantly enamored of the special custard pastries that Lisbon and Portugal are known for. One morning I went into a bakery and ordered two of the pastries. I did so by holding up two fingers, similar to the “victory” or “peace” gesture in the United States. The person behind the counter proceeded to put three pastries in a box. I later learned that the gesture for two would have been to raise my thumb and index finger. Even though my thumb wasn’t showing, the person behind the counter thought I was signaling for three.

I was lucky that I didn’t get into more trouble than an extra pastry. Many hand gestures are not universal. Before speaking in a country or to a culture that you are not familiar with, do some research to find out which gestures in your presentation might be misunderstood, not understood at all, or offensive.