In old westerns and cop shows someone is invariably told to ‘put your hands where I can see ’em’. The reason for this is that when you can’t see someone’s hands you can’t be sure what they’re up to. When you’re a police officer this is vitally important. You don’t want hands that suddenly appear holding a weapon.

But when it comes to speaking to an audience there’s a different reason. The best public speakers talk with their whole body. They move with purpose (I keep promising a post on that so be patient), they make eye contact, they smile and they gesture in ways that make sense. When you stuff your hands in your pockets you’ve handicapped yourself. You have eliminated one of the communication tools at your disposal. Someone who talks with their hands in their pockets looks unprofessional. It’s a distraction to the audience even if members of the audience aren’t fully aware as to why they’re distracted.

Never put your hands in your pockets unless it’s an intentional action as part of your message. But if you can’t put your hands in your pockets, then what do you do with them? Personally I’m a fan of the hand held microphone. That gives me something to do with one of my hands. And when I need both of them I can put the mic on a stand. Regardless of whether you have one hand or two available, consider how you will use them.

Start by watching how you currently use your hands. For some gesturing is natural and you don’t need to make any changes. For others you may have a few gestures you repeat throughout your talk in ways that may be a distraction. Record yourself giving a talk. When you watch it, turn off the sound and just watch your hand gestures. Don’t over analyze but watch for things like:

• Where do you put your hands when you’re not using them. I once coached a professional presenter who always rested his free hand on his stomach. Every single time he gestured his hand would return to rest on his stomach. He had no idea until I pointed it out on tape.
• Repetitive gestures. These aren’t bad, necessarily, but if you always use the same gesture it loses power to communicate anything. I saw an old movie the other night with Jack Klugman in a supporting role. I noticed he used the exact same gesture (holding his first two fingers of his left hand to the thumb and bobbing the hand up and down) that he would use constantly on his hit TV show, Quincy M.E., years later.
• How you release your gestures. Again, I was coaching another professional speaker who, when he released a gesture would let his hand drop to his side with an audible slap against his thigh. Every…single…time. I pointed it out and later he talked to his wife who said, ‘Oh, you’ve always done that. Didn’t you know?’

Once you’ve had a chance to watch your gestures and sought the critique of others decide what you’d like to change. Then begin with one thing and work on it until you’ve made the change. Move on in this way until you’re more regularly making gestures with intentionality and purpose.