Face-to-face communication includes the words you say and, more importantly, the way you say them. Eye-contact, gesture and posture can all add to the impact of your talk.
Gestures are movements that we make naturally when we speak. Some people use lots of gestures and ‘talk with their hands’. Others use more subtle gestures.
Not all gestures are universal and some have different meanings according to your cultureDescribes the way of life, behaviours and beliefs of a particular group of people..
Here are some common gestures that you might recognise:
Gesture
Meaning
Open hands, palms facing up
Suggests trust or support
Open hands, palms facing down
Suggests a calm control
Pointing
Suggests blame
Nodding
Suggests agreement
Holding the chin
Suggests listening closely or contemplating
Gesture
Open hands, palms facing up
Meaning
Suggests trust or support
Gesture
Open hands, palms facing down
Meaning
Suggests a calm control
Gesture
Pointing
Meaning
Suggests blame
Gesture
Nodding
Meaning
Suggests agreement
Gesture
Holding the chin
Meaning
Suggests listening closely or contemplating
You can often understand a conversation, at least in part, from gestures alone. By watching a television conversation with the sound off you can often still understand what’s going on in general. Gestures indicate emotion and that carries a great deal of information.
When you are delivering a presentation or speech think about how you can use gestures and facial expressions to emphasise certain points you want to make. Plan in advance where gestures will be effective and practise your talk as if you are rehearsing for a play.
In this clip notice how the politicians’ gestures speak as loudly as their words.
An analysis of body language from the first British televised election debates
