What to do with those two things hanging from my torso?
Is this a funny question? Not really! It is a question I often get. What to do with my arms and hands when I present?
Why does this question make sense, but at other times it does not? It makes sense, because when we start to present, we can all of a sudden become very conscious about things we normally do not think about.
All of a sudden, we wonder, what to do with my hands, how to stand? Or what to do with those two things hanging from my torso ;-).
Find 4 tips down below.
- Hold a pen, or of course the remote control if you use one. This will give you grip and will help you with your focus. Because, as long as you will not have the feeling that you have grip, your mind and body will keep on searching for it and be restless.
- If you do not have remote or a pen. And still want some grip. Put one hand in your pocket and keep one hand free to use for gestures. Underpinning your story.
- The best is to find a basis position that feels comfortable allowing you to use both of your hands to support your story. For instance, holding your hands in front of you above your belly button. Do not cling your hands to your belly. As if you are protecting it. That gives a presence of uneasiness. So, active, yet relaxed and easy to get your hands out for support.
- Stand in front of a mirror. What feels comfortable and looks comfortable and makes it easy to use your hands as support? If you let them hang loosely next to your body at the start, this is not necessarily wrong. However, you would not want them to hang loosely throughout your whole presentation. And when being on the spot, it might feel your hands need to come a long way in order to use them. So, you might not bother using them and that would be a shame.
Remember that your gestures are important. They really help the audience to get what you are saying and makes your presentation more engaging to watch at the same time. So, you do not want to hide them.
This above-mentioned advice is usually practical for the first 5 minutes. As soon as you are more “into your presentation”, you will stop thinking about it. And it will just happen automatically, just as in normal life 😉
Good luck,
Kind regards,
