So then Hamlet says to Ricky Bobby….
Talledega Nights: The Story of Ricky Bobby.
It’s one of my favorite Will Ferrell comedies. And, it just so happens, Ricky Bobby, Will Ferrell’s race car driving character, deals with a problem that plagues many speakers and those asked to give presentations:
He doesn’t know what to do with his hands while speaking.
In the scene from the movie Ricky Bobby is giving a comically bad television interview after his first major race car win. Near the end of the interview his hands awkwardly float up in front of his face
“I – I don’t know what do with my hands” Ricky Bobby admits in an over-the-top country drawl.
Many of my clients have admitted the same. Somehow, our hands, otherwise incredibly useful appendages become, when giving presentation, awkward and alien.
They have found various solutions: gripping the side of a podium, holding notes and/or pens, burying them in their pockets. Perhaps this is why PowerPoint is so popular -the clicker gives speakers something to do with at least one hand!
Luckily, William Shakespeare’s titular character, Hamlet has some advise for Ricky Bobby and other’s who don’t know what to do with their hands….
.”.. do not saw the air too much with your hand, thus, but use all gently, for in the very torrent, tempest, and (as I may say) whirlwind of your passion, you must acquire and beget a temperance that may give it smoothness.”
Translation – Use your hands and body judiciously – wild gestures are distracting. The audience stops listening to what you are saying and instead is merely watching you say it when you fling your hands all over the place. Give your speeches smoothness – temper your passion both in calm voice and calm body
Hamlet then continues: “Be not too tame neither, but let your own discretion be your tutor. Suit the action to the word, the word to the action,“
In other words – seek balance and congruency between your physicality and your words. There may be times when you need a big gesture. There may be times when stillness is needed.
Gesture, when used well, can underline what you are saying. Hands are not the enemy, tension and anxiety is. My clients and others who don’t know what to do with their hands when speaking are worried that their hands are giving away the truth – that they are nervous and uncomfortable. So the first step to figuring out what to do with your hands is to manage anxiety.
Easy, right?
After that,
Here are some tips to using your hands:
1. Practice your speech/presentation at home (NOT in front of a mirror). Make it a point to concentrate on keeping your body and hands relaxed. Don’t let your shoulders creep up to your ears. Keep your arms released, your hands relaxed. Become used to speaking this way.
Keep in mind, this is PRACTICE. It doesn’t mean that you’ll give the presentation this way, but allowing your body to experience speaking without gesture will decrease the likelihood of unecessary gesture.
You may find yourself, as you get more ‘into’ what you are saying that you need your hands to help make your point. That’s fine. As long as you are invested in what you are saying, your hands keep well underline meaning and assist in making a point.
2. Pay attention to what you do with your hands when you’re not nervous. Do they sit quietly in your lap? Are they resting on the table? Do they hang at your sides, or is one casually tucked in your pocket while you gesture with the other?
This will give you an idea of your natural gesturing and hand usage – which in turn will help you understand what to do with your hands while presenting. Mirroring your relaxed state of being during times of heightened pressure will help calm you.
3. Refocus on your intention. If you find yourself being distracted by your hands – then your audience is probably distracted as well. Refocus on why you are in the room and what it is you need to accomplish. Take the focus off yourself and put it back on the people in the room; your audience will follow.
To read more about Intention click here.
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