by Gilda Bonanno LLC www.gildabonanno.com
Keeping one or both hands in your pockets while presenting is more common than you might
Here’s how to keep your hands free and use them effectively:
Use Your Hands for Natural Gestures
- Visual Cues: Your hands provide visual cues that can help your audience follow and understand your message.
- One Hand Occupied, One Free: If you’re holding a remote or a notecard in one hand, keep the other hand free for gesturing.
- Relaxed Posture: When you’re not actively gesturing, let your arms rest naturally at your side—no stiff poses or fiddling with your watch, hair or other objects.
Maintain Confident Body Language
- Awareness Matters: Pay attention to what your hands are doing.
- Match Your Message: Confident body language reinforces a confident message. Keeping your hands visible and engaged sends the right signal to your audience.
Handling Your Notes with Ease
- Use "One-Handed" Notes: Whenever possible, reduce your notes to a single, sturdy sheet or card so you can hold it in one hand. This leaves your other hand free for the remote or for gesturing.
- Avoid Large Printouts: Relying on printed full slide decks is cumbersome. Not only does it force you to flip through multiple pages, but it also distracts your audience as you fumble with papers.
- Keep It Simple: Summarize key ideas or stats rather than writing out your entire script. This helps you internalize your message and present it more naturally.
Real-World Example
One of my clients, a CFO of a publicly traded company, needed to keep track of several important figures while presenting. Instead of flipping through multiple pages, he wrote each key point on the back of a manila folder. By doing this, he could hold the folder in one hand and keep the other hand free for gestures or operating the clicker—all without breaking his flow or losing the audience’s attention.
Conclusion
Your hands are one of the best tools you have for reinforcing your message. By keeping them out of your pockets and using concise, one-page notes, you’ll project confidence, engage your listeners, and deliver a more impactful presentation. With a bit of practice, you’ll find that free hands and thoughtful gestures greatly enhance your presence and effectiveness on stage.
© Gilda Bonanno LLC - Gilda Bonanno serves as a trusted advisor to executives and entrepreneurs to transform their communication, presentation and leadership skills. She has worked with companies on 4 continents, from Chicago to Shanghai and Rio to Rome. The instructional videos on her YouTube channel have received over 1.5 million views and her e-newsletter has reached subscribers in over 45 countries since 2008. For other articles or to receive Gilda's e-newsletter, visit www.gildabonanno.com