Success Advice

Use Your Hand Gestures To Your Advantage

Published

2 years ago

Dec 12, 2021

Image Credit: Unsplash

In competitive situations we’re always looking for something to give us an advantage over our competition. We sometimes go to great lengths to find any tiny competitive “edge.” What if the secret to our success was, literally, in our hands?

Most often we’re not consciously aware of the effect of gestures. Instinctively, we perceive that speakers who use their hands in discourse works. We see it every day, everywhere — from politicians, pastors and seasoned public speakers. But oftentimes we don’t know how to use our own hands effectively to boost our chances of success.

When interviewing for a job, pitching an idea to our boss, or competing for a new potential client, our hand gestures can help us make a winning impression. They can give added emphasis on our position, punctuate our point of view, or add pizzazz to our pitch in such ways that people will be motivated to say “yes.”

There’s even science to back up this claim: Professor Joep Cornelissen at Erasmus University in Rotterdam undertook an experiment to analyze gestures in video-recorded entrepreneurial pitches to investors. The videos with frequent use of hand gestures were 12-percent more likely to attract investors.

Especially in this age of video conferencing, when only our head and torso are framed on the screen, we will better engage our audience when we allow our hand gestures to help communicate our message.

Here are just a few of the several gestures that you can adopt to increase your chances of success.

1. Show confidence while holding a pinch of salt.

One gesture that can increase your chances of speaking is “the pinch of salt.” To make this gesture, hold your fist in front of you so you are looking down at the thumb side of your hand. Relax your top finger and your thumb and bring the tips of these fingers together as if they’re delicately holding a pinch of salt. Keep the rest of your fingers curled in a relaxed fist. On key words when speaking, use this hand gesture to affirm key points.

This is a popular gesture for politicians. Barack Obama used it 93 times in his first inauguration speech. His gesture asserted confidence in his plans for his presidency.

2. Open your palm to invite participation.

An open palm gesture communicates an invitation for connection. Imagine that you’re a team leader assigning a new project in a meeting and your team members are listening intently. As you wrap up, opening your palms will indicate that you’d like feedback on what you just shared.

Using an open palm gesture conveys your openness to your audience’s response, and also gives what you’re saying an emotional dimension of your wish to invite their involvement.

3. Add animation to your gestures.

Another way you can use your hands to provide emphasis is through animated gestures. When you wish to make a strong point, allow your hands to literally “draw” the picture. You can illustrate something small by showing a small gap between your hands. You can indicate steady growth by bringing your hands apart slowing — or show rapid expansion by moving them apart quickly.

Making these illustrative gestures helps an audience “see” the points you’re making and become more convinced by what you’re saying through your delivery.

To increase your chance for a successful outcome from a presentation, incorporate hand gestures to connect to the listener, drive home your points, and portray your conviction in the message.

Up Next

99 Easy-Breezy Ways to Get Your Creativity On

Don't Miss

The Counterpart To “What’s Your Why” That Nobody Talks About

Martin Brooks

Martin Brooks is an experienced communication coach and trainer. In his consultancy practice, he applies his expertise in the reading of body language to help in better understanding others as well as communicating more effectively. His body language analysis has been aired on the BBC, LBC Radio and the Discovery Channel. His new product, “Body Language Decoder,” includes 50 illustrated cards that reveal what others are really thinking. Learn more at successthroughimpact.com.

Click to comment

Success Advice

How to Ignite the Spark Within for Future Success

All of us come to this world with our own reserve of magic unfortunately, not everyone can unleash it

Published

12 hours ago

Dec 4, 2023

M.S. Rao

Image Credit: Midjourney

What is it that makes some people great leaders while others remain followers? What magic do they have that others don’t? What special blessing gives them the power to bring significant change? (more…)

Success Advice

How Your Beliefs Can Supercharge or Sabotage Your Success

Your life is dictated by beliefs and biases that drive your thinking, behaviors, and decisions

Published

2 weeks ago

Nov 20, 2023

Jane Frankel

Your Beliefs Can Supercharge or Sabotage Your Success (1)

Image Credit: Midjourney

Pause for a moment and ponder two pandemic-era beliefs: First, closing schools will control the spread of a serious virus. Second, the consequences of such school closures—particularly social interruption and the prevention of immunity—are worse than becoming sick with the virus. (more…)

Success Advice

How to Break the Cycles of Mediocrity and Manifest Your Greatness

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity

Published

3 weeks ago

Nov 16, 2023

Jamelle Sanders

Image Credit: Midjourney

In just a few weeks, we will be wrapping up 2023. Can you believe it? This year has been absolutely incredible for me.

I have seen amazing doors opened, new relationships formed and I am seeing dreams realized in my life. While this seems like the hallmarks of a great year, this has also been the most challenging year of my life. With all of the change happening in my life, I have been forced out of my comfort zone and challenged to grow in every area of my life.

I can truly say that I have made the most of my moments this year and I have used everything as a catalyst for maximizing my greatest potential.

As a revolutionary leader, I have the pleasure of consulting and advising leaders around the world to fulfill purpose, realize their greatest potential and make an impact.

I want to share some insights with you that will help you to break cycles of mediocrity and manifest your greatness.

Everything legal must come through the matrix

I am sure that some of you are wondering why I am using the term matrix. However, what you have to understand is that I am trying to make a highly complex spiritual principle practical to understand.

Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, every life has an origin and I believe that origin is divine and begins with eternity. You are birthed from eternity and into time to fulfill a unique purpose and assignment in your lifetime and generation.

The matrix is simply the portal or vehicle that brings something out of the invisible realm and into tangible form. The problem with much of the teaching today is that it excludes the matrix. We are told to believe that success is instantaneous and overnight.

Nobody talks about how a dream progresses through stages beginning with visualization and ultimately culminating in manifestation. Without a matrix or portal then everything that you attempt to birth and build will be illegal.

The matrix not only makes you legal but it gives you the authority and power to function as the greatest expression of who you were created to be.

Every matrix has an incubation process

While many people admire and respect me today, I remember a time when nobody knew who I was or the significance of my message. How did I get to where I am today? I got here through an incubation process.

In other words, everything that has been destined for your life is incubating and awaiting a set time of manifestation. The problem is that most people live their entire lives idle and never initiate the incubation process.

What do I meany by that? Most people are living reckless and very few people are living intentionally. I am amazed at the number of people I have conversations with that have no vision, goals or strategies for their lives. They show great promise and they have undeniable potential.

However, without development they will die with their dreams still in them.

Everything that has been destined for your life must be incubated and converted to become realities born to time.

“Visualize this thing that you want, see it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin to build.” – Robert Collier

You must give expression to that which is not yet born to time

When you think about a matrix or a prophetic incubation process, you have to understand that potential is often unrealized and untapped. In other words, your potential is in raw form and your potential cannot serve you as long as it is untapped.

The thing that makes me valuable is that I have the ability to convert potential into power. I have done it in my own life and I have empowered leaders around the world to do the same. How do you convert potential into power?

First, it is important to note that you have to perceive potential. If you cannot perceive your potential then you can never cultivate your potential. In addition, you must take the time to cultivate your potential. We often get excited about our capabilities; however, we never expand our capacity in order to realize our greatest potential.

In other words, the strength of your potential is only discovered through your willingness to stretch. The more we are challenged the more we are empowered to expand our capacity for greatness. Most of all, you must begin to express your potential. The expression of potential is different for every person.

For example, the expression of my potential is best demonstrated through the thoughts, ideas, products, services, books, etc.

For another person the expression of potential may look like a screenplay, artwork, sports, scientific discoveries, medical breakthroughs, etc.

Regardless of the form of expression, I know that you will live empty and unfulfilled until you make the decision to express your potential. The expression of your potential gives voice to your dreams, life to your vision, significance to your moments and activates your true power.

You must manifest your greatness

As a revolutionary thinker and leader, my work has impacted people around the world. I am grateful that my life is a source of empowerment to so many people. However, before anyone could ever benefit from my life, I had to make a non-negotiable decision to become who I was born to be.

I wish I could tell you that this journey is easy and that you will get there overnight. However, in a world that celebrates us for doing we are often criticized for being. As a result, I wasted a lot of time trying to be who other people wanted me to be instead of being who I was born to be.

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity. It is through our bravery to be vulnerable that we ultimately manifest our greatness. We do not bless the world by being a duplicate. We bless the world when we honor our difference. When you honor your difference you honor your potential.

Ultimately, your difference is how you manifest your greatness.

When you present anything but your authentic self to the world, you are playing small and you are robbing the world of your significance. Manifesting your greatness requires you to master your gifts.