Hand gestures should not be something that you put on auto-pilot. If they are well practiced, they will never come across rehearsed… and they’ll pack a big punch to make your words sing.

Before jumping into my 7 go-to moves, be sure to cover your bases with the 3 Fundamentals for Effective Hand Gestures,

Mini Training: 7 Power Gestures (plus a bonus hack)

1. Show contrast using opposite hands.
2. Demonstrate lists or numbers on your fingers.
3. Show big versus small, literally.
4. Make a circle to emphasize repetition
5. Touch your heart for emotion and your head for logic.
6. Face palms down to be firm or absolute. It indicates power.
7. Open palms up to create a sense of community and welcoming.

BONUS: If you are feeling unsure, or super uncomfortable, give yourself some instant security by holding a clicker, microphone or pen in one hand.

Jazz hands aren’t going to cut it. Hand gestures must be compelling and strategic to make an impact, not a distraction.

Note: This is a part of my Delivery Skills series on the Delivery Core Four (if you missed it read it here).

Today, we’re tackling a topic that poor Ricky Bobby just couldn’t figure out… what DO you do with your hands?

And while it was pretty funny for him to look like a fool, I’m certain that you have a different vision for your next presentation.

It can be a little overwhelming to consider that your have to plan not only amazing, compelling content, you also have to practice your words, how you say them… and think about what your hands are doing while you speak! Yikes!

Hands tend to be used haphazardly in communication. This is an absolute shame because using your hands strategically can help your audience better understand your words, it can build stronger trust and makes your message more...

In this week’s episode of Spark Your Presentation Skills (weekly Facebook Live show), we’re covering a lot of ground when it comes to vocal delivery. I’m hitting on the 3 vocal mistakes that presenters make and more importantly, how to fix them.

Communication skills haven’t always come naturally to me. In fact, I struggled immensely in my early twenties because of my hearing loss– though at the time, I didn’t realize that was the issue. I share a little more about it in today’s episode, as well as get a little excited (*ahem* heated) when I share with you the number one way to improve your communication effectiveness.

Delivery Skills Part 2: The 5 Ps of Vocal Delivery

In part one of our series, I Introduced the Delivery Core Four (if you missed it read it here). These are the four critical components of communication outside of the words that we use: Intonation, Facial Expressions, Hand Gestures & Movement.

This week we are focusing on Delivery Core Four #1 — our voices, the primary instrument used to convey our core message to an audience. And just like a instrument, we must learn to use it (that is if we want to be musician… err, I mean, communicator). To kick off this topic, I’ve created a short introduction video below… take a look.

Your voice is an instrument to share your ideas, experiences and emotions with others, so you better make sure it’s in tune.

@theheathersager

Through delivering hundreds of presentations to audiences, big and small, I’ve learned that that when it comes to using your voice, there are...

When it comes to presenting, your words matter, but how you deliver them matters more.

What separates good from exceptional speakers is quite simple. It’s all in their message delivery.

As the youngest of 6 kids, whenever I was in trouble I’d hear my mom cycle through 5 other names (and sometimes the animals too) before getting to mine. And when she did, I knew I was done for… just from the way she said my name.

I’m sure you remember that tone well.

It’s a lesson from our childhood that is commonly used now in our daily lives: it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.

When it comes to communication, what you say matters, but how you say it matters even more.

This was shown to be true through research done in the 1970s by Professor Albert Mehrabian, of University of California. He is best known for his study on verbal and nonverbal communication, now often referred to as the 7%-38%-55% rule.