CHAPTER 12
Managing Your Nonverbal Delivery
TIP 75: Allow your arms to drop casually when not gesturing.
When I started to develop my public speaking ability, I did not know what to do with my hands. When I consulted reference materials, I either read useless generalizations (do what comes naturally) or lists of what not to do. I yearned for something or someone to tell me what ideal physical delivery looked like.
What I ended up with was this: to be comfortable with what to do with your arms when not gesturing, just do what you do when you are having a conversation while standing up and speaking with somebody you trust. For most people, this means keeping your hands comfortably down at your sides in the moments when you are not using your arms ...
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