Page 186 - The New Articulate Executive_ Look, Act and Sound Like a Leader

HOW TO READ A PREPARED TEXT LIKE A PRO 177

1. Freeing up your hands to “talk” with you helps vent the anxieties
that you may feel about speaking in the fi rst place. People experi-
ence anxiety or stage fright in different ways. But when allowed to
build without release, anxiety can reveal our fear by making us look
nervous or wooden. Nervousness often manifests itself in rocking or
swaying. Using your hands helps hide fear by physically releasing
tension. Keeping your hands active can also help compensate for the
frustration of feeling stuck at a lectern.
Of course, your hands should not run away with you. They
should always help, never distract. So keep your moves disciplined:

short chops to make points, fingertips touching, palms up, palms

down, a fist in the palm, all done with some discretion and restraint.
Or, as we mentioned in the last chapter, you could keep your hands
busy by holding a pen and occasionally switching the pen from one
hand to the other.

2. In addition to releasing tension, your hands can also help make
you look a lot more natural. You feel more spontaneous and sound
more conversational. Curiously, your voice seems to gain confi dence

and you may even find yourself on a roll. But it’s hard to be on a roll
if your hands never move from your sides.
Some further points:
◆ If you insist on keeping your hands folded behind your back,
you may wind up looking a little too much like a bad imitation
of Prince Charles.
◆ Arms folded across your chest is a nonverbal signal that you
feel vulnerable. You look like you’re protecting yourself and
would probably rather be someplace else.
◆ Hands raised up to your sternum (heart) with fi ngers touching
is almost priestly.