"These gestures will improve your next presentation" Stephanie Scotti
https://www.smartbrief.com/original/2019/09/these-gestures-will-improve-your-next-presentation
Most of us are now swimming in the deep end of online toastmaster meetings. We are happy if the Go-To Meeting, Skype, or Microsoft Teams software is set right so we can see and hear each other when the meeting starts. But that is only half of it! Once your pretty face is up there and you are getting ready to make your presentation, I guarantee you do NOT want to be the talking head that people can ignore and check their email or feed their dog while you talk! That is why gestures are perhaps more important for online presentations than they are in person. In addition to maintaining audience attention, your gestures emphasize the important points of your presentation. Scotti's article suggests using conventional gestures that are universally understood. Pointing is especially effective if you want to draw attention to a chart or prop. She cautions against pointing directly at the audience which would appear accusatory. Sitting in front of your computer you can use gestures to convey giving or receiving, cautioning, or dividing. These are easy ones for you to employ and you should make note in your presentation when to use them so you do not forget! Scotti also suggests using descriptive gestures to help the audience create a vision in their mind. For example, gestures to communicate size, i.e., small, medium, or large, or growth. The author offers some dos and don'ts for using gestures and I can add to this from recent experience. One gesture or mannerism I recently got feedback on for my last online presentation was to not move forward and backward into the screen of the computer. I thought I was emphasizing a point but in reality, it was making the audience a little seasick. Add that to your gesture repertoire! I believe gestures are a must for every speaker to be effective and I am convinced if you are interested in competing, you will never win without effective gestures!
Key Quote: "Do remember to keep your hand gestures congruent to what you are saying.[S1] "
