To emphasize a point, you may flap or wave your hand. Are hand flourishes significant? In the workplace, especially, they can make a big difference. Investing professionals were asked to watch videos of a fictional entrepreneur pitching a new device to treat sports injuries as part of a 2019 study led by Jean S. Clarke at Emlyon Business School in Lyon, France.
When the fictional entrepreneur gave the same pitch with his hands clasped in front of his body, the investors were more interested in investing than when he used hand gestures. The actor used symbolic gestures to emphasize a point, such as widening his hands to show a potential market and tapping his hands together.
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Gestures reinforce what you say. Clarke said gestures help convey passion as well as more information. You can look more animated and passionate when you use gestures; therefore, people are likelier to listen to what you say.
The caveat: Hand gestures can make you appear more excited and memorable, but they aren’t enough to persuade someone. According to Clarke, improving your body language can help you be more persuasive, but you cannot trick people into agreeing. Here are what gestures to use to make your points more compelling:
A Precision Grip
The precision grip signals that you are drilling in on an idea, and your audience needs to pay close attention. Bring your thumb and index or middle finger together to touch or almost touch, signaling to the audience that “This is a key part of what I’m saying.”
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Holding Your Hand Over Your Heart
Reinforce how vital a conversation is to you by touching your heart while you say, “This is important to me,” to emphasize the importance of the topic. This shows that you genuinely feel the emotion and want the person to hear the message.