What to Do with Your Hands When You Speak: Tips for Using Gestures with Confidence
One of the most common questions I’m asked in my public speaking coaching sessions and workshops is: “What should I do with my hands when I speak?”
A lot of people don’t know what to do with their hands, such as whether to clasp them, hide them, or wave them about.
The moment they step up to present, their hands suddenly feel awkward, and their confidence is undermined.
The interesting thing is that your hands are one of your most powerful speaking tools. Used well, gestures can help you both look and feel more confident, make your message clearer, and keep your audience engaged. Used poorly, they can detract from your message and annoy your audience.
In addition, research shows that gestures don’t just support communication - they also help you think.
Moving your hands as you speak can free up cognitive resources, aid word retrieval, and make it easier to organise your ideas.
Here are 7 tips to help you use gestures to be a more dynamic, effective, and engaging communicator.
Let Your Gestures Be Natural
Avoid jerky, repetitive, or mechanical movements.
The best gestures feel and look both natural and authentic.
When you focus on speaking with meaning and clarity, your hands will often move in a way that reinforce your words and add impact.
Aim for gestures that flow naturally from your thoughts and words, like those you'd use in everyday conversation.
Just like when you’re chatting with a friend and you become animated about what you are saying, you don’t consciously think about what your hands are doing.
Do the same when you are presenting in public - remember to go with the flow, and trust that your gestures will take care of themselves.
2. Avoid distracting or annoying gestures
Avoid common distracting movements such as
Putting your hands in your pockets (appearing too casual or disengaged),
Over-gesturing or flailing (looks uncontrolled or frantic)
Crossing your arms (looks defensive),
Assuming the “fig-leaf stance” (hands clasped in front at groin level) or the “Royal stance” (hands clasped behind the back)
Self-hugging (conveys nervousness or insecurity)
Steer clear of repetitive, distracting gestures or mannerisms such as continual pointing, gesticulating wildly, tapping fingers, playing with jewellery, rubbing your hands together, putting your glasses on and taking them off, swaying from side to side, touching your nose or hair, or scratching your head.
Once you’re aware of these annoying gestures, you can replace them with calm, purposeful gestures such as open palms and outward movements, that convey trustworthiness, align with your message and invite people in, rather than push them away.
3. Give Your Hands a Home Base
When nerves kick in, hands often fidget.
People twist rings, tug at sleeves, or clasp their hands too tightly.
If this sounds familiar, you need to give your hands a comfortable resting place.
You might:
Rest them gently by your sides
Place them lightly on a lectern or table or
Hold a clicker or pen if it helps you feel grounded (just avoid fiddling).
A “home base” doesn’t mean keeping your hands frozen - it simply gives you somewhere natural to return to when you’re not gesturing.
4. Use the "Power Sphere"
Keep your gestures within the natural space between your chest and eye level.This area, often called the “Power Sphere,” is where your movements are most visible and impactful for your audience.
Gestures below the waist tend to disappear from view and can make you appear less engaged.
On the other hand, gestures that rise above your head can feel exaggerated or distracting, pulling focus away from your words.
When you stay within the Power Sphere, your gestures:
Enhance clarity – they naturally align with your facial expressions and voice.
Project confidence – controlled, purposeful movements suggest authority.
Maintain connection – your audience can easily follow your hands without straining or being distracted.
Think of it as keeping your gestures in the “sweet spot” where energy and intention meet. Done well, it reinforces your message without overshadowing it.
5. Use Gestures for Impact
Although you shouldn’t meticulously rehearse your gestures in case you appear robotic and contrived, there may be some points in your speech or presentation in which it would be helpful to incorporate a specific gesture to make your material come alive.
You could use specific, meaningful hand movements to illustrate key points, outline lists, or show size.
For example:
Numbers: Hold up your fingers to show “two points” or “three ideas.”
Size and scale: Use your hands to show something big or something small.
Direction: Move your hand forward to show progress, or sweep sideways to show change.
These simple movements help your audience better grasp what you’re saying.
Review your script if you use one, and be creative about incorporating any gestures into your presentation, that can help reinforce your message.
6. Practise in Context
Gestures don’t look the same in every setting.
On a big stage, movements need to be larger and more expansive so they can be seen clearly by the audience, even from the back row.
In a meeting room or on a video call, smaller, more controlled gestures are far more effective and prevent you from appearing overly animated.
Whenever possible, practise in the same environment where you’ll be presenting. This helps you adjust the size and style of your gestures to the space, the audience, and even the camera.
A little rehearsal in context makes a big difference to how natural and confident you appear.
7. Practise in front of a camera or a mirror
Rehearse in front of a mirror or record yourself on your phone - whichever feels most comfortable.
Watching yourself back allows you to see what looks natural and what feels distracting.
You’ll quickly notice when your hands add impact, when they fade into the background, and when they might be doing too much.
This simple habit builds self-awareness, and helps you refine your gestures so they feel intentional and confident.
In Closing
Your hands should not feel awkward when you speak.
When you let your gestures flow naturally, use them to reinforce your message, and choose movements that are open and inclusive, you’ll look more confident, and your audience will feel more connected to you.
So next time you stand up to present, don’t hide your hands.
Let them help you speak with clarity, energy, and impact!
© 2025 Susan Weser. All rights reserved.
Susan Weser is the Founder of Speaking2Win, a boutique public speaking and presentation skills consultancy, based in Melbourne, Australia. Susan’s mission is to demystify public speaking and presenting. She loves to fast-track her clients’ public speaking success, empowering them with the skills and confidence to excel in all their public speaking endeavours.
