Toastmasters International

 Gesture- a movement of the body when speaking  Start with eye contact  Be prepared.  Make eye contact with audience.  Don’t look at ceiling, over their hands, etc.  Smile!  Express emotion with facial muscles.  Avoid distracting mannerisms.  Ask a friend to watch your practice, looking for:  Fidgeting  Twisting  Lip biting  Key jingling.  Hands in pockets  Hands behind back.

 Telling a story?  Highlight action verbs.  Look for ways to act out one or more parts.  Stay true to your personality.  Don’t copy from someone else/book.  Respond naturally to what you feel and say.  Make gestures convincing.  Every hand gesture should be a total body movement that starts from shoulder – never the elbow.  Half-hearted gestures look artificial.  My tip – larger the audience, the larger the gestures.

 Vary your speaking position.  Don’t stay in the same spot.  Move across stage as you move to a new topic.  Walk toward audience when asking a question.  These tips were provided by Toastmasters International as a free resource.