Hand movement, one of the non-verbal communications, is so important in emphasizing a person's points or meanings. Professional speakers are trained to use very limited hand gestures. The next time you see a politician in action, watch his or her hands.
- You might be wondering why politicians bother learning hand gestures.
- Since politicians generally want to give the impression that they are being as open and honest possible, they usually do not cross their arms or legs while they speak though these postures may be comfortable.
- Politicians keep their hands on display to look honest and trustworthy. So they are very careful about the gestures they use.
- One reason speakers train themselves to use several neutral hand movements is so they appear honest and forthright even if they are hiding the truth. Using the correct hand gestures can allow a speaker to make the public into a state of trust and comfort.
- Politicians normally favour palms-down motions, patting gestures & palm raising. By palm-down motions, speaker is telling you that he is in control of the situation or that everything is going to be all right.
Simply raising the hand with fingers extended and close together is a neutral gesture that the speaker is calm, cool, collected, and ready to handle the situation. - There are some hand gestures which politicians try to avoid are fists (tightly closed hands with the fingers bent against the palm) & palms-up gestures.
For starters, people want to see that their leader has gathered his thoughts, is in control of emotions, and has come up with firm plan of action. Although politicians do use palms-up gestures, they hardly do so as it might be viewed as a gesture of relative weakness. Politicians use this type of gesture when trying to explain a difficult concept or when apologizing for his latest scandal. - Here are the examples of some famous politicians love their well-practiced hand gestures. John F. Kennedy & Bill Clinton were famous for using loosely closed fist with a thump sticking out of the top to get their points across without appearing aggressive. George Bush often used to place hands on the elevated platform when he speaks - a way of saying "I have nothing to hide".