Gestures

Did you know that" the human body contains more than 700 muscles:? Did you also know that "your effectiveness as a speaker is directly related to your ability to invoke emotion and interest through the use of non-verbal communication"? In the article "Gestures: Get Moving!" located at Toastmasters International, you can read more about body gestures. Just to wet your appetite, listed below are four of the eight suggestions the article teaches us about gestures for public speaking:

• Start with eye contact. Being prepared – having control of your message – is a prerequisite for being able to project and establish a bond with the audience. Don’t just pass your gaze throughout the room; try to focus on individual listeners and create a bond with them by looking them directly in the eyes for five to 10 seconds.
• Express emotion with your facial muscles. For inspiration, take a look at the The Human Face, a BBC documentary narrated by John Cleese of Monty Python fame, now available on DVD.
• Telling a story? Highlight the action verbs and look for ways to act out one or more parts. Speaking about marathon running? Run a few steps.
• Stay true to your personality. Don’t copy gestures from a book or other speaker, but respond naturally to what you feel and say. 

Can you think of what the other four suggestions would be? Fill in your thoughts in the comment box. We'd all like to know. 

To read the full article go to:  
http://www.toastmasters.org/MainMenuCategories/FreeResources/NeedHelpGivingaSpeech/TipsTechniques/GesturesGetMoving.aspx

Cottonwood Toastmasters meets every Monday 12:00 to 1:15 at the Cottonwood Village, 201 E Mingus Ave. Guests are welcome. For more information call Laina Lloyd at 928-300-8638 or Dave Ellison at 634-6540