Keep Your Hands to Yourself

A common question we get at DMG is: “Should I use hand gestures?” The answer? It depends. You don’t have to use them, but if you normally gesture and feel like you’re in a straitjacket otherwise, go ahead — just use them sparingly.

California Governor Gavin Newsom showed us this week what happens when you get too handsy: you go viral for all the wrong reasons.

If you do use hand gestures, here are a few tips:

Keep your hands around your waist. The eye is drawn to big hand gestures. Avoid waving your arms, competing with your face, or moving in and out of the frame. On TV, shots can be pretty tight. So if your arm isn’t visible and a hand suddenly appears, the audience won’t know it’s yours.

Keep gestures circular, not choppy. Choppy gestures make it seem like you’re lecturing. Circular ones look conversational. You can also choose to use one hand rather than both. Think slow and circular — just don’t keep your fingers glued together, or you’ll look like you have Barbie hands.

Don’t illustrate with your hands. Whether it’s air quotes, pointing, counting, or any number of other gestures — don’t. Your hand gestures will be more noticeable than you, and that’s not what you want. You want people to remember you, not your hands.