GETTING A GRIP 135hand movements. For some individuals, effective hand communication
comes naturally; it is a gift that takes no real thought or education. For
others, however, it takes concentrated effort and training. Whether you
naturally speak with your hands or not, recognize that we communicate
our ideas more effectively when we employ our hands.
Hiding Your Hands Creates a Negative Impression:
Keep Them VisiblePeople may regard you with suspicion if they can’t see your hands while
you are talking. Therefore, always be sure to keep your hands visible dur-
ing face-to-face communication with others. If you’ve ever talked to some-
one whose hands are underneath a table, I think you will quickly sense
how uncomfortable the conversation feels (see box 36). When we interact
in person with other individuals, we expect to see their hands, because the
brain depends on them as an integral part of the communication process.
BOX 35: KEEPING SUCCESS WELL IN HANDMost successful speakers use very powerful hand gestures. Unfortu-
nately, one of the best examples I can offer of an individual who devel-
oped his hand gestures to improve his communication skills is that of
Adolf Hitler. A mere private in the First World War, a painter of greeting
cards, and slight of stature, Hitler had no prequalifications or stage pres-
ence that would normally be associated with a gifted, credible orator. On
his own, Hitler began to practice speaking in front of mirrors. Later, he
filmed himself while practicing hand gestures to better hone a dramatic
style of speaking. The rest is history. An evil human being was able to rise
to prominence as leader of the Third Reich through his use of rhetorical
skills. Some of the movies of Hitler practicing his hand gestures still exist
in the archives. They attest to his development as a speaker who capital-
ized on using his hands to enthrall and control his audience.