Dealing with nervous gestures
How often have you been irritated by a speakers random movements and mannerisms. Typical ones that annoy me include rocking back and forward, restless pacing, clicking the button of a ball point pen, or playing with hair.
I used to have a bad habit of tugging at my shirt sleeves and also rubbing my nose (thankfully not at the same time!) then one day, on a presentation skills course led by a fantastic guy called David Strachan, I found s simple but elegant solution.
David explained how these irritating and extraneous movements were caused by excess nerous energy “leaking out” and resulted in a loss of energy from my overall presentation. The secret, he said, is to imagine sucking up that energy back into your core and then directing it out deliberately into more purposeful channels of communication such as your expression, voice and gestures.
I recommend you try this one whenever you catch yourself “leaking” energy. It worked a treat for me and I’m sure it will for you too.
Hi Gavin – I agree that these “fidgety” movements are caused by excess nervous energy – and I can see that David’s advice would work. When I’m coaching people who suffer from this I invite them to move deliberately. For example, I would get them to turn towards the different people they’re speaking to, or have them take a step forwards when they’re making an important point. That also helps channel the nervous energy and dissipate it in more effective ways. Olivia