Public Speaking: Appearing Professional

Hands in Pockets (picture from SUU School of Business)

At the IBC competition this year, one of the guys from the Queen’s team was answering a question and he had his hands in his pockets. The head judge looked at him and said: “Excuse me sir, are your hands cold?” Clearly embarrassed, the competitor blushed, said “No.” and promptly took them out.

I thought this was hilarious because this is something that kid should have known and the judge was clever about it. Our coach was much more direct: “If I ever catch you with your hands in your pockets, I will rip your arms out of their sockets!” Our lovely coach is much more direct.

This is one of the cardinal rules of public speaking: Never EVER EVER keep your hands in your pockets. You’d be surprised (or not) at the amount of people who do this! If you’re presenting with a team and you’re not the one speaking, STILL keep your hands out of your pockets when you’re in front of an audience. It looks almost childish and very unprofessional. I understand it can sometimes be awkward to figure out where to put your hands. I’ve found the best bet is to use your hands while you’re talking to give your presentation a little movement.

Something to remember about hand gestures: Many people don’t realize it, but if you’re going to be using your hands, hold them up (typically around your chest area). Don’t keep your arms to your sides and just move your hands; it looks weird. Even worse: if you’re behind a podium and moving your hands while they’re at your sides no one will see.

One final note on body movement: If possible, video tape yourself presenting at some point. Odds are you will notice some interesting quirks you may be unaware of. Common quirks include: swaying from side to side or back to front, only moving one arm while speaking, pacing back and forth (SOME people pull this off really well. Most don’t.), looking at the floor, looking at the ceiling, overusing your hands, awkward blinking, licking/smacking your lips very often, touching your face, playing with your hair, etc. If you become aware of quirks, you can get rid of them.