Speaking Anxiety: Gestures Help You Think

Trying to master a mental task?

Acting it out can help.  In a study reported in Cognition, when kids were told to use gestures as they learned to do a type of math problem, the lesson stuck.  Embodiment gives you–literally–another way to grasp an idea.

Actors use gesture in a similar way–to grasp the feeling and intention of the character they’re playing.  When trying to discover the best way to speak a line, some actors will say the line using different gestures–even random and counter-intuitive gestures–to expand the range of possible interpretations of the text.

Gesturing also helps us find the right word in conversation.  It’s almost as if we use gesture to “reach” into our own minds to find the word we need.

As reported in another posting, speakers with their hands in their pockets are more hesitant and awkward as speakers.  Speakers who gesture say fewer “ers and uhms.”

Lesson to be learned?  Let your body talk!