If you ever look at video footage of some of the world’s most successful speakers, you’ll notice that they all have one thing in common: They use LOTS of hand gestures. An fantastic study done by the Science of People reviewed thousands of hours of the most and least popular TED talks. The least popular speakers on TED used an average of 272 hand gestures over their 18 minute talk, while the most popular TED speakers used an average of 465 hand gestures—that’s almost double! Other studies consistently show that if presenters use hand gestures, their audiences will remember up to twice as much information versus doing the same presentation without gestures. But this connection between memory and movement can also help you as the presenter. Based on these results and the outcomes of earlier findings, Dr. Elena Nicoladis and her research colleagues at the University of Alberta believe there is a connection between language, memory access and gesturing. Nicoladis found “the very fact of moving your hands helps you recall parts of the story – the gestures help you access memory and language…” So if we appreciate that our hand gestures are actually an integral part of our tour – for both us and our audience – we should take some time to consider which movements are the most effective for speakers. Have you ever wondered if there are hand gestures that you should avoid while speaking? There certainly are! That’s why we created a bonus PDF resource called, ‘Talking with Your Hands – 7 Common Mistakes to Avoid’. Grab your free copy by clicking below and take a look at some of the gestures that may be holding you back. What to do with your hands while speaking? In this video, we’ll look at four types of effective hand gestures to put in your toolbox. There is a good chance that you are already using ‘the give’, ‘the mime’, ‘the show’ and ‘the chop’ – but we’ll look at how effectively speaking with our hands is all about choosing the right gesture for the right moment. We’ll also find your base posture, which is the position that you should gesture to, and from, when making hand movements. This will keep your motion natural looking and give you an idea of where to put your arms when not actively gesturing. I’ll also show you exactly where 90% of your hand movements should be to avoid distracting or confusing your audience. Enjoy the video, grab that PDF and start leveraging the power of effective hand gestures on your tours. Know someone who might appreciate these tips? Share this video and get them in on the action! -Kelsey Tonner Founder, Be a Better Guide Finished Watching? In the comments, share any advice you have on gesturing more effectively while speaking. Any best practices you can share with the community? We’d love to hear from you!   PDF Resource &#8211...