We all use gestures to make a point

Could any of you readers give an effective speech with your hands in your pockets? Could a TV weather forecaster keep his job without gestures? Me thinks not. Gestures, whether with your hands, eyes, shoulders, your head, whatever, add a great emphasis to what you want to impart.

Have you ever noticed the gestures that almost all humans use, are almost to the extreme? The other day, I noticed a young girl in my mirror behind me when I stopped my car at a busy intersection. She had a phone up to her ear and she was wildly gesturing with the other hand while talking. Why? I was no doubt the only person looking.

That caused me to recall, when years ago, in a speech improvement class, a participant was there mainly to learn to gesture in a timely manner as his were always late, almost funny. His audience was silently urging him on, while unwittingly using their own gestures. Without realizing it, we all gesture, be it with a shoulder shrug, wink, a grimace, a nod, whatever.

A gesture saves us, unwittingly, many words. Look around you.

Don Hansen

Waterloo