Body Language Tool: Lingering Hands
HOW? Sense the weight of your hands, and move them as if moving slowly through water. Try it with a set of dumbbells or other heavy objects to give you the same feeling of moving your hands in a calm, controlled manner. Underline each sentence with either Serving, Placing or Illustrative hands. When you stop speaking, keep those strong hands in the air for two seconds.
I have introduced almost everyone I have coached – CEOs, salespeople, teachers – to lingering hands.
The trick is to use them to underline your point with a single gesture – and to maintain the gesture at the end of the sentence. A lot of people drop their hands even before the end of the sentence. No matter how important the message, the body language implies that they don’t fully believe what they’re saying.
It’s the equivalent of your lips saying “We have to challenge conventional thinking”, while your hands say, “Or maybe not”. Lingering hands signal ownership of what you’ve just said.
